JournalTOCs

Media, War & Conflict
Journal Prestige (SJR): 0.585

Citation Impact (citeScore): 1
Number of Followers: 18

Hybrid journal (It can contain Open Access articles)
ISSN (Print) 1750-6352 - ISSN (Online) 1750-6360
Published by Sage Publications

[1176 journals]

Editorial Introduction: Media, War & Conflict’s 15-Year
Anniversary Special Issue
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  Authors: Katy ParryUniversity of Leeds; UK
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-05-19T02:24:26Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352251341806
‘Talkin’ ’bout a revolution’' The strategic narratives of the
Syrian Democratic Council
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  Authors: Edoardo CorradiUniversity of Genoa; Italy
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  What strategic narratives did the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) develop during the Syrian civil war' Existing scholarship on strategic narratives and civil wars often overlooks how non-state armed actors developed their strategic narratives and how ...
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-05-17T08:17:05Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352251334901
Corrigendum to “The New York Times Distorts the Palestinian Struggle: A
Case Study of Anti-Palestinian Bias in American News Coverage of the First
and Second Palestinian Intifadas”
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  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-05-12T12:52:11Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352251330703
Divided narratives: How news agencies reinforce one-sided narratives in
Cyprus
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  Authors: Nikolaos StelgiasInstitute of Studies for Politics; Democracy, Nicosia, Cyprus
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  This research focuses on how the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) and the Turkish News Agency Cyprus (TAK) create one-sided narratives that exacerbate tensions between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. The author examines articles from January to August 2024, using ...
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-05-01T04:14:00Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352251333320
Dabiq: An analysis of the usage of selective moral disengagement in
terrorist-produced media
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  Authors: Nouran Khalil; Carme Ferré-Pavia, Luisa Martínez-GarcíaUniversitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  The objective of this study is to examine the methods utilized by the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria to leverage its English-language publicationDabiqas a tool for advancing its agenda and disseminating terror. The magazine has been widely ...
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-04-30T08:38:01Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352251334906
Book Review: Settler-Indigeneity in the West Bank
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  Authors: Scott BurnettPennsylvania State University; USA
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-04-12T12:25:21Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352251333301
Book Review: Mexico’s Resilient Journalists: How Reporters Manage
Risk and Cope with Violence
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  Authors: Guillén TorresUniversity of Amsterdam; The Netherlands
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-04-12T11:41:16Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352251329556
Frames of conflict / conflict of frames: A frame analysis of the Russian
invasion of Ukraine in Italian press and politics
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  Authors: Simone Papale; Marco Solaroli
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  Russia’s war on Ukraine had a major political and media resonance in Europe. By relying on frame analysis, this article investigates the main narratives characterizing the Italian public debate in the first four months of hostilities. It addresses two ...
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-03-25T12:23:54Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352251324622
Book Review: A Comparative Analysis of Political and Media Discourses
about Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
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  Authors: Boris Noordenbos; The Netherlands
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-02-28T12:21:58Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352251324621
Adopted or contested' Examining Israel’s strategic narratives in
German media
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  Authors: Tereza Plíštilová, Zuzana Lizcová; Zuzana LizcováCharles University, Prague, Czech Republic
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  This article explores the dynamics of adopting and contesting strategic narratives, focusing on how German media received Israel’s narratives during the early stages of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The authors propose that states that maintain ‘special relationships’ should be inclined to adopt their allies’ strategic narratives during crises to stabilize and reinforce their sense of ontological security. Through a qualitative content analysis of leading German newspapers, the study assesses how Israel’s narratives were received and contextualized in Germany. Contrary to the widely held perception of uncritical discourse in German mainstream media, they find significant variation in narrative adoption. Narratives aligned with shared historical trauma, such as Holocaust remembrance and the protection of Jewish minorities, were accepted without contestation while, in contrast, the narratives emphasizing Israel’s democratic character and security concerns required Israel’s proactive international engagement, such as its attempt to mediate the conflict, in order to gain adoption. The study suggests that strategic narratives resonate more effectively when they align with the audience’s ontological security concerns and shared historical experiences. By exploring this case, the article contributes to understanding why states adopt allies’ strategic narratives and highlights the role of historical and relational contexts in shaping foreign policy.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-02-25T07:29:21Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352251319660
Custodian of rule of law and national interest: Political journalism and
the discourse of Philippines–China maritime tensions
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  Authors: Jefferson Lyndon D Ragragio; Laguna, PhilippinesUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines over China’s maritime claim in 2016. Hostile activities by the China Coast Guard were documented years before the ruling but it was in 2023 when sustained attacks against the Philippine forces were first mainstreamed in the media. This article examines the Philippines–China maritime tensions as a momentous discourse that characterizes political journalism in the Philippines. The argument is that, while the leading news media outlets predominantly use official sources such as senators, military spokespersons, and international governments in their reporting, they do so not as neutral dispatchers of officialdom but as equalizers of voices and events that seek to uphold the rule of law and national interest. The equalizing role of media matters to how discourse is negotiated in the news as it highlights the potential and limits of political journalism in recounting conflicts and geopolitics.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-02-21T11:57:07Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352251314877
Demystifying, delegitimizing, debunking: Discursive editorial strategies
of neutralizing the rationales for Russia’s intervention in Ukraine
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  Authors: Katarzyna Molek-Kozakowska, Isabela-Anda Dragomir; Isabela-Anda Dragomir
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  This study explores the ongoing coverage of the war in Ukraine with special attention paid to how media editors of 15 most prominent mainstream outlets in Poland, a country known for its pro-Ukrainian stance, neutralize Russia’s justifications for the invasion. It uses a special-purpose corpus of self-collected online publications released between February 2022 and June 2024. With both automated and manual methods of analysing collocates of such keywords as ‘Kremlin’ (753 instances), ‘special operation’ (139) and ‘NATO’ (1162), the study identifies a range of thematic domains, salient linguistic framings and rhetorical devices. It documents specific discursive strategies – demystification, delegitimation and debunking – used by editors to recontextualize Russia’s claims to wage preemptive war in Ukraine. The results show how editors use language to gauge audiences’ understandings of war and reactions to it. The findings can be used for journalism training or for raising critical media literacy and resilience to disinformation.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-02-08T12:49:56Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352251314876
