Objectivity under fire: Media coverage of the 10th anniversary of the start of the Iraq war

Abstract

An examination of elite newspaper coverage of the tenth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War to see how the coverage was framed and whether bias was apparent. The study performed a textual analysis of two leading newspapers in the U.S. and two in the U.K. The research found that the newspapers chose selective frames of the war, indicating an apparent anti-war stance. Furthermore, the study notes that none of the papers put the war into a larger historical context or considered deeper issues outside the everyday political discourse in evaluating the nature and outcome of the war. Most reflection was left for pontificating on the editorial pages. The study notes several possible ways to improve news analysis war coverage, such as including big picture and historical context rather than just relying on anecdotes.