Since 2015, the US has supported the coalition led by Saudi Arabia in the Yemen war, but is now limiting its support under the Biden administration. Reporting in US Media is scarce, and the conflict is being referred to as “Forgotten War” by Amnesty International. There is little research being done on US media coverage on US involvement in Yemen, which is the reason for this seminar paper. It aims to answer how the opinion of two of the biggest media outlets in the United States on US involvement in Yemen developed. This question is important as media coverage ultimately shapes voter’s opinions and therefore the foreign policy of the United States. The opinion of the online news outlets of CNN and Fox News on US involvement in Yemen are analysed, quantified, and discussed.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Methods
2.1. Selection of News Sources
2.2. Selection of News Articles
2.3 Assess Opinion of Article
2.3.1 Indicators of Opinion (IoO)
2.3.2 Categorisation
2.4 Flow Diagram for Categorisation
2.5 Exemplary Article
2.6 Portraying the Data with Graphs
2.7 Interpreting the Data
3. Results
3.1 High Number of Irrelevant Articles
3.2 Differences by Source
3.3 General Disapproval
3.4 Volatile Amount of Media Attention
4. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Key Topics
This paper investigates how the editorial stances of CNN and Fox News towards United States involvement in the Yemen conflict have evolved. By analyzing and quantifying online news articles from these major outlets, the study seeks to determine if media coverage reflects or shapes public opinion, and how political leanings influence the reporting on US interventionism.
- Comparative analysis of media coverage between left-leaning (CNN) and conservative (Fox News) outlets.
- Assessment of editorial bias through the development and application of "Indicators of Opinion" (IoO).
- Investigation into the correlation between media reporting and US foreign policy outcomes.
- Examination of the volatility and frequency of media attention regarding the "Forgotten War" in Yemen.
Excerpt from the Book
2.5 Exemplary Article
The following article serves as an example of how the methods were applied in order to categorise the news articles. Supportive IoO are marked in green and disapproving IoO are marked in red. The following article was copied entirely from CNN and there is no individual work involved besides marking the IoO.
“The Senate blocked a war powers resolution Tuesday that called for an end to US involvement in the Yemen conflict.
By a vote of 55 to 44, senators voted against a procedural motion that would have advanced the measure.
Three senators -- Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, and Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat -- pushed for the vote, complaining the US military was assisting Saudi Arabia and other countries in their ongoing conflict with Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen without congressional authorization.
They argued that assistance -- including logistical support and mid-air refueling -- constituted involvement in "hostilities" and was contributing to a massive humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
"The Founding Fathers gave the power to authorize military conflicts to Congress, the branch most accountable to the people," Sanders said in a floor speech. "Not to the President but to Congress."
The Trump administration and GOP leaders opposed the move, arguing the limited military support did not require congressional signoff. They also said US involvement in Yemen was needed to counter the threat from Iran.
"Withdrawing US support would increase, not decrease, the risk of civilian casualties. And it would signal that we are not serious about containing Iran or its proxies," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said before the vote.
Defense Secretary James Mattis traveled to the Capitol to lobby senators to block the resolution.”
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter contextualizes the ongoing Yemen war and highlights the scarcity of existing research on US media coverage, establishing the paper’s goal to examine how CNN and Fox News report on US involvement.
2. Methods: This section details the selection process for news sources and articles, defining the criteria for categorizing reporting as supportive, disapproving, balanced, or irrelevant.
3. Results: This chapter presents the empirical findings, illustrating how both media sources generally express disapproval of US involvement, while noting significant differences in support levels and the volatility of attention over time.
4. Conclusion: This chapter synthesizes the primary findings, identifying the impact of editorial political bias and presidential influence on foreign policy reporting, and suggesting areas for future research.
Keywords
Yemen, USA, Media, Opinion, Interventionism, Fox News, CNN, Foreign Policy, Conflict, Public Opinion, Bias, Journalism, War, Politics, Reporting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this research paper?
The paper focuses on analyzing the opinion and coverage of two major US media outlets, CNN and Fox News, regarding the United States' involvement in the Yemen war.
What are the core thematic areas discussed in the work?
The core themes include editorial political bias, the correlation between media reporting and public opinion, and the influence of government administration on foreign policy coverage.
What is the primary objective of this study?
The primary objective is to determine how the reporting of CNN and Fox News on US involvement in Yemen developed and to explain the reasons behind differences in their editorial stances.
Which scientific methods were employed to perform this analysis?
The author developed "Indicators of Opinion" (IoO) to categorize news articles as supportive, disapproving, or balanced, which were then quantified and visualized to identify trends.
What specific topics are addressed in the main part of the paper?
The main part covers the selection of news sources, the methodology for analyzing article sentiment, the presentation of results via graphs, and the interpretation of data regarding media attention patterns.
Which keywords best characterize the research?
Key terms include Yemen, USA, Media, Opinion, Interventionism, Fox News, CNN, and Foreign Policy.
How does the author define "US involvement in Yemen" for this study?
The study specifically focuses on US efforts to defeat the Houthi militia in Yemen in coalition with Saudi Arabia, excluding the separate fight against Al-Qaida of the Arabian Peninsula.
What influence does the US President have on the media coverage of the Yemen war?
The paper suggests that presidential actions, such as Donald Trump’s use of the veto power to maintain arms sales, created discrepancies between media criticism and actual government commitment.
Why is the media coverage of Yemen considered "volatile"?
The study found long periods with zero relevant articles, followed by major surges in coverage triggered by specific events like the Khashoggi crisis or missile attacks on US warships.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Nathanael Schabrun (Autor:in), 2021, The Yemen War. US-American Media’s Opinion on US Involvement in Yemen, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1139768
