A comparison of online news media framing of the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict in Ukraine, Russia, the U.S. & China

Abstract

1 Title: A Comparison of Online News Media Framing of the 2022 Russia-Ukraine Conflict in Ukraine, Russia, the U.S. & China. July 2022 University of Glasgow ID: 2574393Q Dublin City University ID: 20109351 Charles University ID: 18329097 Dissertation Abstract The 2022 conflict between Russia and Ukraine that ensued after the former invaded the latter has received extensive media attention around the world. The news media's framing of the war ultimately has an impact on how its audience views the actions of the conflicting countries, their respective allies as well as other issues pertaining to the conflict. The online news media, due to its relatively easy and broad access, plays a key role in how the war is covered and framed. This study compares how major news websites in Ukraine, Russia, the U.S. and China have framed their coverage of the Russia-Ukraine conflict between from December 2021 when Russia began to amass troops on its border with Ukraine, and the end of April 2022, when the war was still raging in Ukraine. The findings of this study indicate that the online news media's framing of the conflict within each country largely mirror their respective government's stated geostrategic interests regarding the war, particularly in terms of security, economics, energy supply and geopolitics. The...