Al Jazeera's Coverage of the War in Yemen: Did English- and Arabic-Speaking Audiences See the Same War?

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Department of Journalism and Digital Media, College of Communication and Media, King Abdulaziz University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Jeddah

10.21608/jsb.2025.404407.1954

Abstract

News media play an increasingly significant role in shaping public understanding of modern conflicts, which are now fought not only on the ground but also through traditional and digital media platforms. This study examines Al Jazeera’s coverage of the war in Yemen on its Arabic and English websites through a comparative framing analysis. Drawing on framing theory—commonly used in media and conflict studies, it applies content analysis to evaluate news prominence, source usage, tone, and framing patterns. The study did not reveal substantial differences between the two versions during the period under review; however, subtle variations in tone, source selection, and framing patterns may reflect underlying editorial strategies aimed at engaging different audiences.

Keywords

Main Subjects


About Al Jazeera. (2022). Al Jazeera. Retrieved from www.aljazeera.net
Alshathry, Talal. (2015). A comparative framing analysis of ISIL in the online coverage of CNN and Al-Jazeera (Unpublished master’s thesis). Iowa State University.
Bachman, J. S., & Brito Ruiz, E. (2024). The geopolitics of human suffering: A comparative study of media coverage of the conflicts in Yemen and Ukraine. Third World Quarterly, 45(1), 24–42.
Baran, S., Davis, D., & Striby, K. (2014). Mass communication theory: Foundations, ferment, and future (7th ed.). Andover: CENGAGE Learning.
Brown, J. (2014). ‘Better one tiger than ten thousand rabid rats’: Russian media coverage of the Syrian conflict. International Politics, 51, 45–66.
Chong, D., & Druckman, J. N. (2007). Framing theory. Annual Review of Political Science, 10(1), 103–126.
Cissel, M. (2012). Media framing: A comparative content analysis on mainstream and alternative news coverage of Occupy Wall Street. The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications, 3, 67–77.
Dimitrova, D. (2005). War on the Web: The immediate news framing of Gulf War II. The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, 10(1), 22–44. doi:10.1177/1081180X05275595
Dimitrova, D., & Connolly-Ahern, C. (2007). A tale of two wars: Framing analysis of online news sites in coalition countries and the Arab world during the Iraq War. Howard Journal of Communications, 18, 153–168.
Duman, T. I., & Yolcu, F. H. (2023). Two tales of one war: Understanding the media coverage of the Yemeni civil war in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. International Journal of Communication, 17, 20.
Elmasry, M., Shamy, A., Manning, P., Mills, A., & Auter, P. (2013). Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya framing of the Israel-Palestine conflict during war and calm periods. International Communication Gazette, 750–768. doi:10.1177/1748048513482545
El-Nawawy, M., & Iskander, A. (2002). Al-Jazeera: How the free Arab news network scooped the world and changed the Middle East. Basic Books.
Elo, S., & Kyngäs, H. (2008). The qualitative content analysis process. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 62(1), 107–115.
Entman, R. M. (1993). Framing: Toward clarification of a fractured paradigm. Communication Journal of Communication, 43(4), 51–58.
Evans, M. (2010). Framing international conflicts: Media coverage of fighting in the Middle East. International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics, 6(2), 209–233. doi:10.1386/mcp.6.2.209_1
Fahmy, S., & Al-Emad, M. (2011). Al-Jazeera vs Al-Jazeera: A comparison of the network's English and Arabic online coverage of the US/Al Qaeda conflict. International Communication Gazette, 73(3), 216–232. doi:10.1177/1748048510393656
Gamson, W. A., & Modigliani, A. (1989). Media discourse and public opinion on nuclear power: A constructionist approach. American Journal of Sociology, 95(1), 1–37.
Gitlin, T. (1980). The whole world is watching: Mass media in the making & unmaking of the new left. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Goffman, E. (1974). Frame analysis: An essay on the organization of experience. New York, NY: Harper & Row.
Kharbach, M. (2020). Understanding the ideological construction of the Gulf crisis in Arab media discourse: A critical discourse analysis. Discourse & Communication, 14(3), 263–281.
Hampp, A. (2011). Al-Jazeera English looks to build audience before ads. Advertising Age, 82(24), 18. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/‌872071256?accountid=142908
Internet Archive. (2015). Retrieved from https://archive.org/
Jin, Y. (2008). U.S., Chinese newspapers frame Iraq war differently. Newspaper Research Journal, 29(3), 80–93.
Johnson, T. J., & Fahmy, S. (2008). The CNN of the Arab world or a shill for terrorists? How support for press freedom and political ideology predict credibility of Al-Jazeera among its audience. International Communication Gazette, 70(5), 338–360.
Kim, J., Su, T., & Hong, J. (2007). The influence of geopolitics and foreign policy on the U.S. and Canadian media: An analysis of newspaper coverage of Sudan's Darfur conflict. The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, 12(3), 87–95.
Malek, A. (2006). Al-Jazeera's new global gamble. Columbia Journalism Review, 45(3), 11.
McDowall, A., & Bakr, A. (2014, March 5). Three Gulf Arab states recall envoys in rift with Qatar. Reuters. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/us-gulf-qatar-ambassadors-idUSBREA2413N20140305
McHugh, M. L. (2012). Interrater reliability: The kappa statistic. Biochemia Medica, 22(3), 276–282.
Nikolaev, A. (2009). Images of war: Content analysis of the photo coverage of the war in Kosovo. Critical Sociology, 35(1), 105–130.
Reese, S. D. (2001). Prologue--Framing public life: A bridging model for media research. In S. D. Reese, O. H. Gandy Jr., & A. E. Grant (Eds.), Framing public life: Perspectives on media and our understanding of the social world (pp. 7–31). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Scheufele, D. A., & Tewksbury, D. (2007). Framing, agenda setting, and priming: The evolution of three media effects models. Journal of Communication, 57(1), 9–20.
Schwalbe, C., & Dougherty, S. (2015). Visual coverage of the 2006 Lebanon war: Framing conflict in three US news magazines. Media, War & Conflict, 8(1), 141–162.
Vreese, C. H. (2005). News framing: Theory and typology. Information Design Journal, 13(1), 51–62.
Wall, M. A. (1997) A pernicious new strain of the old Nazi virus and an orgy of tribal slaughter: A comparison of US news magazine coverage of the crisis in Bosnia and Rwanda. Gazette, 59(6), 411–428.