ENGAGEMENT IN MEDIA DISCOURSE: HOW THE NEWSPAPERS REFLECT INTERSUBJECTIVE STANCES IN POLITICAL COVERAGE

This study examines how The Washington Post and The New York Times use engagement within appraisal theory to express intersubjective stances in their reporting on the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The study uses both quantitative and qualitative analysis on certain articles and excerpts about Biden and Trump that came out between January and June 2024. The study examines the use of dialogic expansion and contraction in incorporating or excluding different points of view, as well as in monolingual and heterolingual communication. The Washington Post often uses language that allows different points of view to be taken into account. The New York Times, on the other hand, tends to be more definite and favors a single point of view. It shows that there are differences in how each newspaper covers politics in its own unique way. Additionally, the research discusses how these findings can be applied in English Language Teaching (ELT) classrooms by introducing critical media literacy activities to help students improve their reading and analytical skills.