Framing the Israel-Palestine conflict 2021: Investigation of CNN’s coverage from a peace journalism perspective

Abstract

This study uses textual analysis to examine CNN’s World News coverage of the 12-day conflict between Israel and Palestine in May 2021. We bring into conversation the influential factors that shape U.S. media coverage of other countries, as presented by Dorman and Farhang, and Galtung’s concept of war journalism in our analysis. Our findings show that CNN primarily took a war journalism approach to frame the conflict. However, calls for consideration of Palestinian human-rights from members of U.S. Congress led to coverage that aligned with a peace journalism framework. This finding illuminates the role of counter-discourse by elite social members in influencing the framing of conflict coverage in mainstream media. The study adds to our understanding of U.S. media coverage of ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine and the implications of war journalism versus peace journalism frames with regards to public discourse and understanding.