Book Review: Media and the War in Ukraine
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  Authors: Tetyana Lokot; Dublin City University, Ireland
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-02-08T07:36:58Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352251315702
Balancing national solidarity and journalistic independence in the social
media era: The rally-around-the-flag phenomenon among Israeli journalists
during the 2024 Gaza war
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  Authors: Yair Galily; Herzliya, Israel
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  This commentary explores the rally-around-the-flag effect in Israeli journalism during the 2024 Gaza war, where heightened national solidarity has shaped media coverage. Historically, Israeli media has aligned with government narratives during conflicts, fostering unity while curbing dissent. In 2024, this phenomenon has intensified due to Hamas’s October 7th attacks, ongoing rocket fire and a polarized political landscape. Journalists grapple with the tension between national loyalty and journalistic integrity, often reinforcing government positions while minimizing criticism. Military and self-censorship further constrain independent reporting, especially regarding sensitive operations and humanitarian crises in Gaza. The rise of social media and citizen journalism has fragmented the media environment, amplifying diverse perspectives. Contrasting Israeli media’s role in bolstering national unity with international media’s varied framing of the war, this commentary underscores the global stakes of these narratives. In his conclusion, the author presents a critical examination of the future of Israeli journalism, advocating for a nuanced balance between patriotic reporting and independent scrutiny.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-02-06T09:14:36Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352251317108
Opium of the Media' The Evolving Role of Religion in Western News Coverage
of the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
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  Authors: Diana Kazarian; New York, NY, USA
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  The debate surrounding the religious dimension of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is practically as old as the conflict itself. Despite credible historical evidence that religious differences are not a causal factor of the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Western media coverage of the region has frequently relied on a ‘Christians vs Muslims’ framing. This article examines the origins of this media narrative, arguing that it stems primarily from a combination of concerted efforts by the Armenian diaspora to describe the conflict in religious terms, as well as a reductive Western perspective of the South Caucasus region. Then, leveraging a large dataset of English-language news articles dating back to 1988, I trace the evolution of Nagorno-Karabakh coverage and find that the emphasis on religion has generally decreased over time. I conclude by specifically examining journalism on the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War and demonstrating that an outlet’s choice to highlight religion is often a function of its political affiliation.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-02-06T09:00:28Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241297926
Understanding the role of the Colombian news media in a peace process
during crisis times: The 2015 escalation of the conflict
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  Authors: Jose David Ortega Chávez; UK
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  This article contributes to the understanding of the role of the media in peace processes. By applying Wolfsfeld’s politics–media–politics model, the author assesses the role that the Colombian media played at the moment of the worst escalation of the conflict – in 2015 – during the peace negotiation (2012–2016) between the Colombian government and FARC. He does this by drawing upon a triangulation of methods that combines Structural Topic Modelling on 17,688 news articles, thematic analysis (n = 146), and interviews (n = 26) with politicians and journalists. Findings show that the Colombian media considerably amplified the escalation of the conflict and provided a pessimistic narrative with regard to the future of the negotiations. Importantly, the news media embraced an elite-driven approach to report on the events: they tended to deem only FARC accountable for the loss of trust around the negotiations during the crisis (although the government also committed violent attacks). This shows that the news media sided with the government’s communication strategy which aimed to make FARC politically accountable for the crisis. In the end, the crisis reached a positive outcome: an agreement to de-escalate the conflict was reached after the government publicly threatened FARC to end the negotiations in its first public interview. Considering these findings, this article argues that the news media intervened by amplifying the crisis, worsening the political atmosphere of the negotiations and pressuring both delegations to come to an agreement to change the approach of negotiating amidst the conflict.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-02-05T08:59:54Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241307012
Book Review: The Figure of the Terrorist in Literature and Visual Culture
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  Authors: Hossein Davari; Iran
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-02-03T10:17:14Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352251314981
Book Review: Digital Citizenship in Africa: Technologies of Agency and
Repression
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  Authors: Rutendo Chabikwa; University of Oxford, UK
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-01-23T08:32:17Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241309229
‘So, we have occupied TikTok’: Ukrainian women in
#ParticipativeWar
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  Authors: Øyvind Kalnes, Nina M. Bjørge; Nina M. Bjørge
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  This study discusses the use of TikTok during the war that began with the Russian attack on Ukraine in February 2022. TikTok has been the fastest growing social media channel and is known for its young user base. Although associated with lifestyle and light entertainment, it also become an important arena in the war. Young people abroad used TikTok to obtain information about the conflict and to comment on or share it. This article presents a case study of five young Ukrainian women who captured the attention and sympathy of international audiences via TikTok. The authors study how the women succeeded as influencers and the variety of roles they took on in their performances. For the latter, they suggest a classification scheme for war influencer roles. In addition, they analyse data on the reactions from their audiences, as they appeared in the comments field. In a longer discussion section, the article goes deeper into the gender dimension of war and social media, as well as the possibilities of cosmopolitanism or affective publics. Finally, the authors suggest directions for future research.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-01-20T06:04:13Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241307010
Framing victims and perpetrators: Local and international reporting on the
International Criminal Court case against Dominic Ongwen
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  Authors: Jessica Trisko Darden, Izabela Steflja, Amanda Wintersieck; Izabela Steflja, Amanda Wintersieck
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  Building on research on victims and perpetrators of political violence and their depiction in the media, this article highlights the conceptual and practical challenge of specifying the process by which individuals acquire a morally ambiguous or ‘complex’ status in conflict. The authors conduct a content analysis of English-language print reporting on Dominic Ongwen’s International Criminal Court case and ambiguous status as a child soldier and victim–perpetrator. They identify important variation in how different news media frame the processes through which an individual becomes a victim–perpetrator and how these depictions relate to understandings of agency as well as transitional justice and post-conflict societal transformations. The article presents a framework for understanding how individuals are seen as ‘turning’ from one category of conflict-affected individual to another category as depicted in the news media.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-01-18T08:42:17Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241312086
Gender and narrative in digital political communication during Russia’s
full-scale invasion of Ukraine
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  Authors: Alexandra Pavliuc; University of Oxford, UK
