News Sources as a Propaganda Filter: The New York Times Coverage of Palestine and Kosovo Unilateral Approaches of Statehood Recognition

News Sources as a Propaganda Filter: The New York Times Coverage of Palestine and Kosovo Unilateral Approaches of Statehood Recognition

AMER QASEM & ADNAN BIN HUSSEIN
Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia

Abstract

This paper examines the New York Times performance about the use of news sources in reporting unilateral approaches of statehood recognition. Following a critical perspective, the Propaganda Model is employed as a theoretical thrust. It argues that the free accessibility granted to the voices of government and its international allies is among the filters that affect the construction of media discourse. Two case studies are selected for juxtaposition, namely: Palestine and Kosovo. Both states are qualified to be internationally recognized according to international law theories. The unilateral approach of Palestine is firmly opposed by the U.S. government—unlike Kosovo. The analysis reveals a structural bias in favor of the U.S. foreign policy of statehood recognition. The news sources were positioned in a dichotomous order: “our” voices versus “theirs.” Specific news sources (i.e., the Russians) holding “opponent” views have been either completely suppressed or reverberated the voices of the “others/enemies.”

Keywords: News sources, New York Times coverage, manufacturing consent, Palestine and Kosovo, propaganda model, statehood recognition

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Amer Qasem is a Ph.D. candidate at the School of Communication, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia. His areas of research interest include political communication, critical discourse analysis, media representation, and propaganda studies.

Adnan Bin Hussein (Ph.D., University of Utah, the United States, 1994) is a professor at the School of Communication, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia. His areas of research interest include environmental communication, new media, and communication theory.