CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS USING VAN DIJK'S MODEL ON CNN NEWS ABOUT GIRLS’ BIRTHDAYS CELEBRATE IN AFGANISTAN

Abstrak

This study aims to examine a CNN.com news article titled "Kiana Hayeri’s haunting images show what it means to be a teenage girl in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan" using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) based on Teun A. van Dijk’s theory. The focus is on how the media constructs social reality and embeds ideological values through linguistic structures within the text. A qualitative descriptive method is applied, with analysis covering three main dimensions: macrostructure (main theme), superstructure (text organization), and microstructure (word choice, syntax, and language style). The findings reveal that CNN.com frames the narrative of Afghan teenage girls living under Taliban rule through symbols of subtle resistance, such as secretly held birthday celebrations. The article employs emotionally resonant and narrative language to evoke empathy toward issues of gender inequality. Through its strategic use of language, CNN.com not only delivers information but also shapes public opinion and conveys social criticism in an indirect, non-confrontational manner.