Hegemonic Frames in Mainstream Coverage on Palestine: A Case Study of Shireen Abu Akleh’s Killing
Zain Assaf is a graduating senior at Georgetown University in Qatar, majoring in Culture and Politics and minoring in History. Her major concentration is on settler-colonialism and Palestine. Her CMAP thesis examines the hegemonic frames that manifest in mainstream media coverage on Palestine.
This thesis examines the mainstream media’s initial coverage of the killing of Palestinian-American Al Jazeera journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, by Israeli occupation forces in May 2022. The initial reports on her murder failed to identify Israel as the responsible party, despite witness accounts affirming their involvement. Using Greg Shupak’s frames prevalent in media coverage of Israel/Palestine, this paper conducts a content analysis of the preliminary reports issued by prominent mainstream media agencies to argue that the biased coverage of the tragic killing of Shireen Abu Akleh is a consequence of dominant frames that facilitate hegemony in journalism. Through this case study, this thesis illuminates the ways hegemonic frames shape mainstream media coverage of Palestine and continue to perpetuate the inaccurate portrayal of Israel’s occupation and colonization.
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sami Hermez
CMAP Thesis: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h9kIGIHlcU1Z9ORXpF5Le65-tMJtZ_iR/view?usp=sharing
