Our war/their war: Comparing theintifadehand the gulf war on U.S. and Israeli television

Abstract

War coverage puts journalism to the severe test of choosing between patriotic fervor and morale building, on one side, and a more distant and analytical stance, on the other. Journalist choice in wartime can be observed by comparing coverage of “our” war—when the journalist's own country is at war—and “their” war—when the journalist reports on a conflict among nations not his or her own. Comparing Israeli coverage of the Palestinian intifadeh and American coverage of the Gulf (“our” wars) with American coverage of the intifadeh (“their” war) reveals widely different framing mechanisms. In “our” war coverage, television journalists tend to excise the opposite side, sanitize the suffering inflicted on it, attribute equal strength to both sides, personalize “our” side, demonize “their” side, and decontextualize its aggressive actions.

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