News Media Constructions of Educational Issues Related to Multilingualism and Multiculturalism

This exploratory qualitative study investigates the news media’s representation of educational issues related to multiculturalism and multilingualism through liberal and conservative news sources. This study investigates how educational issues related to multiculturalism and multilingualism are represented in the news media. The study used a qualitative hermeneutic approach through document and content analyses. Purposive sampling supported the selection of news media reports from conservative and liberal news sources in the USA, Fox News and CNN, respectively, during the first 10 weeks of 2025, a time of political change in the executive and legislative branches. Four sectors structured the data collection: (a) K-12 in a conservative news source, (b) K-12 in a liberal news source, (c) higher education in a conservative news source and (d) higher education in a liberal news source. Topics covered by both Fox News and CNN focused on (a) response to immigration enforcement on school and university campuses, (b) integration of politics into education, (c) barriers to educational access and (d) dismantling the US Department of Education (DOE). Though focused on similar topics, CNN’s reporting was framed around empathy and resistance, while Fox News tended toward justification and the need for action.