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This study is a critical content analysis interpreting how the policy-related actions of the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers are portrayed in the national newspaper discourse and how these portrayals compare/contrast with the way in which the two teacher organizations would like for their policy-related actions to be portrayed, as evidenced by each organization s news releases. This analysis concludes that the National Education Association more often receives a negative portrayal in the national newspaper discourse than the American Federation of Teachers, and links this difference to numerous advantages, demonstrated by the AFT, in communicating its policy-related actions. This study concludes that both organizations, but particularly the National Education Association, would benefit from changes to the way in which they present their policy-related actions, so that each teacher organization may more effectively counter negative media portrayals.

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Dr. Jason T. Hilton is an Assistant Professor of Education at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. His academic interests include critical pedagogy, digital literacy, teacher professional status and democratic classroom practices. Before transitioning to higher education, Dr. Hilton was a teacher of middle level social studies.

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