Vying for victimhood : subtextual moral judgements and news organisation standpoints reporting Gaza 2014

Abstract: In the summer of 2014, a violent conflagration erupted in the isolated Palestinian enclave of Gaza. Whilst the fighting was between Hamas and Israel, Palestinian civilians paid the price. The stark disparity in deaths triggered a debate in the West about Israeli tactics, and the media was accused of ‘bias’ by both Israelis and Palestinians. What this controversy reveals is that the argument is about something deeper than ‘bias’ - it is about the media making subtle moral judgements on the relative value of Israeli and Palestinian lives, and who can really be considered the ​Victim.​ These subtle moral judgements are woven into supposedly ‘objective’ news articles. Within these articles are deep values and partialities, indicated by ‘thick’ moral statements. These are affected by news outlets’ own standpoints and sensitivities when reporting for their intended audiences. This research sought to critically analyse how one of the most controversial conflicts in the world is morally constructed as a part of the mediapolis. The research employed qualitative content analysis, symptomatic reading, and a framing analysis on 18 articles taken from Al Jazeera and the Associated Press in order to make a comparative analysis of how each news outlet constructs a relationship of moral proximity between readers and differing national groups - Palestinians and Israelis. By creating an analytical tool to combine the theories of Chouliaraki, Putnam, and Bauman, two moral categories emerge - that of the ​Victim ​and Villain. T​ he level of emotionalism around either of these categories creates a moral proximity for the readers, corresponding to the national group they culturally identify with - Palestinians for Al Jazeera, and Israelis for the Associated Press. By consistently painting both nations into either one of these categories, it is exceedingly difficult to notice this phenomenon without direct comparison - or to extend sympathy to the cultural ‘Other’ in the news coverage. This warping of coverage to suit audience cultural preferences distorts how the conflict is seen from afar, humanising one group whilst dehumanising another. This challenges cosmopolitan ethics, pollutes the mediapolis and likely influences public policy, with real-world outcomes for Palestinians and Israelis.