Constructing Jerusalem in English-Language News Media

Abstract

The asymmetric nature of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has several manifestations, including the inability of the resources and infrastructures of the 2 parties to equally communicate, network, and influence prevailing political discourse and the global media coverage of the conflict. The framing of news on political conflict is usually contested, as political actors use the power at their disposal to control interpretations and instrumentalize a carefully crafted discourse featuring specific linguistic choices. This quantitative study looks at the linguistic identification and labeling of the city of Jerusalem in English-language news media using word frequency and concordance. This assessment is conducted using the Google News search engine (GNSE) with an open timeframe ending in September 2022. The study finds that the city is more frequently presented in English-language news media as a Jewish city and that the Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and Christian populations—as well as their claims and rights to the city—are marginalized, obscuring the multifaceted identity of the city and hindering the global public understanding of its reality, legal status, and conflict.