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  This article analyses the gendered differences in digital political communication of Ukrainian politicians and international figures on Twitter/X during Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion. Narratives are captured using a structural topic model of 130,000 tweets by 74 Ukrainian politicians and the 223 international figures they targeted most to understand how men and women use different narratives during war. Men’s communications concentrated on military and diplomatic narratives while those of women focused on civilian trauma and Russian war crimes but contained no calls for compromise, disproving Western theories that women are more pacifist than men. A gender affinity effect was evident between men Ukrainian politicians and international figures, possibly due to men’s higher positions of power. These findings contribute knowledge to how gender impacts narrative use during armed conflict.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-01-17T12:28:04Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241309225
Surrendering to ‘too powerful’ technologies: From the F-111 to
the MQ-28 Ghost-Bat drone
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  Authors: Kathryn Brimblecombe-Fox
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  Against a background of contemporary hyperconnected warfare and accelerating advances in drone/robotic systems, this article discusses the airborne drone in relation to concepts of surrender, both historic and contemporary, literal and metaphoric. Drawing upon Paul Virilio’s (2002[1991]) observation that, during the first Gulf War, ‘technologies employed are too powerful’, the author examines how continuing military aspirations for technological speed and lethality represent surrender to the lure of techno-power. Two incidents of human beings surrendering to drones, in Kuwait in 1991 and in Ukraine in 2023, anchor an exploration of literal and metaphoric surrender implications. This discussion is expanded through a military aviation history lens and an art historical perspective. The latter includes close visual and contextual analyses of James Rosenquist’s 1964–1965 painting F-111 and the author’s multi-piece 2022–2023 painting Ghost Bat.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-01-11T07:01:44Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241308159
Unveiling the online dynamics influencing the success and virality of
TikTok social movements: A case study on pro and anti hijab feminist
activism
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  Authors: Rana Arafat, Sahar Khamis; Sahar Khamis
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  When TikTok started as a youth-oriented platform, it was mostly used for light entertainment, including music, songs and dance clips. Today, however, it is often relied upon as a hub for social and political activism. Hashtags are an important affordance to create visibility and attract attention. Using a qualitative multimodal thematic analysis, this study examines the shifting patterns in TikTok’s nature as a social media platform and investigates its various affordances in the realm of activism, in general, and feminist activism, in particular. Adopting a comprehensive approach, which takes into account various dynamics, including the overall political and social context, the various actors and the deployed tools and tactics, this study investigates why and how some feminist TikTok campaigns, such as #MahsaAmini which erupted in Iran to resist the imposition of the hijab following the murder of Mahsa Amini, are more likely to go viral and gain more international visibility than other TikTok feminist campaigns, such as #HandsOffMyHijab which erupted in France to resist the hijab and niqab ban. Findings revealed how various factors contributed to increasing the virality and international visibility of the Iranian Mahsa Amini’s #WomanLifeFreedom campaign, including the used online tactics, the support of media and political actors, the power of celebrities and social media influencers, and the online and offline support by male figures. The undertaken thematic analysis identified different dominant themes and representations of hijab in the two online social movements, reflecting varying expressions of feminisms, activisms and resistance. In so doing, the study offers a conceptual model for understanding these online dynamics within the appropriate socio-political and cultural contexts.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-01-07T11:16:51Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241308152
The symbiotic relationship between Volodymyr Zelensky and Western news:
Authenticity and performance in Ukraine’s fight against Russia
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  Authors: Liz Hallgren; Philadelphia, USA
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  A close reading of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s self-produced social media content alongside Western news outlets’ profiles of Zelensky from the first months of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 illuminates a symbiotic relationship of drama-making that is mutually beneficial for Zelensky’s military and the West’s journalistic interests. Performing as a scrappy underdog turned brilliant military mind, Zelensky provides the Western press with an authentic protagonist figure who makes ideal fodder for a Western news style steeped in drama-making and a natural fit for the individualized storytelling core to the genre of the profile piece. While genre is an aesthetic categorizing tool, it is also a signal of the sociohistorical conditions of texts’ production and circulation. Thus, taken as products of their moment, the profile pieces and their interplay with Zelensky’s short form, seemingly grassroots social media videos are revealing of the value system underpinning journalism in the West, and the society it reflects.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2025-01-03T10:24:25Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241307014
Transformation of a war journalist profession: The case of the full-scale
Russo–Ukrainian conflict
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  Authors: Agnieszka Węglińska, Aleksandra Seklecka, Wojciech Peszyński, Bogusław Węgliński; Aleksandra Seklecka, Wojciech Peszyński, Bogusław Węgliński
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  The Russo–Ukrainian (RU) conflict serves to illustrate the vital role of modern technological tools which are employed on a wide scale by journalists, military personnel and civilians. The internet and social media have had an impact on the work of war journalists, as evidenced by the example of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Journalists reporting on this war have had to adapt to these changes. Therefore, this research investigated the development of the work of war correspondents. The authors conducted 18 in-depth interviews with reporters and journalists covering the RU war with previous experience in work in a war zone. This methodological approach aimed to achieve three research objectives: (1) to demonstrate the changes that have occurred in war coverage; (2) to compare the work of journalists from various editorial offices; and (3) to present the characteristics of contemporary journalists covering the war. The research conclusions indicate a clear evolution of the profession of a war journalist. Recent changes have resulted in improvements in certain areas compared to previous circumstances. Nonetheless, they have also led to a deterioration of working conditions in other fields.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-12-30T08:13:09Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241307013
Media coverage of the Russo–Ukraine war beyond the West: Geopolitics and
mainstream news in Brazil, India and South Africa
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  Authors: Antal Wozniak, Zixiu Liu, Fabienne Lind; Zixiu Liu, Fabienne Lind
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  How closely does news coverage in independent media outlets in non-Western countries follow domestic political elites’ interpretations of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine' And how much attention do newsrooms pay to geopolitical aspects of the issue compared to domestic considerations' This study moves beyond a still prevailing Euro- and US-centric perspective by focusing on Brazil, India and South Africa, three democratic countries with close economic and political ties to Russia. The authors systematically compare the wording used by elite politicians to describe the events in Ukraine with that in mainstream news reports. They also analyse the salience of political leaders and geopolitical entities (countries and intergovernmental organizations) in news coverage. For the use of descriptive terminology, they find no evidence for news reporting to be indexed to government wording. Their analysis of references to geopolitical actors shows news media’s strong propensity for domesticating the war for their respective national audiences.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-12-24T06:41:05Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241302244
Book Reviews: Till death do us part' Military power, marriage and family
life in Pakistan, the US and the UK
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  Authors: Morten G Ender, Alexandra Hyde, Maria Rashid; Alexandra Hyde, Maria Rashid
