DIVIDED LENSES, DIVERGENT PUBLICS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF VISUAL FRAMING IN MAINSTREAM MEDIA AND SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE AND ITS AUDIENCE RECEPTION CASE STUDY: BANGLADESH TRAINING JET CRASH TRAGEDY IN JULY 2025

Abstract

On July 21, 2025, a Bangladesh Air Force training jet crashed into Milestone School and College in Uttara, Dhaka, resulting in multiple fatalities and injuries, including schoolchildren. The tragedy quickly became a major national news event and was widely circulated across both mainstream television news and social media platforms. In the contemporary hybrid media environment, crises are no longer interpreted solely through traditional journalism; instead, they are simultaneously constructed through professional news coverage, user-generated content, and participatory audience engagement. This study examines how different media platforms visually framed the 2025 Bangladesh training jet crash and how audiences responded to these narratives in online environments.Guided by framing theory and visual framing concepts, this research adopts a dual-methodological approach. First, an inductive visual analysis was conducted to examine how mainstream television news coverage and user-generated videos visually constructed narratives of the crash. The analysis focused on elements such as camera work, composition, editing logic, spatial framing, and symbolic imagery. Second, an inductive thematic analysis was applied to audience responses by examining 9,770 comments posted on videos related to the crash. This analysis explored how viewers interpreted, reinforced, or challenged the visual narratives presented by different media sources. The findings reveal significant differences in the narrative construction of the event across media platforms. Mainstream television coverage relied on institutional journalistic conventions, including breaking-news aesthetics, authoritative narration, and structured storytelling that emphasized credibility, official statements, and national concern. In contrast, user-generated videos employed hybrid visual storytelling techniques that combined eyewitness documentation, emotional commentary, speculation, and digital reconstruction of the event. These divergent visual approaches shaped how viewers interpreted the tragedy and positioned themselves in relation to victims, institutions, and questions of responsibility. The thematic analysis of audience comments further demonstrates that social media platforms function as participatory spaces where users actively negotiate the meanings of crisis events. Audience responses frequently expressed grief, anger, solidarity with victims, and demands for accountability. Some comments reinforced the narratives presented by mainstream media, while others questioned institutional explanations or offered alternative interpretations of the crash. These reactions illustrate how audiences play an active role in shaping public discourse during times of national tragedy. Overall, this study demonstrates that visual framing is a powerful mechanism through which media platforms construct and circulate narratives of crisis. In the hybrid media system, the coexistence of mainstream journalism and user-generated content produces multiple, sometimes competing interpretations of the same event. By examining both media representations and audience responses, this research contributes to broader discussions on visual communication, crisis reporting, and participatory media culture in the digital age. The findings highlight the need for further research into how visual storytelling and audience engagement influence public understanding of disasters and national emergencies.