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CNN · February 2026
February 2026 editorial profile for CNN. Below: how this outlet framed the actors and regions it covered most in February 2026. Tap any tile to jump to the detailed card.
Editorial stance
One tile per entity (country or public figure) covered enough times this month to draw a confident editorial-stance read. Colour from red (hostile) to green (supportive); intensity scales with headline volume. Tap to jump to the detailed card.
United States25 titles-1Skeptical“critical and skeptical toward the US government under Trump”
Patterns
- foregrounds scandals and controversies involving Trump administration
- uses distancing or critical framing for Trump and allies
- highlights negative consequences of US policies
- includes some neutral reporting on non-Trump US entities
Caveats
The entity is 'US' as a country, but coverage overwhelmingly focuses on the Trump administration and its actions, with a critical stance. Some headlines (e.g., 10, 17) are neutral or positive toward US actions/entities, but the dominant tone is skeptical of the current US government.
Representative headlines
- →Polls show concerns about Trump’s mental acuity increasing
- →Trump risks walking into an Iraq-style trap in Iran
- →Trump launches the regime-change effort in Iran that he pledged to avoid
- →Dozens of FBI records apparently missing from Epstein files, including Trump accuser interviews
- →Trump Commerce Secretary Lutnick's contact with Epstein fuels calls for him to resign
EPSTEIN25 titles-2Adversarial“consistently hostile and delegitimizing”
Patterns
- frames Epstein as a criminal and predator
- highlights his manipulation and influence-peddling
- focuses on his ties to powerful figures as scandalous
- uses language of exposure and reckoning
Caveats
All headlines treat Epstein as a negative figure; no neutral or positive framing appears. The outlet's stance is uniformly hostile, reflecting Epstein's convicted status and the scandal's nature.
TRUMP25 titles-1Skeptical“skeptical and critical”
Patterns
- distancing verbs like 'claims', 'pushes', 'tests'
- negative framing of actions as 'abuse', 'regime-change', 'demolition'
- foregrounding of failures, controversies, and public skepticism
- use of critical quotes from experts and opponents
Caveats
Some headlines are neutral factual reports, but the overall selection emphasizes Trump's controversies, failures, and critical reactions, with evaluative language from CNN's own voice (e.g., 'abuse', 'regime-change', 'skeptical public'). The entity is not quoted authoritatively; instead, his actions are framed as problematic.
CLINTON17 titles0Reportorial“neutral with slight skepticism”
Patterns
- factual reporting of legal and political events
- quoting Clinton's criticisms of others without endorsement
- balanced inclusion of Republican and Democratic perspectives
- use of distancing verbs like 'says' and 'accuses'
Caveats
Coverage is largely neutral and event-driven, focusing on the Epstein probe process. Headlines 6 and 11 include critical and potentially favorable framing, but overall the outlet does not take a clear stance toward Clinton as a person; the entity's own critical statements about Trump are reported without evaluative language from CNN.
February 2026 overview
Track distributioniShare of coverage across thematic tracks
politics
security
economy
society
Top actorsiMost frequently mentioned actor categories
US EXECUTIVE
24.3%
NONE
9.2%
CORPORATION
7.5%
US LEGISLATURE
6.7%
US LAW ENFORCEMENT
5.8%
US ARMED FORCES
4.7%
US JUDICIARY
4.3%
IL EXECUTIVE
2.7%
Domain focusiThematic domains: security, governance, economy, etc.
GOVERNANCE
32.9%
FOREIGN POLICY
20.4%
SECURITY
20.0%
SOCIETY
12.0%
ECONOMY
8.3%
TECHNOLOGY
5.7%
MEDIA
0.6%
Publication patterniDay-of-week distribution of published titlesall time
Monday
13.2%
Tuesday
17.6%
Wednesday
18.5%
Thursday
17.1%
Friday
14.4%
Saturday
9.4%
Sunday
9.8%
peak hour: 04:00 UTC