Phalaistín and Palestina: An analysis of Irish and Brazilian Newspapers' Coverage of the Israeli war in Gaza

Abstract

When it comes to war coverage, the media role is even more important as it is a subject that most individuals typically encounter only in the news, which means the journalists are the main source of information, explanation and contexts (McCombs and Reynolds in Bryant and Oliver, 2009). Journalistic choices can attach a deeper level of importance for a subject, for example, based on how and how often it is framed in the media. The coverage of conflicts in the Middle East can maintain the dominant perspective, permeated by Orientalism, by using images of violence and masses of people to highlight the differences from "us" in the West.

This dissertation analyses Irish and Brazilian coverage of the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza, in terms of content and discourse. The study considered a six month period starting with the Hamas' attack in Israel on October 7th 2023 and four samples (O Globo and O Estado de São Paulo, from Brazil, and The Irish Times and Irish Independent, from Ireland). The aim of the research is to identify similarities and contrasts between the approaches of opinion pieces from the four newspapers. Only opinion pieces (written by both columnists and guest contributors) were analysed due to the argumentative structure they present and the possibility of creating mental models about important issues such as terrorism, for example.

The study analysed word clusters and expressions, in addition to sources from quotations, main topics and general tone from the pieces. The analysis revealed that most of the pieces were neutral in all four samples. In spite of that, when the pieces presented partial opinions, there was a clear contrast between Ireland's and Brazil's positions.