L'analyse du discours appliquée à la communication médiatique: comment la presse romande parle-t-elle de l'Islam ?

Within the framework of social discourse analysis, this paper deals with the role of the headline of media information in the construction of other negative identities in the context of the Iraqi war. It focuses on the media strategies used in the French Swiss press to communicate the topic Islam. The headline is a means to attract the audience and gain economical increase. Every potential reader is attracted by the headline, but does not necessarily rethink the news critically. The data under analysis consists of 250 titles and subtitles (from May to December 2003) revealing a complex strategy: providing explicit and implicit negative references of "Islam". This state of affair could contribute to the growth of Islamo-distrust in Switzerland.