AGENCY IN FOREIGN-NEWS - A LINGUISTIC COMPLEMENT OF A CONTENT ANALYTICAL STUDY

The paper reports the results of a quantitative content analysis focus sing on representations of the foreign in the British and Polish press es, taking these results as a frame of reference for a qualitative cri tical linguistic analysis. The two analytical modes apparently yield t wo different sets of results, yet when juxtaposed they can be used to inform each other and provide a unified interpretation in which the in sights of each method are complementary. Our analysis suggests that qu antitative content analysis may be most useful as a means of revealing at least some of the media coverage of the moment. Critical linguisti c analysis, however, complements this in its ability to reveal long-st anding patterns of discursive representations with their systemic bias es and preferences.