A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF FEMINIST GENDERED LANGUAGE AND MEDIA REPRESENTATION IN THE PUNCH AND BLUEPRINT NEWSPAPERS

Abstract

This paper critically examines how gendered power dynamics and media representation emerge in The Punch and Blueprint publications. The paper investigates how language choices, narrative structures and editorial methods promote or challenge patriarchal ideas in Nigerian print media. It is anchored on Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) technique. Using a qualitative methodology, the paper purposefully selected ten (10) articles from 2021 to 2025. The articles were analysed using Fairclough's three-dimensional model (description, interpretation and explanation) to discover implicit power dynamics, gender framing and ideological positioning. The findings demonstrate that both publications frequently employ stereotypical linguistic choices, favour male institutional authority and frame gender concerns through depoliticised statistical or rhetorical lenses that marginalise female action. Gender inequality is entrenched through editing decisions and sourcing procedures that reinforce hegemonic masculinity and marginalise women. The paper reveals that media discourse is a site of ideological contestation, with gendered power relations normalised rather than neutral. It concludes that purposeful editorial reforms, inclusive sourcing criteria and gender-sensitive journalistic training are critical for addressing unjust representations.

Keywords: Discourse, Gender, Power, Media, Inequality.