A NEW TEST OF THE NEWS: AN EXAMINATION OF THE NEW YORK TIMES AND CNN COVERAGE OF THE WAR IN UKRAINE

Abstract

Russia launched a military invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, setting off Europe’s largest war since World War II. The war captured the attention of American news organizations, which gave the conflict unprecedented levels of coverage. This thesis tested the coverage of the war in Ukraine by two major American news outlets: The New York Times and CNN. This study used qualitative content analysis to examine the top four front-page stories of the Times and CNN Newsroom show. Two timeframes were used to analyze these materials: February 24, 2022, to March 9, 2022, and September 17, 2022, to September 30, 2022. The study used three categories of coverage- types of stories and recurring themes, use of sources and use of technology- to test how CNN and the Times reported the news. CNN and the Times devoted an extensive amount of their coverage to the war in Ukraine. This coverage leaned toward Ukrainians and away from Russians, risking objectivity in reporting. Advancements in technology formed a new type of digital journalism during the war in Ukraine. Digital journalism captured content unattainable during previous wars and is likely to continue to advance reporting by the American media from conflict zones across the world.