Media Power and Narrative Warfare: How Israel Shapes Global Perceptions

This paper, “Media Power and Narrative War”, examines the role of constructing narratives and using media as an instrument to frame those narratives in recent times between nation-states and the way those frame constructions help produce an overall public perception of the conflicted countries while engaged with one another within the overall world. In a world where the media environment is becoming more connected, international relations are no longer just dependent on military actions but also about the way that states (through their governments) attempt to construct a narrative using media to provide a frame to define what is perceived and therefore determine how one will act upon that perception.Using the theoretical framework of strategic narratives provided by Alister Miskimmon, Ben O'Loughlin and Laura Roselle, the study of how a state creates its own strategic narrative to distribute through the use of media to create global interpretations of a specific event, situation or group, was accomplished using Robert Entman's media framing theory, and Joseph Nye's soft power theory to provide an understanding of how nations create their own narrative and the various ways in which the use of communications, media, and public diplomacy will impact how the nation is perceived by others.In addition, the methodology being used is qualitative discursive analysis and comparative media analysis. The study employs Entman's media framing theory applied to specific coverage instances, and comparative media analysis across four major outlets: the BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera, and official Israeli government communication channels. The October 7 attacks and their aftermath serve as the primary empirical case study, supplemented by analysis of broader patterns of conflict coverage. Finally, the impact of digital media sources and the differences in how they impact one another in the manner mentioned above is another aspect considered within this study.The findings illustrate how the control of information and interpretation plays a significant role in international dialogue due to the importance of narrative warfare. Media institutions and digital communication platforms have switched from being passive observers to active participants in constructing, challenging, and legitimising narrative warfare. The research discusses the role of media power in the broader context of information warfare and strategic communication and thus adds to the developing academic literature that focuses on how narratives affect international political relations.