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-12-14T12:34:15Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241302232
Can encryption save lives' Secure messaging and its infrastructure as loci
of convergence between cyber warfare and conventional warfare: The case of
Ukraine
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  Authors: Ksenia Ermoshina, Francesca Musiani; Francesca MusianiCentre Internet et Société, Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), Paris, France
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  The controversies surrounding the right to privacy of individuals in a hyperconnected world are longstanding debates, where particular emphasis is placed on encryption technologies, which encode information by converting its original representations into alternative forms that computers cannot decipher, thus ensuring the security of communications. These technologies are at the heart of a public controversy, in which privacy advocates a clash with claims that encryption is a threat to general security as an enabler of subversive action. Recent developments in the armed conflict in Ukraine open up or renew questions such as: in times of war, what is the role of encryption and privacy technologies' How does armed conflict challenge existing threat models, what are the new risks for civil society' Can encryption save lives' This article addresses these questions by showing that encrypted messaging is the subject of convergence between the informational and physical aspects ‘in the field’ of war in the 21st century. The aim is to show how these messaging tools and the digital ecosystem that makes their deployment possible (interfaces, access providers, telecom operators) are now an integral part of a war and resistance infrastructure where the borders between cyber warfare and conventional warfare are becoming more and more blurred. However, we will also underline the limits of a tool-centred approach and demonstrate how, in the case of the war in Ukraine, physical threats to civilians and infrastructure damage mean that encrypted messaging is one among several innovative technical and social practices of holistic self-defence deployed by Ukrainians.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-12-06T12:52:45Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241297942
Journalism educators’ evaluations of conflict reporting and the
imperatives for peace journalism in Nigeria
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  Authors: Rodney Ciboh, Vitalis Torwel, Amos Asongo Jev; Vitalis Torwel, Amos Asongo Jev
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  This study examines current methods of reporting conflict in Nigeria from three perspectives: (i) how journalism academics regard current methods; (ii) what best reporting methods they recommend; and (iii) what kind of training they think is suitable for journalists who report conflicts. Participatory Action Research (PAR) was used as methodology and focus group discussion was conducted in three phases: evaluation, proposition and education. Answers suggest that current methods of reporting conflict are irresponsible and capable of discouraging nonviolent reactions to conflicts, that many journalists are prejudiced by ethnicity, religion and party politics that skew their reporting and that Nigeria needs peace journalism to obviate obstacles to peace. The study recommends mainstreaming conflict-sensitive reporting and peace journalism into the curricula of journalism education and training to improve the reporting of conflicts and terrorism. The authors believe that synergized policy between media and universities can profit from the values that conflict analysis and peace journalism offer.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-11-22T12:56:25Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241293767
Book Review: Mediatised Terrorism: East–West Narratives of Risk
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  Authors: Sayyed Fawad Ali Shah; Journalism, Auburn University, AL, USA
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-10-24T08:57:21Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241290428
Canonizing online activism: Memetic iconography in the North Atlantic
Fella Organization
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  Authors: Kateryna Kasianenko, Olga Boichak; Olga Boichak
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  Memes are iconic digital artefacts that acquire meaning through their production and circulation among the digitally mediated publics. This visual essay presents an iconographic exploration of the North Atlantic Fella Organization (NAFO) – a vernacular online collective engaged in ridiculing Russian disinformation and rallying support for Ukraine’s defence and recovery efforts. We approach memes as a visual interface between the user and various subgroups within and outside the community. Drawing on a combination of autoethnographic, visual semiotic and computational methods, we demonstrate how memes perform three key functions within the online community: representing the self, maintaining social relations within the group and articulating the group’s values and commitment to its members and the broader public. In doing so, they can be understood as an extension of social and cultural practices surrounding religious iconography. Going beyond short-lived or self-centred engagement, memes constitute a rich yet flexible medium to mobilize social media users in significant international crises such as wars.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-10-16T07:25:45Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241279957
Radio Okapi online newspapers: Between media framing, conflict and
peacebuilding
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  Authors: Delphin Rukumbuzi Ntanyoma; UK
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKOs) have incorporated a Public Information (PI) component to communicate with the public. This component has shifted from public outreach towards media reports on current events, including violent incidents. Few studies have assessed the contribution of the PI components of UN-led media. This article assesses the framing of Radio Okapi (RO) online newspaper articles to understand RO’s contribution to peacebuilding processes in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), an ethnically highly polarized region where many sites are difficult to access. By analysing how RO reports on violent incidents in this region, the study identifies some shortfalls in RO’s PI role. Its framing of reporting can obscure the causes of conflict, for example, by equating ethnic communities with their armed actors and giving secondary importance to the direct victims of armed violence. Moreover, much RO reporting relies on uncorroborated and questionable sources of information, mostly provided by security services. Its framing is unlikely to contribute to sustainable peacebuilding processes and thus does not meet the PI aspirations of UNPKOs. This article suggests that journalists should be empowered with background skills and knowledge relevant to peace journalism, framing news reports in ways that help tackle the root causes and drivers of violent conflict.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-09-15T02:50:10Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241268833
Personalized, war and peace journalism on Twitter: The Russo-Ukrainian War
through the lens of political journalists
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  Authors: Nina Fabiola Schumacher, Kristin Shi-Kupfer, Christian Nuernbergk; Kristin Shi-Kupfer, Christian Nuernbergk
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  This study compares communication patterns of German political journalists with correspondents assigned in covering Russia/Ukraine regarding the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War discourse on Twitter (now X). During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Twitter has been an important platform for (European) politicians, journalists and other stakeholders to share their views on the war. In general, journalists differ largely in terms of Twitter activity and in posting individual contributions. This comparative research delves into the analysis of journalistic communication in 4,460 tweets, focusing on war and peace journalism framing. The study also investigates the personalization characteristics present in these tweets, considering individual-level influences through the hierarchy of influence model. Specifically, the work employs both peace journalism theoretical framework and the hierarchy of influence model to scrutinize the communication strategies of German political journalists and correspondents covering Russia/Ukraine on Twitter amidst the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War discourse. So far, both approaches have not been combined for the analysis of conflict and war communication in social media. We tracked journalistic tweets for five months from September 2022 to February 2023. Our content analysis shows that, within the journalistic contributions, a peace journalism framework dominates. More than three-quarters of the tweets contain an expression of opinion and around one-third evaluations. Personalization characteristics of politicians are present in almost one-quarter of the tweets.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-09-13T11:30:13Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241268403
