85 WHAT IS THE WAR ON TERROR? FRAMING THROUGH THE EYES OF JOURNALISTS InresponsetotheterroristattacksofSeptember11,2001,theBush administration advanced a War on Terror to justify security policies at home and military intervention abroad, exemplified by continuing con- flicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a rhetorical device for marshaling resources and defining the terms of debate, the War on Terror has emergedasapowerfulideologicalframe.Whethercalledthe waronter- ror,the waronterrorism,orthe waragainstterrorism, 1 theframeputforth bytheBushadministration,beginningthedayafter9/11,wasthesame: Thetragedyrequiredanimmediatewar-likeresponseagainsttheperpe- trators and states that protected them. 2 This “loaded and elastic frame” wasusedto“justifyandfast-trackthenewunilateralistforeignpolicy.” 3 More broadly, this frame took on ideological dimensions, not only pro- viding linguistic cover for widespread political change in the name of nationalsecurity,but alsoofferinganinstitutionalizedwayofseeingthe world—aframeasinfluentialasitwassubtle. 4 As a central facet of political communication, frames define the terms of debate; shape public opinion through the persuasive use of symbols; and, when most effective, lead to public policy change. They serve as the primary vehicle through which public officials, the news media,andotherelitesexercisepoliticalinfluenceoveroneanotherand the public at large. 5 As such, frames do not arise organically; they are This study explored the War on Terror framing process through inter- views with journalists at USA Today, testing the presumption that, because frames are organizing principles whose manifestations extend beyond the level of content alone, journalists’ personal discourse will reflectandreinforceframesfoundinthetext. Resultsshowthatreporters “transmitted” the War on Terror as shorthand for policy, “reified” the frame as concrete and uncontested, and “naturalized” it as a taken-for- granted condition. These findings suggest broader lessons for the U.S. pressinbecomingmoreawareofthewordsandcatchphrasesthatsigni- fytheprevailingwisdomofpublicofficials. J&MCQuarterly Vol.86,No.1 Spring2009 85-102 ©2009AEJMC SethC.LewisisaPh.D.studentintheSchoolofJournalismattheUniversityofTexas atAustin,whereStephenD.ReeseisJesseH.JonesProfessorintheSchoolofJournalism andassociatedeanoftheCollegeofCommunication.Apreviousversionofthispaperwon theJamesE.MurphyMemorialAwardforTopFacultyPaperintheCulturalandCritical StudiesDivisionofAEJMCatitsannualmeetinginAugust2008. WHAT IS THE WAR ON TERROR? BySethC.LewisandStephenD.Reese