Constructing Conflict: A Comparative Analysis of News Values in Al-Jazeera English and the BBC Coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict on October 7, 2023

Media plays a crucial role in shaping public perceptions of conflicts, influencing narratives, and opinions. News values, which determine what is considered newsworthy, guide journalistic decisions in reporting conflicts. Different media outlets construct news values based on their editorial stances, audience expectations, and geopolitical influences. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a longstanding and deeply complex issue, has been subjected to varying portrayals in global news media. On October 7, 2023, a major escalation in the conflict occurred following the Hamas attack on Israel, which prompted a widespread international media coverage. Given the significance of this event, it is vital to analyse how different news outlets construct their narratives and emphasise particular aspects of the conflict. This study examines the constructions of news values in Al-Jazeera English and the BBC reports covering the events of October 7, 2023. Using the Discursive News Values Analysis (DNVA) framework, it explores how linguistic resources establish newsworthiness in media texts. The study analysed ten articles from each outlet to identify key differences in their emphasis on news values such as Consonance, Eliteness, Impact, Negativity, Personalization, Positivity, Proximity, Superlativeness, Timeliness, and Unexpectedness. Findings indicate that Al-Jazeera English predominantly emphasises Negativity, Eliteness, and Superlativeness, portraying the conflict with heightened intensity and political significance. Meanwhile, the BBC incorporates more Personalization and Positivity, often presenting human-interest elements and efforts toward balance. These variations reflect the distinct editorial priorities and audience engagements of each media organization. The study underscores the importance of media literacy in conflict reporting, highlighting how news values shape narratives and public understanding. It contributes to research on media framing by offering insights into the linguistic construction of newsworthiness in international conflict coverage. Future research could expand on visual and multimedia elements, as well as the representation of non-English media in global conflicts.