‘Journalism in another form’: How exile experiences from Burundi
renegotiate key elements of journalism
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  Authors: Louisa Esther, Richard H Thomas; Richard H Thomas
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  Since the renewed outbreak of the ongoing crisis in Burundi in May 2015, triggering a media crackdown, over one-third of the country’s reporters have gone into exile. They therefore joined an increasing number of journalists worldwide who are forced into exile. Between 2015 and 2021, many of the exiled Burundian journalists continued reporting for newly founded exile media in neighbouring Rwanda. Before their forced closure in 2021, these exile media had established themselves as successful outlets providing the only independent information from an otherwise blacked-out country. Based on semi-structured interviews with 10 exiled Burundian journalists conducted in Rwanda in 2020, this article exemplifies how the condition of exile impacts journalistic practice and norms, and renegotiates ideas of media professionalism. It is shown how Burundian exiled journalists display a strong personal conscience as journalists highlighting the voice of the voiceless and attempting to separate activism from their journalism. At the same time, the findings identify the main struggles of Burundian exiled journalists in maintaining operational objectivity, which depends on funding, providing balanced reporting without access to official sources and conducting verification of information in the unattainable field. These challenges are in line with the findings of several other case studies with exiled journalists from different regions. Therefore, this article complements the rapidly growing body of literature on exile journalism with a Global South perspective, which to date is not well represented on the map of exile journalism that mostly features cases of exile in the Global North. Furthermore, this article shows that situating exile experiences within existing theories and frameworks of journalism presents limits as exile journalism, as in the Burundian case, is journalism ‘in another form’ with new practices and renegotiated standards of professionalism.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-09-02T01:21:42Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241268814
Framing the 2013 Westgate Mall attack: A comparative study of Kenyan and
US media perspectives
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  Authors: Osman Osman; NY, USA
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  This article explores the diverse media framing of the 2013 Westgate Mall attack presented by Kenyan and US newspapers. The author reveals how national contexts and cultural values shape news narratives by analyzing 242 articles from Kenya’s Daily Nation and Standard and the US’s New York Times and Washington Post. The findings show that Kenyan and US newspapers predominantly employed episodic frames, with Kenyan newspapers utilizing them in 69.7 percent of articles compared to US newspapers in 64 percent of articles. This episodic focus highlights individual experiences and immediate events consistent with broader media trends. However, the study uncovers significant differences in micro-level framing: Kenyan media emphasized human-interest narratives (69.1%), focusing on personal stories and emotional impact, while US media prioritized the conflict frame (49%), framing the attack within broader geopolitical conflicts. This contrast illustrates how Kenyan media fostered national unity and empathy, albeit at the expense of critically examining systemic issues. In contrast, US media reinforced conflict-driven geopolitical narratives and potentially oversimplified the complexities of the attack and its context. The study underscores how media narratives shape public perception and policy discourse, reflecting broader national interests and cultural contexts. The analysis highlights the importance of understanding diverse media frames to grasp the full implications of global events. It suggests further research incorporating various media formats and broader sample sizes to deepen insights into media framing effects.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-08-30T10:11:09Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241272746
Performing terror, communicating fear: Analysing terrorism as performance
of violence
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  Authors: Mercy Ette; Cultures, Newcastle University, UK
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  This study conceptualizes terrorist acts as performance of violence. It concentrates on how Jama’atu Ahlis Sunnah Lida’awati Wal Jihad, a transnational terrorist group commonly known as Boko Haram, stages dramatic spectacles to generate public fear and anxiety by deploying the news media to publicize its activities. Predicated on a conceptual framework consisting of performance theory, news media–terrorism nexus and newsworthiness, the study illustrates how terrorist groups and media organizations exploit each other’s affordances to actualize tactical and strategic goals. The author asserts that terrorist groups command the attention and gaze of diverse audiences by generating newsworthy, conflictual, consequential and impactful contents for news organizations. The study concludes that Boko Haram’s activities are illustrative of terrorism as the communication of symbolic messages through the performance of violence.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-08-30T10:08:42Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241268709
The US press and foreign policy information, cueing, and the democratic
process in the Syrian conflict
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  Authors: Mehrnaz Khanjani; Omaha, NE, USA
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  There were three chemical attacks on Syrian civilians in 2013, 2017, and 2018. In 2013, President Obama proposed military action and it was rejected by Congress. President Trump ordered two airstrikes in 2017 and 2018, without congressional authorization. Investigating news reports and statements issued by the members of the House and Senate show that there were major criticisms among US officials in all three periods. In the month after the three foreign policy declarations (congressional vote in 2013, airstrikes in 2017 and 2018), the US press increased their reliance on US officials and followed the standpoint of powerful domestic officials in criticizing the military intervention policy – whether proposed or in action. They covered a significant amount of criticism in 2013 that officials voted a nay and raised their objections, and marginalized critical standpoints in times of forgoing democratic procedures and powerlessness of representatives to change the policy. This research also demonstrates the increasing role of NGOs and activists in picturing realities in Syria.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-08-26T08:45:39Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241269626
In the digital trenches: Mapping the structure and evolution of the
Islamic State’s information ecosystem (2023–2024)
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  Authors: Miron Lakomy; Katowice, Poland
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  Based on open-source intelligence, social network analysis and comparative analysis, this study discusses the structure, evolution and most important features of the pro-Islamic State (IS) information ecosystem on the surface web between July 2023 and March 2024. It proves that the core of its propaganda distribution network is surprisingly centralized around three stand-alone domains, including one link directory – Fahras – and two propaganda repositories: I’lam and al-Raud. These webpages constitute the core of the ecosystem, densely interconnected with a broad range of secondary channels designed to lure online audiences to these hotspots of pro-IS communication. This centrality manifests a previously unnoticed shift in IS’s methods of designing and maintaining propaganda distribution networks. The study also shows that, despite frequent claims from stakeholders, IS has not abandoned exploiting mainstream social networks, although only some of them were preferred. On top of this, it proves that the pro-IS media bureaus continued to rely on a broad range of file-sharing services, including the Internet Archive, although the latter proved quite efficient in taking down its productions. Last but not least, IS confirms the continued interest of Daesh in exploiting several types of encrypted communication apps, such as Telegram and Rocket Chat.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-08-24T09:55:11Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241274554
Media sources, partisanship, and public support for self-defense in Taiwan
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  Authors: Yao-Yuan Yeh, Hsuan-Yu (Shane) Lin, Charles KS Wu; Hsuan-Yu (Shane) Lin, Charles KS Wu
