Crime Reporting on Online News Media: A Comparative Sentiment Analysis between the United Arab Emirates and the United States

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Master's Researcher, College of Mass Communication, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

2 Professor at the College of Mass Communication, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Today's media-saturated world has resulted in crime reporting providing a means by which public perceptions are shaped, and criminal justice policies are affected. This study uses sentiment analysis and topic modeling to compare crime narratives in two major online newspapers, Gulf News (UAE) and The New York Times (USA). This research combines artificial intelligence-powered sentiment analysis and topic modeling to conduct a comparative analysis of crime stories in Gulf News (UAE) and The New York Times (USA). It clarifies emotionality, thematic trends, and relations of power, and discursively reveals that Gulf News aims to consolidate state and government discourses and that The New York Times addresses systemic failures and tests institutional frameworks. By leveraging AI tools, this work is a critical contribution to the field, with a strong focus on cross-cultural variation in reporting about crime. In addition, a pilot study was conducted in an attempt to streamline study design and authenticate AI-powered methodologies. This study brings significant insights into media framing, ethics in journalism, and ideology in reporting about crime, with a bearing on public perception in the long run.

Keywords

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics