Critical Discourse Analysis of Representation of Celebrities on TV Programs: Case of "20:30 News Reports" of Channel 2, IRIB

The aim of this study is to analyze the critical discourse of how celebrities are represented in the 20:30 news program. IRIB is the main national media for promoting and consolidating the official discourse. Celebrities often come into conflict with the official discourse due to activities such as political comment, charity, and lifestyle. 20:30 News, as one of the IRIB programs, has covered these conflicts in various reports and has represented the actions of many celebrities. In representation underlayers, this program has repeatedly tried to define "celebrity", which in some scientific respects, as the subject of this research, is contradictory.In this study, three 20:30 news reports were analyzed based on the Fairclough discourse analysis method at three levels description, interpretation, and explanation. The results show that the 20:30 reports, while having no fixed definition of celebrity, offer more different definitions of them ideologically, at different times; They often sought a "constructivist" representation. The purpose of this news program is to strengthen the current discourse and deepen its polarization of "us" (proponents) and "others" (opponents). Given the division of two readings of celebrities, the 20:30 reading should be considered a "functional" reading rather than a "critical" reading. One of the main consequences of this reading is the increase in attention and fame of some celebrities who, according to scientific definitions, do not fall into the category of "celebrity" and therefore, many negative effects and consequences can be imagined with cultural, social and even political influence