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  In this study, the authors focus on Taiwan, where citizens are increasingly concerned about the possibility of a Chinese invasion. Specifically, the authors want to know if different media sources would influence citizens’ willingness to engage in self-defense. Additionally, they would like to see if partisans experience a backfire effect when exposed to incongruent political information. To test these hypotheses, they designed and conducted an original survey experiment in Taiwan by creating different vignettes. Their findings reveal two points: firstly, media cues alone did not significantly alter citizens’ overall willingness to engage in self-defense and, secondly, only supporters of the Pan-Green coalition (who are more inclined towards Taiwan’s independence) experienced a backfire effect by becoming more supportive of self-defense when exposed to a pro-China media source than a pro-Taiwan source. In conclusion, the authors provide explanations for the heterogeneous effects among partisans and discuss the theoretical implications of their research.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-08-24T09:53:06Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241268678
The effects of the war in Ukraine on the environment of Ukrainian artists:
An evaluation by a diagnostic survey
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  Authors: Józef Ober, Serhii Rusakov, Tetiana Matusevych; Serhii Rusakov, Tetiana Matusevych
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  The 2022 invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation has triggered many socioeconomic changes, not only in the countries directly affected by the hostilities but also in the global economy. It should be noted that there has been considerable academic interest in various aspects of international security and stability. This study seeks to address the lacuna in research by evaluating the effects of the war in Ukraine on the environment of Ukrainian artists. By conducting a diagnostic survey, the study aims to assess the socio-economic and cultural challenges faced by artists in conflict-affected areas. Through this investigation, the study attempts to shed light on the unique struggles and resilience of Ukrainian artists amidst the turmoil of war. The results of the research indicate that artists working in the audiovisual arts sector are more likely than other groups distinguished by the cultural sector to perceive a consequence of the war for producers of Ukrainian cultural products internationally in the form of increased financial assistance from international partners, investors and the diaspora. On the contrary, artists working in the performing arts sector are less likely than other groups to see the breaking of partnerships with lobbyists of Russian aggression in Ukraine because of the war for producers of Ukrainian cultural products in Ukraine. Furthermore, the need for Ukrainian artists to relocate after Russian military aggression has not affected their cultural and artistic initiatives for war-related purposes.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-08-15T06:49:27Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241269604
Framing NATO in China during the 2022 war in Ukraine
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  Authors: Shixin Ivy Zhang, Zixiu Liu, Altman Yuzhu Peng; Zixiu Liu, Altman Yuzhu Peng
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  This research elucidates the power dynamics of framing at the nexus of state, news media and netizens during international conflicts in China. The authors explore how three actors or stakeholders – namely, foreign policy apparatuses, the news media, and netizens – frame NATO in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Employing Entman’s cascading activation framing model, they discover that the dominant frames adopted by the government, the news media and the public vary significantly between these actors. Specifically, the government predominantly uses a morality frame, whereas both the news media and netizens mainly employ a conflict frame. Additionally, our findings suggest that a new ‘peace’ frame has emerged in Chinese international conflict discourse. This study sheds new light on the applicability and expediency of the activation framing theory, particularly in addressing the specificities of framing through the non-Western lens in the social media age.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-08-15T06:47:08Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241268717
Exploring the psycho-social wellbeing of journalists in Kashmir within the
context of neoliberalism
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  Authors: Dilnaz Boga; researcher academic, Mumbai, India
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  Journalists from India-administered Kashmir have endured the psycho-social brunt of living in a militarized zone. Restrictions imposed on the media by the governing class in a neoliberal milieu function to regulate the narrative on the conflict with the help of agenda setting. This analysis identifies themes of direct, indirect and structural violence, and shows how psychological symptoms such as anxiety, alienation, hypervigilance, helplessness, depression and trauma emerge from them. Employing thematic analysis coupled with a deductive approach, the author highlights how working conditions of the journalists shape their psycho-social wellbeing. In-depth interviews with Kashmiri photojournalists, journalists and editors (print and digital) and secondary sources, such as local and international studies on the psychological wellbeing of the population in general, demonstrate the psycho-social wellbeing of journalists in the Kashmir Valley.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-08-08T05:26:18Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241268711
Kosovo’s path to Jerusalem: Orientalist political communication and
the free world discourse
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  Authors: Denijal Jegić; Beirut, Lebanon
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  This article proposes that the Kosovar political communication toward Israel exemplifies Kosovo’s positioning as a proxy for the US, and highlights the significance and simultaneous absence of Palestine in the meaning-making of Kosovo’s political identity and its place in the world. Through an analysis of Kosovo’s recent political communication toward Israel, the author suggests that the Kosovar political elite has applied the Orientalist discourse of the ‘free world’ in order to establish analogies between Kosovo and Israel as brave and threatened democracies defending Western civilization and frontiers. A detailed engagement with the position of Muslim-majority Kosovo at Europe’s periphery and Palestine as a site of European settler-colonialism situates the current narrative presented by the Kosovar political elite within the broader contexts of colonialism, Orientalism and Islamophobia, with particular focus on the 2020 Washington Agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-08-04T07:09:41Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241267254
A fragile narrative: Transformations and consistency in the Russian
representation of the war in Ukraine
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  Authors: Intigam Mamedov
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  In February 2022, Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The relevant narrative articulated by Vladimir Putin presented it as a short-term mission of military professionals. However, as the war continued, the situation at the front required complicated decisions that the initial narrative was not able to cover. This article analyses the core transformations of the Russian narrative on the war in Ukraine. Appealing to the strategic narrative concept, this article suggests a framework for assessing the narrative’s viability. The author reveals that, although the current modified narrative is not able to provide a clear and coherent explanation corresponding to people’s lived experiences, it is still effective due to the following reasons. First, it is built on and perceived within an intuitively familiar discursive landscape that has been promoted for decades. Second, the external prerequisites of the viability, such as the scale of its articulation through propaganda or existing opportunities to perceive alternative narratives, remain strong. Thus, it is likely that most of the rational argumentation in the narrative will be further replaced by its sacralization, and the information isolation will be continuously reinforced.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-07-26T07:21:37Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241264436
Moral framing in Ukraine war coverage
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  Authors: John H Parmelee, Nataliya Roman, Berrin Beasley; Nataliya Roman, Berrin Beasley
