PRINCIPLES OF RESEARCHING PRINT MEDIA DISCOURSE: A METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK

Abstract

Print media discourse constitutes a rich and methodologically challenging object of inquiry for scholars in linguistics, communication studies, and the social sciences. This article synthesises the principal methodological frameworks employed in its analysis - Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), framing analysis, and quantitative content analysis - and proposes an integrated set of operational principles for conducting rigorous research in this domain. Drawing on a systematic review of seminal and recent literature, the study identifies six core principles: corpus delimitation, multi-level textual analysis, contextual embedding, reflexivity in interpretation, triangulation of methods, and ethical transparency. The findings suggest that no single analytical tradition is sufficient in isolation; productive inquiry into print media discourse requires the deliberate combination of micro-linguistic and macro- sociological perspectives. Implications for research design and pedagogy in media discourse studies are discussed.