Heba Gouda
ABSTRACT
The present study aims to investigate the framing of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in Arabic- Language online news media following the significant escalation on October 7th, 2023, with a particular focus on BBC Arabic and RT Arabic News websites, comparing use of language in British and Russian media. The research examines how ideology influences media framing. The study employed qualitative frame analysis to explore how these news media outlets present and interpret the events, influencing public perception and discourse. The research identifies that BBC Arabic predominantly frames the conflict through humanitarian lenses, focusing on the plight of civilians, calls for ceasefires, and the involvement of international organizations. This humanitarian frame aims to foster empathy and support for diplomatic interventions. Conversely, RT Arabic frames the conflict in terms of geopolitical dynamics, emphasizing state actions, military strategies, and critiques of Western policies, thus encouraging audiences to view the conflict through the lens of international power struggles and regional politics. The study underscores the powerful role of media framing in shaping public understanding and highlights the stark differences in narratives presented by news media outlets from different geopolitical backgrounds. The results shows that BBC Arabic website demonstrated its professionalism and dedication to attaining balance by presenting news that favored both the Israeli and Palestinian sides from a humanitarian perspective. RT Arabic's news coverage was typified by a defensive framework that supported the Palestinian side while predominating favoring the Israeli side. The study employed also Hallin’s Sphere Theory, the results shows that BBC Arabic website's coverage was dominated by the consensus sphere, which appeared on news that demonstrated Israel's right to self-defense, while the legitimate controversy sphere featured on news that touched on the human side of Palestinians in Gaza. In RT Arabic website's coverage of Israel's strikes on Gaza, delegitimizing vocabulary arose in the news, representing the deviant sphere.
