Children in The New York Times’ Israeli-Palestinian War Coverage: A Corpus-Based Critical Analysis

Abstract

This study investigates the discursive use of children in The New York Times’coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conf lict from October 2023 to July 2024. Combining quantitative corpus-based methods with qualitative critical dis-course analysis, the research identifies key lexical features and examines the framing techniques used by the newspaper to narrate the war. Findings indi-cate that the image of children is a powerful discursive tool to inf luence both emotional and cognitive responses. It serves various discursive purposes, such as humanising discourse, evoking emotions from pity to horror, framing the conf lict in moral terms, legitimising political actions, and maintaining nar-rative cohesion. Particularly, the strategic use of children’s images not only vilifies the opposing side by highlighting a stark moral contrast but also justifies military action, reinforcing the perceived righteousness of one’s own cause. Fur-thermore, a significant disparity is noted in the individualisation of children: Israeli children are often depicted with detailed personal stories, enhancing their humanisation, while Palestinian children are more frequently represented through aggregated numbers, highlighting the scale of the tragedy but possibly diluting personal aspects of their suffering.