Graduate Program
Political Science
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Semester of Degree Completion
2012
Thesis Director
Andrew McNitt
Thesis Committee Member
Kevin Anderson
Thesis Committee Member
Unknown
Abstract
This study examines (1) whether German, British, and U.S. media coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is biased, and (2) if such a bias exists, what its sources are. Applying Dave D' Alessio's and Mike Allen's framework for measuring media bias to a sample of 240 newspaper articles on the 2010 Gaza Flotilla Raid, we find that British and especially German newspapers exhibit a significant anti-Israel bias, whereas the results for the United States are mixed. Testing five explanations of media bias commonly mentioned in the relevant literature, we find that a newspaper's political affiliation as well as a country's public opinion, demographic make-up, and relationship with Israel explain the occurrence of media bias in coverage of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict rather well, whereas national business interests do not. Moreover, our findings suggest the existence of a strong interplay between demographics, public opinion, foreign policy, and media bias.
Recommended Citation
Neureiter, Michael, "Sources of media bias in coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: The 2010 Gaza flotilla raid in German, British, and U.S. newspapers" (2012). Masters Theses. 1051.
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/1051
