Media Language and Peace Building in Cameroon: An Analysis of Newspaper Headlines on the Anglophone Crisis from 2017-2023

Abstract

This paper explores media language’s role in conflict and peace-building by analysing 360 newspaper headlines on Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis (2017 to 2023). Applying Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), Fairclough’s three-dimensional Model, and Entman’s Framing Theory, the research investigates how linguistic choices perpetuate conflict or promote peace. By examining Systemic Functional Linguistic (SFL) categories like agency and process, the paper identifies how media outlets: The Post, The Guardian Post and Cameroon Tribune frame actors to align with state-centric or separatists’ narratives. Quantitative and qualitative analysis reveals divergent reporting patterns: The Post and The Guardian Post shifted from escalatory ‘atrocity lexis’ (2017–2019), toward dialogue-based, diplomatic framing in subsequent phases. In contrast, the state-owned Cameroon Tribune maintained a consistent ‘peace efforts’ framework to assert state legitimacy and institutional normalisation. These findings suggest that media discourse acts as a powerful instrument of social construction, where linguistic choices do not merely report conflict but actively shape the public’s perception of its resolution. While private media adapted its framing as the conflict matured, state media utilised a static peace narrative to consolidate authority and marginalise underlying grievances. This study, therefore, advocates for SFL-based journalistic training and a more decentralised approach to peace narratives.