Degree Type
Honors Capstone Project
Date of Submission
Spring 5-1-2011
Capstone Advisor
Dr. Miriam Elman
Honors Reader
Professor Seth Jolly
Capstone Major
International Relations
Capstone College
Citizenship and Public Affairs
Audio/Visual Component
no
Capstone Prize Winner
no
Won Capstone Funding
no
Honors Categories
Social Sciences
Subject Categories
International and Area Studies | Near Eastern Languages and Societies
Abstract
In 2009 I began a long process of researching allegations made against the British Broadcasting Corporation and its media coverage of the Israeli Palestinian Conflict. Stemming from courses on European society and politics as well as a summer program examining the British Government’s relationship with the media, I took an immediate interest in the BBC. I was then fortunate enough to know a professor from abroad who worked with the BBC and through his connections I was able to interview a plethora of employees from the Corporation.
The former correspondent from Jerusalem, the Editor of BBC Online Middle East, an Islamic affairs and Middle East analyst for the BBC World Service, the current Editor of the BBC Nighttime News, and the person jointly hired by the British government and BBC to look into the allegations were among the people I interviewed for this project. In addition, outside research was conducted on the BBC and its history in reporting on the conflict as well as examining its modern coverage. To have a more complete view of the issue I was also able to interview the Chairman of a media watchdog organization based in the UK. Based upon my interviews and background research I was able to put together a clearer picture of what variables are at play when reporting on complex foreign events and how the BBC stands fast in its assurance of having a foundation of impartiality.
With the help of Dr. Miriam Elman as my Advisor and Professor Seth Jolly as my Reader, I will be working on my Capstone to extend the scope of the work to adding a general introduction on bias in the Media at large on the conflict and looking at some of the things which create an infrastructure of bias regardless of journalists’ good intentions. In my work, I first look at the different aspects that affect media coverage on the conflict and how they further complicate the preexisting issues of the region. I then examine how this affects the viewing global community and how we perceive the turmoil and its players. Lastly, to present a primary media entity, I will take a thorough look at the BBC as a case study on the topic.
Recommended Citation
McTigue, Gerard, "Media Bias in Covering the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: With a Case Study of BBC Coverage and Its Foundation of Impartiality" (2011). Honors Capstone Projects - All. 300.
https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/300
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