The Role of Palestinian Newspapers in Conflict: A Case Study of 2014 Gaza War
- June 24, 2021
- Posted by: RSIS
- Categories: IJRISS, International Relations, Mass Communication, Media and Communication Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue V, May 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186
The Role of Palestinian Newspapers in Conflict: A Case Study of 2014 Gaza War
Nour T.M. Alhaj1, Nazli Ismail2, Marthoenis3*
1Graduate Program of Disaster Science, Syiah Kuala University, Banda Aceh, Indonesia
2Department of Geophysical Engineering, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia
3Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health Nursing, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Abstract: Media plays an important role during and after conflict. It reveals the society sufferings from the conflict, either between different countries or sects. This paper analyzed the role of journalism during the 2014 war in Gaza. It explores the content and the opinion of two newspapers, Al-Hayat Al Jadeeda and Al-Resalah, regarding the conflict and war between Palestinians and Israel. The data collected from the official websites of these two newspapers. The content analysis of conflict related reports was conducted to explain the newspapers roles played during the war. Also, some differences in words were analyzed. The results showed that the 2014 war on Gaza was not the first war. The newspapers were satisfied with publishing facts to inform people of what was happened in addition to standing as a witness to the post-war recovery process. Despite the difference in the views of the two newspapers, they both the main goal, which is to expose the practices of the Israeli occupation towards the Palestinians.
Keywords: Media, journalism, communication, conflict, Gaza
I. INTRODUCTION
Mass communication has spread rapidly and has the society to develop means of obtaining information this is in line with developments in the fields of communication and information ([1]. The role of journalism in conflict is not a new concept in conflict management. It has a negative or positive side depending on the approach used by the journalist. Some researchers had looked at the involvement of media in conflict. For example, the conflict between “people and people” happened between South Sudan and Uganda ([2]. Another type of conflict can also be between “people and government” which happened in Afghanistan ([2]. A similar conflict of the “government and the people” also happened between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers movement ([3], and in Yemen as well ([4]. The conflict between “country and country” is another type of conflict. This conflict happened between Iraqi and the US, and between Yemen and Saudi Arabia ([5]. The media have a negative or positive side during the conflict, depending on the approach used by the journalist. Journalism also plays a role in raising awareness among the people by spreading information about the war.
