Disappointment or hype? Framing artificial intelligence in the US elite news media
Abstract
How do elite US news outlets frame AI within accounts of hype, disappointment and tempered expectation? This study finds that rather than fueling hype, coverage tends to adopt a cautious tone – emphasizing everyday uses and current impacts over speculative futures. A content analysis of three high-profile US dailies shows more positive tones when only developers or vendors discuss their own AI tools. The findings underscore journalists’ important role in contextualizing and balancing biased narratives and will be a valuable contribution for academics, journalists and policymakers seeking to understand hype, disappointment and expectation dynamics in technology discourse and their broader social implications.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Media Studies and Communication
Computational and Text Analysis Methods
Climate Change Communication and Perception
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Global Media and Communication
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 71–94
- Publication date
- 21 January 2026
- Language
- EN