War journalism and propaganda

: a comparative content analysis of US media coverage of the war in Ukraine

Abstract

The US government has positioned itself as a leading force against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, which some consider a proxy-war between the US and Russia. As in all wars, the media play a critical function in the framing of the conflict and informing the public. Both are highly impacted by whether media outlets engage in war journalism or war propaganda that echoes government narratives. A quantitative content analysis of four media outlets in the US spanning the ideological and organizational financing spectrum were analyzed. The research also compared articles published at differing time periods. The results suggest that most media promote war propaganda by attributing responsibility for the war solely on Russia, ignoring relevant historical context about the history of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), overly relying on official sources, and portraying US involvement uncritically positive. Our findings found significant differences between mainstream and alternative media in terms of war propaganda and consistency across editorial ideologies and time periods. The study contributes to the academic fields of study surrounding war propaganda, journalistic norms, and media management and economics.

Date of Award	11 Feb 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Ioli Campos (Supervisor)