Identifying persuasive language techniques in Iranian and U.S political news articles: A content analysis of the joint comprehensive plan of action

Abstract

The United States and Iran are often headliners in each other's media, especially during a historic deal such as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015. When it comes to gaining readers' attention, the leading paragraph should contain the bulk of the information while drawing in the reader and convincing them to read more. These techniques are called persuasive language techniques and can be found in political media and speeches. Most of the existing literature focuses on studying political speeches or the body of political news articles rather than the leading paragraph. This research utilized strategic narrative theory to quantify the narratives being pushed and qualify what those purpose and scene narratives are. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study analyzed 305 articles from Iranian and American news outlets one-week pre and post the JCPOA Finalization, Adoption and Implementation Day. The research found Iranian and American news outlets to have different usage of persuasive language techniques, opinions about the other countries involved and different narrative themes. Moreover, the study found that both nations pushed a narrative of cooperation by stating why this historic accord would be a great start to a new chapter.