Selective Humanitarianism: Western Media Bias and the Silencing of Gaza

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Selective Humanitarianism: Western Media Bias and the Silencing of Gaza

Selective Humanitarianism: Western Media Bias and the Silencing of Gaza

Pages : 236-267

View : 96 | Download : 335

Publication Date : 2026-01-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study examines how Western mainstream media represented the genocide in Gaza and how these representations produced a form of selective humanitarianism during the period between October 2024 and October 2025, when international debates surrounding the conflict intensified. The study analyzes 160 news, analysis, and feature articles, along with associated visual materials, published by major Western media outlets, namely The New York Times, BBC, CNN, and The Guardian. The analysis draws on framing theory, Critical Discourse Analysis, and postcolonial theoretical perspectives. Three recurring discursive patterns emerge: (1) the systematic invisibilization of Palestinian civilian suffering through depersonalized language, passive constructions, and selective sourcing; (2) the persistent deployment of conflict and equivalency frames that neutralize the structural power asymmetry between Israel and Palestine; and (3) the disproportionate amplification of Israeli victimhood through emotionally charged narratives that render some lives more grievable than others. Within international public discourse, these patterns contribute to broader mechanisms of epistemic injustice, rendering Palestinian experiences less visible, less credible, and ultimately less politically consequential. The article concludes that identifying and interrogating these discursive processes is essential for advancing a more ethically consistent and egalitarian international media paradigm.
Keywords : Seçici İnsaniyetçilik, Gazze Soykırımı, Çerçeveleme, Söylem Analizi, Epistemik Adaletsizlik

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