Global Media Framing of a Diplomatic Rift in the Middle East

Researchers performed a quantitative content analysis of a random sample of 389 newspaper and news agency headlines about a diplomatic rift in the Middle East published June 5-11, 2017 in 80 different English language newspapers from 34 nations. The theoretical underpinning was media framing theory, with a focus on emphasis framing, rooted in sociological research, which examines the content of communication. Independent variables were the nation and region of the world in which the headline was published and alignment, non-alignment or neutrality with the nation at the center of the rift, Qatar. Dependent variables were headline tone toward Qatar and headline topics/frames. Results showed that newspapers and news agencies tended to follow the lead of their respective national governments in headlines about the diplomatic rift among Qatar and four Arab nations (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain) that simultaneously severed diplomatic ties with Qatar. Headlines published in nations non-aligned with Qatar were the most negative (82.3%) and the least positive (13.3%). Headlines published in nations aligned with Qatar were the most positive (37.5%) and least negative (50.0%). Newspaper headlines published in nations that were neutral were 18.1% positive in tone. These differences were statistically significant at <0.001 level of probability. Overall, 71.2% of the headlines were negative in tone; 21.1% were positive, and 7.7% were neutral. The most frequent headline topics were the severing of diplomatic relations by four Arab nations with Qatar, a flight ban on Qatar Airways, US President Donald Trump criticizing Qatar and the crisis itself.