“Without Fear or Favor:” A Comparative Discourse Analysis of The New York Times’ Coverage of Palestine and Ukraine

Abstract

This study aims to dissect the discrepancies within The New York Times coverage of global events which have long standing histories and find themselves on opposing sides of power imbalances, innate to the global order. At the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian War in February 2022, there was an evident difference in the depictions in the media comparatively to similar conflicts globally. Having followed Israel’s occupation of Palestine closely, it was noteworthy to see how one conflict was reported compared to the other. This study explores the relationship between the online content of The New York Times, and its discursive practices and representation and the subsequent implications on power, knowledge production and perceptions for different audiences. This study explores this phenomenon by assessing coverage in Palestine in May 2021 comparatively with Ukraine in February 2022, respective to the narratives, reporting, and subsequent discourse in The New York Times, and how that discourse informs knowledge and power dynamics around two significant geopolitical conflicts which shape global relations in the current international affairs arena. The study finds that despite the stated intentions on truth and partiality, Times coverage raises problematic implications.