The Search for Common Ground in Conflict News Research: Comparing International Conflict Coverage Over Time

• In Event: ICA Interactive Paper/Poster Session II
  In Interactive Paper Session: Political Communication Interactive Poster Session

Abstract

Media coverage on violent conflict has been shown to focus on violence and opposing elites, sidelining reconciliation and often disengaging rapidly. Especially during escalation, ethnocentrist coverage has been linked to escalation and radicalization. However, few studies have looked beyond salient conflict events, mostly focusing on few conflicts with major Western involvement. In this paper, we compare the coverage of six selected conflicts inside the conflict areas and abroad, over a time range of four to ten years. Capturing patterns in the use of 2000 relevant concepts in almost 900.000 news texts from 66 news outlets, we examine the respective media biases over both escalation and routine phases. Highlighting systematic contingencies in the occurrence of these patterns, we discuss the role of situational and contextual factors in shaping conflict coverage. We distinguish pervasive, enduring tendencies in conflict reporting from recurrent, but situation-dependent patterns, thus advancing a theoretical understanding of conflict news.

Authors

• Christian Baden, Hebrew U of Jerusalem

• Keren Tenenboim-Weinblatt, Hebrew U of Jerusalem