Exploring Peace Journalism Approaches:

Coverage of Israel-Palestine Conflict in

Washington Post and Daily Mail

Researcher: Sajid Khan

Supervisor: Dr. Sayed Inam Ur Rahman

 INTRODUCTION
In a world where global conflicts play out in real-time across diverse media platforms, the influence of
journalism in shaping public perceptions cannot be overstated. This master's thesis proposal focuses on
exploring how the Washington Post and the Daily Mail, two influential news sources, approach reporting on
the Israel-Palestine Conflict through the lens of Peace Journalism. As conflicts persist, media's role in either
aggravating tensions or fostering understanding becomes crucial. This research aims to uncover the nuances
of Peace Journalism employed by these media giants, analyzing their framing, language choices, and
narrative structures. By adopting a comparative approach, the study seeks to unravel editorial perspectives,
political leanings, and historical contexts that shape their reporting, shedding light on their impact on public
understanding of this complex geopolitical struggle. The findings promise not only to highlight potential
biases but also to contribute to a broader understanding of media's influence on public perceptions and,
ultimately, the prospects for peace in one of the world's enduring conflicts.
 PROBLEM STATEMENT

The Israel-Palestine conflict has long captivated global attention, with media
outlets playing a crucial role in shaping public perceptions. Traditional journalism,
criticized for perpetuating stereotypes, has led to the emergence of Peace
Journalism—an alternative approach emphasizing balanced reporting and
constructive framing. Despite its potential for conflict resolution, there's a
significant gap in understanding how major media entities, like The Washington
Post and the Daily Mail, apply Peace Journalism to the complex Israel-Palestine
conflict. This research aims to investigate the specific Peace Journalism strategies
employed by these influential outlets, providing valuable insights for journalists,
policymakers, and the public, fostering a more balanced and constructive
discourse on this enduring geopolitical issue.
OBJECTIVE OF STUDY
1. Investigate and compare the Peace
Journalism approaches employed by The
Washington Post and the Daily Mail in their
coverage of the Israel-Palestine Conflict,
with a focus on understanding how each
outlet frames, reports, and presents the
complex geopolitical issues.
2.Uncover and analyze the editorial
strategies, language choices, and narrative
structures used by both media outlets in
reporting on the Israel-Palestine
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Q:1 How do The Washington Post and the
Daily Mail frame events related to the
IsraelPalestine conflict in their news
articles, opinion pieces, and multimedia
content?
Q:2 In what ways does the historical
context of the Israel-Palestine conflict
shape the narratives presented by each
outlet, and how do these narratives align
with or deviate from historical events?
 LITERATURE REVIEW
The role of media in influencing public
perceptions of complex geopolitical
issues, such as the Israel-Palestine
conflict, is a multifaceted subject that
has garnered considerable scholarly
attention. Entman (2012) and Iyengar
(2011) have explored the significant
impact of media on shaping public
opinion, underlining the importance of
framing and narrative construction in
influencing how audiences interpret and
respond to conflicts. Their insights
suggest that media outlets play a crucial
role not only in disseminating
information but also in framing the
discourse surrounding conflicts, shaping
the collective understanding of events.
Galtung and Ruge's classic work (1965) on
news values and framing in conflict
reporting provides a theoretical
foundation for understanding the editorial
choices made by media outlets. This
framework allows for an examination of
the factors that influence the selection
and presentation of news stories,
shedding light on the potential biases
inherent in the news-making process. The
concept of framing becomes particularly
relevant in the context of the Israel-
Palestine conflict, where divergent
narratives and historical complexities
often contribute to varying perspectives.
 RESEARCH METH
ODOLOGY
This thesis employs
a comparative rese
approaches of the W arch methodology to
ashington Post and analyze the Peace Jo
Conflict. Using a syst the Daily Mail in the urnalism
ematic sampling me ir coverage of the Is
framing, language ch thod and a coding fr rael-Palestine
oices, and narrative am ework, the study exa
multimedia content. structures within ne mines
Q u alit ative content analys w s article s, op inion pieces, and
considerations guid is, contextual explo
e the research, with ration, and ethical
enhances robustne multiple coders ensu
ss, and the study ai ri n g reliability. Triangu
portrayal of the con ms to contribute va lation of data
flict, addressing pote luable insights into
media's role in shap ntial biases and vari the nuanced
ing public understa at io n s while shedding ligh
journalism and inte nding and opinions. t on the
rnational relations sc The findings hold re
portrayals in one of holars, offering a de levance for
the world's endurin eper comprehensio
g conflicts and contr n of media
the media's impact ib u tin g to b roader discussions
on public perceptio on
ns and prospects fo
r peace.
Research Design
A conduct a detailed analysis of the
Washington Post and the Daily
Mail's coverage of the Israel-
Palestine Conflict. Our focus
includes examining language
choices, issue framing, and overall
narrative structures in articles and
multimedia content. By comparing
these influential news sources, our
goal is to reveal potential biases,
editorial perspectives, and political
leanings that may influence their
reporting.
This study's research design employs a mixed-methods approach to
thoroughly analyze The Washington Post and the Daily Mail's media
coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Rooted in a positivist
philosophy, the research aims to objectively examine framing
strategies, language choices, and potential biases in the selected media
content. Through systematic quantitative content analysis, including
news articles and multimedia, statistical techniques are applied to
identify patterns. Complementing this, qualitative interviews with key
editorial decision-makers offer in-depth insights. Thematic analysis
enhances our understanding of editorial perspectives and contextual
factors. Ethical considerations prioritize journalistic integrity and
informed consent. Acknowledging limitations, triangulation is used to
cross-reference results, contributing to the validity of findings. The
study unfolds over a defined timeframe, incorporating structured
analysis and visual aids to present a nuanced understanding of how
these media outlets portray the Israel-Palestine conflict, considering
framing, language, and potential biases.
THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK
REALISM THEORY

Theoretically, peace journalism is supported by framing theory. This study is supported by

framing theory specifically, peace journalism frame and war journalism frame. Many scholars
proposed that, theoretically, the framing theory forms the foundation of war and peace
journalism.
According to Entman, “to frame is to select some aspects of a perceived reality and make
them more salient in a communicating text, in such a way as to promote a particular problem
definition, causal interpretation, moral evaluation, and/or treatment recommendation for the
item described” (Entman, 1993).
CONT…

War vs Peace: Two Competing Frames

Galtung (1998) viewed peace journalism and war journalism as two competing frames in
the coverage of a conflict. His classification of war journalism and peace journalism is
based on four broad practice and linguistic orientations: peace/ conflict, truth, people,
and solutions. In contrast, war journalism is oriented in war/violence, propaganda, elites,
and victory. Peace journalism tries to condemn the conflict by showing the black and
white of all sides, and to de-escalate by highlighting peace and conflict resolution as
much as violence. Peace journalism seeks to minimize the rift between opposing parties
by not repeating facts that demonize one side and set the stage for conflict (Siraj, 2008).
War or Violence Journalism reports on the conflict arena, focuses on who gets the upper
hand in the war. It has a zero-sum-oriented coverage; is mostly based on the visible
violence and visible consequences (Zaheer, 2016).
Papulation

The Washington Post from United States of America and Daily Mail from
England would be the whole population for the sampling and
exploration of the contents and news stories regarding the Israel-
Palestine conflict.
THANK YOU