ABSTRACT

This edited collection brings together critical and up-to-date assessments of how mainstream American and British media cover their respective foreign policies, paying special attention to ‘official enemies’.

In the age of the internet and social media, the reporting and commentary on world events by mainstream Western media remains tightly bound by the way in which Western governments promote their framing. This book explores the extent to which historical and recent Western media coverage has reflected and continues to reflect the foreign policies of the United States and the United Kingdom towards ten non-Western countries: Afghanistan, China, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Palestine, Russia, Serbia, Syria, and Vietnam. Chapters analyse media coverage before, during and after war and geo-political and economic conflicts. Drawing from diverse perspectives and methods, including historical analysis, content analysis, critical discourse analysis, and critical linguistics, Journalism and Foreign Policy offers original insight into the Western media’s representation of important global events and developments, as well as the key scholarly issues of propaganda and digital media, across a wide range of recent coverage.

This volume is key reading for academics and students in the areas of foreign policy and international politics, international communication, media content analysis, and journalism.

chapter 1|14 pages

Introduction

The Enduring Nexus between News Media and Foreign Policy

chapter 2|16 pages

The Serbs in Western Political and Media Discourse

Othering, Demonisation, and Tutelage

chapter 3|18 pages

The More Things Change, the More the Frame Remains the Same

Comparing American and Russian Coverage of Dissident Alexei Navalny

chapter 4|16 pages

Mired in Tradition

How the US and UK News Media Frame Iran as an Official Enemy

chapter 5|17 pages

Still Misreporting Gaza

Violence and Context in the British Press Coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in 2021

chapter 6|18 pages

‘Chemical Weapon Attacks and an Evil Dictator’

Outsourcing Propaganda during the War in Syria

chapter 7|15 pages

American News on Haiti

The Enduring Imperial Mindset

chapter 8|18 pages

Anti-Cuba Narratives in the US Media

The Struggle between Ownership and Independence

chapter 9|15 pages

Not So Golden Anymore

UK Press Coverage of the Changing UK-China Relations in the 21st Century

chapter 10|16 pages

The US Media on the Vietnam War and Beyond

In the Name of Objectivity

chapter 11|16 pages

The Western Media on the War in Afghanistan

Still Mirroring Official Views