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  To understand how coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is being packaged and presented to an international audience, this mixed methods study examines differences in moral framing of the war by English-language international broadcasters in Ukraine, Russia, the UK, and the US. A computational content analysis based on Moral Foundations Theory found the dominant moral domain and sentiment for each article (N = 935) during the first year of the war, and a qualitative frame analysis shows how framing in the coverage used the moral domains and sentiment to promote a ‘causal interpretation, moral evaluation, and/or treatment recommendation’ (Entman, Framing: Toward clarification of a fractured paradigm, 1993: 52) for those involved in the conflict.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-07-26T07:19:30Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241264197
A cog in a wheel' Journalism under pressure during coups
d’état in Burkina Faso
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  Authors: Marie Fierens, Emma Heywood, Lassané Yaméogo; Emma Heywood, Lassané Yaméogo
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  This article explores how the (attempted) coups and popular uprising that occurred in Burkina Faso between October 2014 and January 2022 have impacted the professional boundaries of journalism. These events are considered crucial in understanding the complex and ongoing interactions between political actors and the media, and contribute to a better understanding of the broader reality of journalism’s boundary-making process across Africa. Drawing on semi-structured interviews conducted with journalists, editors and journalism teachers in Ouagadougou in 2022, this article investigates the roles that private and public media journalists aimed to play in these extreme conditions and how their reactions reflect the constantly evolving nature of the journalistic profession.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-07-26T07:18:37Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241262472
Digitally witnessable war from pereklychka to propaganda: Unfolding
Telegram communication during Russia’s war in Ukraine
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  Authors: Miglė Bareikytė, Mykola Makhortykh; Mykola Makhortykh
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  The witnessing of wars is being transformed by digital platforms. In this article, the authors empirically investigate and develop the novel approach to the study of witnessing, in particular the non-institutionalized form of inconspicuous digital witnessing which thrives in platform communities in the context of Russia’s war in Ukraine. By empirically examining communication practices on Telegram, a highly popular platform in Ukraine, the article explores the ways in which online platforms enable the rise of inconspicuous witnessing. Using a mixed-method approach, the authors trace the changes in digital witnessing practices in the beginning and during different periods of the Russian occupation, by investigating over 2,000 messages from a specific Telegram channel with over 150,000 users devoted to one occupied Ukrainian city. By identifying a number of changes in the analysed Telegram chat communication practices over time, they propose an empirically-grounded concept of the digitally witnessable war that acknowledges the critical polyvocality of contemporary war witnessing practices.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-07-26T07:15:09Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241255890
Narratives of conflict: Russian media’s evolving treatment of
Ukraine (2013–2022)
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  Authors: Ecaterina Locoman, Richard R Lau; Richard R Lau
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  This article scrutinizes Russian state-run TV narratives over critical junctures – before the 2013 Euromaidan protests, the annexation of Crimea in 2014, and the periods leading up to and following the 2022 invasion – to illuminate how political agendas, historical narratives, and public perception intersect. The authors reveal the Russian political elite’s strategic shaping of narratives, influencing collective memory and swaying public opinion on the Ukraine crisis. The significance of the conflict narrative and Russia’s position is underscored, as reflected in the evolving structure of news broadcasts. The image of Russian leaders as capable and reliable is amplified during conflicts, while Ukrainian counterparts are persistently portrayed negatively. The media constructs an identity narrative that elevates Russian leaders and disparages Western counterparts post-crisis, mirroring geopolitical tensions. The framing of Ukraine’s narrative with WWII terminology is analyzed, highlighting attempts to deflect blame onto the West. This comprehensive study elucidates the subtle complexities of media narratives and their pivotal role in geopolitics and international relations.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-06-14T04:56:46Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241257053
Nuclear anxiety as an instrument of war: The use of news media to shape
and respond to the disinformation campaign surrounding the Zaporizhzhia
nuclear power plant
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  Authors: Iuliia Hoban, Alex Rister; Alex RisterEmbry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide, USA
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  The Russian invasion of Ukraine has galvanized anxiety over a possible nuclear catastrophe, with threats ranging from deliberate attacks and shelling of nuclear power plants to the potential use of nuclear weapons. Russia’s occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), Europe’s largest such facility, raises fundamental questions about using NPPs in crisis and risk communication, and disinformation campaigns. Building upon interdisciplinary research bridging Communication and International Relations Studies, this article employs content analysis to examine how Ukrainian and Russian media outlets engaged in a rhetorical battle of frame perceptions about the threat of nuclear catastrophe related to ZNPP. They explore how Russia’s propagandists used news media to stir nuclear anxiety as part of a broader disinformation campaign, and investigate strategies employed by Ukrainian media agencies to manage the risk of nuclear anxiety and respond to Russian disinformation. The article contributes to conversations in the field of crisis and risk communication related to how political stakeholders use news media to influence audiences’ perceptions, and specifically how political actors use nuclear anxiety politicization and disinformation to gain political influence. The findings provide insights into developing effective news media strategies responding to threats of large-scale nuclear, biological, or chemical catastrophes and cyber-attacks on nuclear infrastructure.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-06-12T07:43:16Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241256575
The named and the nameless: A comparative analysis of US and UK news
coverage of civilian deaths caused by US drone strikes, 2009–2016
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  Authors: Charles M Rowling, Jason Gilmore, Penelope Sheets; Jason Gilmore, Penelope Sheets
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  Research on foreign news coverage suggests that journalists tend to exhibit an ethnocentric bias when reporting on issues that might reflect poorly upon their nation. This stems from the institutional, commercial and cultural pressures that tend to shape the news production process. These pressures are at odds with other professional norms and values within journalism that are seen as crucial to democracy, including the need to inform the public, hold leaders accountable and expose abuses of power. This study examines these tensions in the context of US drone warfare. The authors employ social identity theory to systematically examine the manner and extent to which civilian casualties caused by US drone strikes were reported on in news coverage in the US (The New York Times) versus the UK (The Guardian) from 2009–2016. The article explores whether civilian casualty mentions in these news sources led to a more critical examination of the merits and efficacy of the drone policy.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-06-07T11:13:12Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241257061
From silence to Pride' A feminist visual narrative analysis of the Swedish
Armed Forces’ Pride campaigns
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  Authors: Elin Berg; Stockholm, Sweden
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  State militaries increasingly communicate their acceptance of LGBTQIA+ individuals through glossy visuals online. This article takes the Swedish Armed Forces as its case since, through their military marketing, they have suggested not only their protection of LGBTQIA+ rights but also their status as a ‘queer’ force for almost a decade. While the gendered representation of the Swedish military is unstable, the narrative of Nordic states’ ‘progressiveness’ is particularly sticky in international politics. Through a feminist visual narrative analysis of SAF’s Pride campaigns, the author identifies patterns and tensions in the ‘queer’ Swedish military narrative and argues that the Pride campaigns mark attempts at normalizing cis-heteronormativity while consolidating the Swedish nation ‘brand’ as internationalist, feminist and LGBTQIA+ friendly. In the process, they (re)produce conventionally ‘queer’ subjects: the patriot and victim, which through wider discourses of neoliberalism and homonationalism rely on ‘Western’ notions of what it means to be LGBTQIA+ in Sweden and beyond.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-06-06T05:31:52Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241256571
