Shifting frames of the Palestinian movement in US news

Abstract

In this research, we explore the conditions under which US news media coverage of the Palestinian movement for independence has shifted over time, in relation to changes in the movement and in the political and social contexts in which it has taken place. To measure shifts in media attention and media frames over time we examined the coverage of Palestinian issues in the New York Times and the Associated Press between 1984 and 1998. Media coverage increased and framing became more positive following two events: the initiation of the first intifada and the signing of the Oslo Peace accords. The effect of these two events, however, differed. These results allow us to consider opposing explanations of movements’ media access and to advance the literature on US news media coverage of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.