Surrogate Ethnocentrism in U.S. Media Coverage of the 2023 to 2025 Israel–Gaza War: Humanization,Sourcing,Framing,and Emotive Language in Two “Papers of Record”

Abstract

This study examines how two leading American newspapers—The New York Times and The Washington Post—framed Israelis and Palestinians during the 2023 to 2025 Israel–Gaza war. Drawing on Wolfsfeld et al.’s victim/defensive mode of reporting model, the study employs content analysis to assess humanization, sourcing, violence framing, and emotive language. Results reveal reporting asymmetries favoring Israel, whose victims were more frequently humanized. Articles relied heavily on Israeli sources and often framed Israeli violence as self-defense. The study is one of the first to apply the Wolfsfeld et al. model to coverage produced outside the conflict’s domestic media context.