Exploring Peace Journalism Practices in Reporting on the Israel-Palestine Conflict

Abstract

This research examines the application of peace journalism principles in the coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict during the period of 2023–2024, a time marked by renewed tensions and global attention. Drawing on Johan Galtung’s framework, the study evaluates how major international news outlets, including The New York Times, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, BBC News, and Haaretz, report on the conflict, focusing on criteria such as the emphasis on peace initiatives, avoidance of demonization, use of multi-perspectivity, avoidance of victimization language, and use of de-escalation language. Through content analysis of 200 articles, the study reveals significant variations in adherence to peace journalism principles across different news outlets and temporal phases of the conflict. While BBC News and The Guardian demonstrated strong adherence to peace journalism principles, Al Jazeera exhibited lower adherence in certain areas. The findings underscore the challenges and potential of implementing peace journalism in conflict reporting and highlight the role of educational initiatives in promoting balanced and constructive media representation. Overall, the study contributes to the discourse on media ethics and the role of journalism in conflict zones, providing insights to inform future reporting practices and promote understanding and reconciliation.