A Critical Discourse Analysis of Framing Conflict and Power by Al Jazeera English and The New York Times: A Mixed Methods Study

The intricate relationship between media discourse and power dynamics is a vital area for exploration, especially as global media continues to evolve and influence international readers. This research examined how Al Jazeera English (AJE) and The New York Times (NYT) portray collective identities and power dynamics in their coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, employing Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of 200 articles published between October 2023 and October 2024. The study explored how these outlets use implicit messaging and intertextual references to either challenge or reinforce dominant narratives. A mixed methods descriptive design was used. For the qualitative analysis, Fairclough’s (2010) three-dimensional model guided the CDA. The quantitative analysis entailed frequency counts and inferential statistics (chi-square tests) to uncover relationships between variables identified in the qualitative phase. Results showed that AJE consistently emphasizes Palestinian victimhood and resistance, actively contesting dominant Western-centric narratives by strategically incorporating human rights organizations and Palestinian voices. Conversely, The NYT’s coverage, while acknowledging Palestinian suffering, tended to reinforce existing power structures by prioritizing Israeli security concerns and often minimizing Palestinian agency through specific framing and sourcing choices. A Chi-Square test confirmed a statistically significant association between the news outlet and the dominant narrative frame: AJE’s coverage showed a statistically significant emphasis on Palestinian victimhood and agency, while The NYT’s coverage disproportionately focused on Israeli victimhood and security. This study demonstrates that media discourse shapes public perceptions of complex geopolitical issues and contributes to a theoretical understanding of power dynamics in news reporting. Furthermore, the findings hold significant implications for CDA researchers, language and reading teachers, and CDA students and professors at MA and PhD levels.