Framing conflict, shaping memory

Power and narrative in UK and Irish coverage of Rafah

Bibliographic Data

ID22205743
AuthorsKeith Peter Kiely (0009-0001-6528-7255, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", corresponding author), Yana Naydenova (Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"), Kalina Stoyanova (Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"), Nevena Grigorova (Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski")
Year2026
Volume13
Pages103049
Publication date2026-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Sciences & Humanities Open (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2590-2911 • E-ISSN: 2590-2911
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.ssaho.2026.103049
OpenAlexW7163688094
LanguageEN
References cited11

National media coverage of conflicts is powerfully shaped by context and historical memory, yet the underlying mechanisms remain underexplored. This study conducts a critical discourse analysis of 300 articles from UK (BBC, Sky News) and Irish (RTÉ, The Journal) outlets covering Israel's 2024 Rafah offensive. Systematic contrasts emerge: UK outlets predominantly used passive voice for Palestinian casualties and foregrounded Israeli agency, with minimal Palestinian sourcing. Irish media, in contrast, attributed agency to Israeli actions 86-91% of the time, balanced source-representation, and frequently deployed explicit moral terminology. Notably, media framing in Ireland temporally aligned with government support for the ICJ genocide case and Palestinian statehood recognition. These findings suggest that national historical memory actively shapes conflict discourse and legitimizes divergent policy strategies

Critical discourse analysis · Discourse analysis · Frame analysis · Irish · Narrative · Public discourse · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Media Studies and Communication · Memory, Trauma, and Commemoration

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