A comparative analysis of strategic narratives and persuasive language
techniques within Iranian and US news media: The study of the joint
comprehensive plan of action
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  Authors: Kelli Norton, Asya Cooley; Asya CooleyOklahoma State University, Stillwater, USA
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  This study aims to contribute to the understanding of strategic narrative theory and persuasive language techniques in the Middle Eastern context, particularly focusing on the utilization of these aspects in discussions related to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The research employs both quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze how the JCPOA was depicted in news media from the US and Iran. The findings reveal that both nations positioned themselves as key proponents of the JCPOA, emphasizing their willingness to collaborate through a more conciliatory approach. Notably, these narratives were underpinned by divergent persuasive language techniques, reflecting the intricate and often conflict-prone dynamics of the Middle East.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-05-21T11:41:04Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241249065
Mobile phone activism during Israel’s ‘Operation Guardian of
the Wall’ in Gaza
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  Authors: Ali M Abushbak, Tawseef Majeed, Krishna Sankar Kusuma; Tawseef Majeed, Krishna Sankar KusumaJamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, India
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  The 11-day war in May 2021 between Israel and Palestine (Gaza) is worth investigating as a phenomenon of recording war testimonies and memories by civilian mobile phone users. This article explores mobile phone usage by Palestinian civilians to record and document everyday war narratives. The users document, archive and disseminate diverse war memories on various social media platforms. Semi-structured (ethnographic) interviews and interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) are included in the methodological design to understand the patterns of mobile phone activism by civilians during Israel’s Operation Guardian of the Wall in Gaza. The authors argue that the physical and digital (phygital) spaces exist simultaneously, forming the socio-psychological presence of the users in the war and making them significant stakeholders of the Israel–Palestine war narrative. The emergence of a phygital presence signifies a comprehensive representation and archive of civilian war testimonies. Users’ mobile phone footage plays a significant role in shaping discourses of dissent and mobile activism, driving and sustaining collective emotions regarding the repercussions of war. These discourses also contribute to the socio-psychological construction of a phygital memory archive, enriching the conflict’s broader narrative.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-05-04T08:40:11Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241249063
Adapting Nord Stream 2: How Russia adapts strategic narratives to
English-speaking Polish and German audiences
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  Authors: Christiern Santos Okholm; Fiesole, Italy
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  Despite extensive scrutiny of how Russia has weaponized information, little work has been done on how it takes different audiences into account when designing its strategic narratives. Although scholars and practitioners agree on the importance of fitting narratives to audiences, the fact that Russia builds knowledge on audiences and that its practices are informed by a Soviet legacy of information warfare, little is known about the strategies Russia uses to adapt its strategic narratives to audiences. Through a comparative narrative study, the article investigates how Russian state media promote different narratives on Nord Stream 2 to German, Polish and English-speaking audiences. It shows how these are shaped by four adaptation strategies in which Russia amplifies, bridges, transforms and pushes back on the audiences’ pre-existing structures of meaning. This article contributes to the existing literature by deepening our knowledge of the relationship between the design of strategic narratives and their intended audience.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-05-04T08:38:41Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241243301
Keyword-assisted topic models reveal the dynamics in the main media frames
of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (2011–2022)
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  Authors: Salsabil M Abdalbaki; Ireland Cairo University, Egypt
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  Framing is a central concept during times of dispute because it can escalate the dispute or push it toward cooperation. Contributing to the automatic identification of frames in conflict studies, this article aims at examining the dynamics of the main media frames emphasized by Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. These frames represent the factors of power and hydro-hegemony between the three countries, including the geographic location, military intervention, mediation, agreements and economic dimensions. Keyword-Assisted Topic Models (KeyATM) are implemented to analyse the English governmental and non-governmental newspapers that covered this dispute the most (N = 12) over 11 years (2011–2022). While the results show the Egyptian and Sudanese media are dominated by the mediation and agreements frames, the Ethiopian media emphasizes the economic frame. They also confirm the existence of hegemony and counter-hegemony between the downstream and upstream which can be attributed to the dynamics in the adopted frames.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-05-02T07:17:37Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241241159
The visual representation of Ukrainian and Afghan refugees in the Spanish
press
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  Authors: Antonio Prieto-Andrés, Cayetano Fernández, Alma López-Avilés; Cayetano Fernández, Alma López-AvilésUniversidad San Jorge, Zaragoza, Spain
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  The public’s understanding of the situation of refugees largely depends on how they are represented by the media. This article analyses this representation by studying photographs that appear in four mainstream Spanish newspapers of varied political orientation, comparing two paradigmatic examples: that of Afghan refugees versus Ukrainian refugees. The objective of this analysis is to determine the differences and similarities between how each case is covered, using a mixed quantitative and qualitative content analysis method to determine the images’ denotative and connotative aspects, based on ‘framing theory’. Findings show that, although all the refugees are presented primarily from a human-interest angle, there is a significant degree of depersonalization in their photographic presentation due to the framing and stylistic elements employed. Also, Afghans are viewed with greater suspicion than Ukrainians, with a quarter of their images being associated with the idea of conflict.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-04-27T06:12:52Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241249036
Smartphone resilience: ICT in Ukrainian civic response to the Russian
full-scale invasion
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  Authors: Kateryna Zarembo, Michèle Knodt, Jannis Kachel; Michèle Knodt, Jannis Kachel
  Abstract: Media, War & Conflict, Ahead of Print.
  In modern warfare, digitalization has blurred the line where civilian ends and military begins. Embedded in the participative warfare theoretical paradigm, this article looks into how the information and communication technologies (ICT) enable civic resilience under the conditions of the foreign armed aggression. Specifically, the authors explore how smartphones and smartphone applications empowered the Ukrainian civil society in the aftermath of the Russian full-scale invasion of 2022. Based on an online survey and semi-structured interviews, the article highlights how the device and its features not only allowed civilians to adapt to living in conditions of a constant threat, but also to respond and support the defence from the rear. The authors conclude that, while the smartphone becomes an ‘online resilience hub’, acquiring many new functions like a mobile office, an online volunteer (frontline logistics and procurement) hub, an air-threat warner, a first-hand news source and so on, its security provision functions are not unconditional and may turn to the opposite, depending on the physical circumstances on the ground as well as the virtual information battlefield.
  Citation: Media, War & Conflict
  PubDate: 2024-03-19T04:18:24Z
  DOI: 10.1177/17506352241236449

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