Comparing Headlines During Conflict: War and Peace Journalism in the Coverage of the 2023 Israel-Gaza War in the Associated Press and Qatar News Agency

Abstract

This study is a comparative content analysis of the Associated Press (AP) and Qatar News Agency (QNA) in their coverage of the 2023–2024 Israel-Gaza war. Focusing on the news headlines of AP and QNA in the first 4 months of the war, the study analyzed their use of war versus peace journalism indicators. Overall, the results revealed approximately equal levels of war and peace journalism, with significant differences in indicators between the two agencies. AP's focus on elites, the here-and-now, partisanship, and good and bad actors, indicated more war journalism levels than QNA that leaned toward peace journalism. However, the latter demonized Israel while victimizing and advocating for Gaza, whereas AP was less demonizing of either side, reported the invisible effects of the war, and mostly stayed away from labeling any side as good or bad.

Keywords

conflict war/peace journalism content analysis news agencies Middle East

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