In conducting content analysis, I attempt to pay attention to the “real” meaning
of each word, phrase, and sentence. Cross-cultural comparison faces the very
fundamental and difficult question about the role of culture in language. A scholar who
attempts to compare different culture needs to have sensitivity to the language. Even if
we find a similar concept or word in both the Asahi and the New York Times, there is
always the possibility that the word has quite a different cultural context and their
meanings may be not the same. In order to remove the stereotypes derived from our
own culture, Winch (1964) suggests that “the conception of ‘reality’ must be applicable
outside the context of scientific reasoning” (311). It is imperative to be sensitive in
understanding the usage of words in conducting content analysis.
Specifically, this work used three strategies in content analysis. First, several
key concepts were qualitatively chosen from each article. The number of key concepts
depended on the article. Some had only one concept, others had more than five. On
average, about three to five concepts were extracted from an article. Each key concept
was recorded as a phrase which explicitly describes an idea in the article, such as 1.)
neo-conservative commentators’ criticisms on the UN’s nuclear inspection in Iraq or 2.)
the Iraq war’s growing impact on Iraqi citizens, especially their lifelines. These key
concepts were further analyzed in both quantitative and qualitative ways. In the
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Convention