War of perception: a Habermasian discourse analysis of human shield newspaper reporting during the 2014 Gaza War

In 2014, as Arabs and Israelis fought a deadly and destructive 50-day military battle in Gaza, a simultaneous war of perception was being waged in American news media. Israel claimed that Palestinian militants were using civilians as human shields. So far, however, no critical research has inquired as to whether these allegations were reported scrupulously in mainstream American news media. Thus, using a Habermasian critical discourse analysis, this study examined how five of the largest U.S. newspapers reported accusations of Palestinian human shielding. The findings herein reveal how fairly these media outlets cover one of the most enduring international struggles in modern times: the Middle East conflict. After all, as this paper will discuss, these publications play a potentially crucial role in explaining to the public the complexities of this highly destructive and deadly region of the world, which ultimately could allow citizens to participate more fully in an informed, democratic solution for peace.