Mapping the Air Time of Eastern & Western Media on Conflict and War: A Comparative Study of BBC, DW, TRT and Al Jazeera on the Coverage of Second Nagorno-Karabakh War & the Aftermath

Abstract

A significant body of literature exists examining the coverage of the first Nagorno-Karabakh war by Western media. However, there is a lack of comparative studies analyzing the coverage of the second Nagorno-Karabakh war by both Eastern and Western media. We examined 245 news reports from two prominent Eastern channels (TRT World and Al-Jazeera) and two prominent Western channels (BBC World News and DW) through content and frequency analyses. This study aims to investigate the magnitude of Air Time dedicated to the second Karabakh war by both Eastern and Western media, examining the disparities between the two. Additionally, it seeks to analyze the lexico-semantic linguistic manipulation techniques employed and the use of euphemisms and dysphemisms during the coverage. Our research reveals a pronounced bias favoring Armenia in the coverage provided by both Western television channels. Conversely, among Eastern television stations, TRT World exhibited a distinct pro-Azerbaijani leaning, while Al-Jazeera maintained a relatively neutral standpoint. This clearly shows that media outlets and journalists are not free from bias. They predominantly mix their reporting with their ideological beliefs or faith, state interests, and their country’s foreign policy directions.