Research Article

Framing and Media Bias in Conflict Reporting: A Comparative Analysis of Al-Jazeera, CNN, and Global Times During the 2023 Palestine-Israel Conflict

Volume: 2 Number: 3 May 29, 2025
EN TR

Framing and Media Bias in Conflict Reporting: A Comparative Analysis of Al-Jazeera, CNN, and Global Times During the 2023 Palestine-Israel Conflict

Abstract

This study examines the reporting disparities in the 2023 Palestine-Israel conflict by analyzing the framing strategies of Al-Jazeera, CNN, and Global Times, which represent Pan-Arabism, Capitalism, and Communism, respectively. The research highlights how ideological biases shape conflict portrayal across these global media outlets. The study analyzes news headlines over a 30-day period from October 7th to November 5th. The research study employs qualitative content analysis by using deductive and inductive reasoning to investigate agenda-setting practices across selected media outlets. By operationalizing predetermined frames based on existing models and literature, the research explores the association of these frames to uncover underlying narratives. A frequency analysis of specific linguistic frames used in headlines from the analyzed news websites was conducted. The findings reveal that Al-Jazeera emphasizes Palestinian resilience in the Palestine-Israel conflict through a “Narrative of Strength” and “Narrative of Resistance,” while CNN employs a “Biased Reporting” approach, reinforcing Israeli-centric views with frames like “Israel/I” and “Militant.” In contrast, Global Times adopts a more neutral stance, using frames such as “Conflict/s” and “War/s” to underscore the complexity of the conflict and the importance of diplomatic solutions.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

N/A

Ethical Statement

This study does not involve human subjects, audiences, or individuals as direct participants. Instead, it is based solely on the content analysis of media narratives presented by various news outlets. As such, there are no ethical concerns requiring compliance with specific guidelines, as the research relies entirely on secondary data. The institutional ethics committee has reviewed and approved this research.

Thanks

N/A

References

  1. Adamu, H. S. (2018). A comparative analysis of CNN and Al Jazeera’s coverage of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict of 2014 (Master’s thesis). Ahmadu Bello University. https://kubanni.abu.edu.ng/items/01ace79b-b8f7-4881-8e7c-f1d5d2a28587
  2. Al Sharafat, A. (2019). The Middle East in American media: A 21st century overview. Polish Journal of Political Science, 5(1), 35–58.
  3. Alashqar, M. (2024). The role of language in framing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Twitter: The escalation of violence in Gaza in May 2021 as a case study (PhD dissertation). Ghent University.
  4. AlSamrin, H. (2018). A comparison of news coverage on the Arabic and English versions of the Al Jazeera websites (Master’s thesis). Drexel University. https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-7757
  5. Amer, M. (2017). Critical discourse analysis of war reporting in the international press: The case of the Gaza war of 2008–2009. Palgrave Communications, 3(1), 1–11.
  6. Capella, J. N., & Jamieson, K. H. (2023). Cognitive bases for framing effects. In The political communication reader (pp. 181–186). Routledge.
  7. Cherribi, S. (2017). Fridays of rage: Al Jazeera, the Arab Spring, and political Islam. Oxford University Press.
  8. Damanhoury, K. E., & Saleh, F. (2017). Is it the same fight? Comparative analysis of CNN and Al Jazeera America’s online coverage of the 2014 Gaza War. Journal of Arab & Muslim Media Research, 10(1), 85–103.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Journalism, Journalism Studies

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

May 29, 2025

Submission Date

February 28, 2025

Acceptance Date

May 20, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 2 Number: 3

APA
Ibrar, Z., & Khan, M. (2025). Framing and Media Bias in Conflict Reporting: A Comparative Analysis of Al-Jazeera, CNN, and Global Times During the 2023 Palestine-Israel Conflict. İnterdisipliner Medya Ve İletişim Çalışmaları, 2(3), 42-71. https://izlik.org/JA89RW28ER
AMA
1.Ibrar Z, Khan M. Framing and Media Bias in Conflict Reporting: A Comparative Analysis of Al-Jazeera, CNN, and Global Times During the 2023 Palestine-Israel Conflict. IMCS. 2025;2(3):42-71. https://izlik.org/JA89RW28ER
Chicago
Ibrar, Zahid, and Musa Khan. 2025. “Framing and Media Bias in Conflict Reporting: A Comparative Analysis of Al-Jazeera, CNN, and Global Times During the 2023 Palestine-Israel Conflict”. İnterdisipliner Medya Ve İletişim Çalışmaları 2 (3): 42-71. https://izlik.org/JA89RW28ER.
EndNote
Ibrar Z, Khan M (May 1, 2025) Framing and Media Bias in Conflict Reporting: A Comparative Analysis of Al-Jazeera, CNN, and Global Times During the 2023 Palestine-Israel Conflict. İnterdisipliner Medya ve İletişim Çalışmaları 2 3 42–71.
IEEE
[1]Z. Ibrar and M. Khan, “Framing and Media Bias in Conflict Reporting: A Comparative Analysis of Al-Jazeera, CNN, and Global Times During the 2023 Palestine-Israel Conflict”, IMCS, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 42–71, May 2025, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA89RW28ER
ISNAD
Ibrar, Zahid - Khan, Musa. “Framing and Media Bias in Conflict Reporting: A Comparative Analysis of Al-Jazeera, CNN, and Global Times During the 2023 Palestine-Israel Conflict”. İnterdisipliner Medya ve İletişim Çalışmaları 2/3 (May 1, 2025): 42-71. https://izlik.org/JA89RW28ER.
JAMA
1.Ibrar Z, Khan M. Framing and Media Bias in Conflict Reporting: A Comparative Analysis of Al-Jazeera, CNN, and Global Times During the 2023 Palestine-Israel Conflict. IMCS. 2025;2:42–71.
MLA
Ibrar, Zahid, and Musa Khan. “Framing and Media Bias in Conflict Reporting: A Comparative Analysis of Al-Jazeera, CNN, and Global Times During the 2023 Palestine-Israel Conflict”. İnterdisipliner Medya Ve İletişim Çalışmaları, vol. 2, no. 3, May 2025, pp. 42-71, https://izlik.org/JA89RW28ER.
Vancouver
1.Zahid Ibrar, Musa Khan. Framing and Media Bias in Conflict Reporting: A Comparative Analysis of Al-Jazeera, CNN, and Global Times During the 2023 Palestine-Israel Conflict. IMCS [Internet]. 2025 May 1;2(3):42-71. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA89RW28ER

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