Frankfurter Allgemeine · March 2026

• reports Merz's statements and actions factually
• uses critical evaluative language in some headlines ('Eskapismus', 'fehlt es an Mut')
• occasionally frames Merz as a responsible actor ('betont Einigkeit', 'weist auf Risiken')
• includes headlines that question or challenge Merz's positions ('Kehrtwende?', 'enttäuscht die Eliten')

Coverage is mixed: some headlines are neutral or even slightly positive (e.g., #9, #12), while others are clearly critical (#6, #19). The outlet does not consistently celebrate or delegitimize Merz; it reports his actions and statements with a mix of factual and evaluative language. The entity's own critical statements toward Trump or others are reported without clear endorsement or rejection by the outlet.

• evaluative adjectives framing Trump negatively (dumme Lüge, entsetzlichen Fehler, willkürlich)
• distancing verbs and attribution (laut Trump, Trumps Taktik, Trumps Drohungen)
• focus on Trump's failures and negative consequences (Sieg nicht erklären, zerschießt auch den Westen, Machtkampf)
• ironic or belittling comparisons (Barbies Ken, Titanic-Figuren)

Headlines 2 and 21 are neutral or factual, but the majority use critical framing or highlight Trump's problems. The outlet's own voice in headlines 1, 5, 11, 12, 14 is clearly negative toward Trump, not just reporting his statements neutrally.

• Trump as threat actor (droht, testet Loyalität, zerfleischt)
• Trump's decisions framed as risky or controversial (umstrittene ICE-Beamte, Rückzieher)
• Trump's motives questioned (will in die Geschichte eingehen, mit welchen Schiffen?)
• Commentary on Trump's NATO threat (Kommentar zu Trumps Drohung)

Stance is toward the US entity as represented by the Trump administration; coverage is critical of Trump's actions and rhetoric, but not hostile to the US as a nation. Several headlines are neutral business or culture stories unrelated to the US entity. The outlet's own commentary (headline 20) explicitly critiques Trump's NATO threat.

• entity appears mostly in domestic political and economic contexts
• no evaluative or emotional framing of the country itself
• headlines focus on specific events, not on the entity's character or performance

The entity 'DE' (Germany) is not the primary subject of most headlines; coverage is fragmented across local politics, foreign policy, and business. No consistent positive or negative stance toward the country as a whole is discernible.

• frames Iran as aggressor or source of crisis
• focuses on war consequences and justifications for attack
• uses neutral to negative framing of Iranian leadership and actions
• quotes experts and officials with distance, not amplifying Iranian voices

Coverage is primarily about the war and its effects, not directly about Iran as a country; Iran is often the object of actions or the cause of problems, but the outlet does not use consistently delegitimising language. Headline 10 and 19 discuss justification for attack, implying a critical stance. Headline 22 frames Iranian attacks as something to hide. No positive or sympathetic framing of Iran is present.

• reports EU actions and decisions factually
• uses EU as a neutral actor or setting for conflicts
• occasionally quotes EU officials without evaluative framing
• includes critical headlines about EU policies but not about the entity itself

The outlet reports on EU as an institution; some headlines are critical of EU policies (e.g., asylum system absurdity) but that is policy criticism, not stance toward the EU as an entity. The bundle is mixed between neutral reporting and policy critique, so stance is neutral overall.

• reports NATO as a geopolitical actor under pressure
• uses NATO as a passive object of Trump's threats
• covers internal NATO conflicts and military incidents factually
• occasional editorial criticism of Trump's stance, not of NATO itself

Headlines 2, 9, 11 are critical of Trump's treatment of NATO, not of NATO itself; the outlet's stance toward NATO as an entity is neutral, reporting its actions and challenges without evaluative language toward the alliance.

• Macron's actions and statements reported factually
• Le Pen's electoral performance reported with neutral framing
• No evaluative or delegitimising language toward FR as a country
• Mix of domestic politics, foreign policy, and sports coverage

Headlines about Macron are factual and treat him as a legitimate actor; headlines about Le Pen report her electoral gains without overt hostility. No headline expresses a clear positive or negative stance toward France as a country. The bundle is diverse and primarily descriptive.