Shifting sands: Spanish press coverage of Western Sahara before and after Spain's 2022 autonomy pivot

This study compares how three ideologically distinct Spanish newspapers— El País (centre-left), ABC (right-wing) and Público (left-wing, online)—framed the Western Sahara conflict before and after Spain's 18 March 2022 recognition of Morocco's autonomy plan. A two-year content analysis ( N = 221 articles) tracks shifts in frame use, primary sources and tone toward competing sovereignty claims. Across outlets the conflict frame dominated, while economic considerations were marginal; security and humanitarian emphases declined after the policy shift. El País and ABC partially converged, normalizing official narratives despite opposing editorial leanings. Público relied more on NGOs and Sahrawi actors and maintained the most consistently pro-Sahrawi tone. Findings lend support to concerns about elite cueing and overreliance on official narratives in the Spanish press, but show that meaningful disparities remain among newspapers with different ideological orientations.