As an American Jew and a supporter of Israel, though not always her policies, I find framing to be a particularly interesting concept in regard to the Israeli Palestinian conflict and its portrayal in the Media. Framing is the way in which an idea is presented. It tells us how to think of an issue or person, and what is associated with it or them. An important part of framing is word choice. Words possess connotations that subtly (or sometimes not so subtly) color media with bias. Biased framing is not necessarily intentional, but is nonetheless a part of the audience’s interpretation of media.
American newspaper headlines tend to be written in a style that places more weight on Israeli actions than those of Palestinians. In a survey of 205 New York Times articles from July 2007 to June 2008, HonestReporting found that “82 percent of headlines that introduced articles describing Israeli military operations were written in a direct style in which the words "Israel" or "Israeli Forces" (or a similar phrase) were the subject… Only 20 percent of headlines that introduced articles describing Palestinian attacks named the group responsible”. The headline “Israeli Forces Kill 9 In Gaza” places emphasis on the subject, whereas the headline “Rocket Fired from Gaza Kills Woman in Southern Israel" is written in a passive style that emphasizes an inanimate object, the rocket, as the subject.
The disproportionate use of framing headlines in passive and direct styles contributes to the anti-Israel bias in the media.
To learn more, go to http://www.honestreporting.com/
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