The 2017 Saudi-Qatari crisis: The White House and The New York Times see two different events

Abstract

The 2017 dispute between Saudi Arabia and Qatar provided the Trump administration an opportunity to demonstrate how it would conduct foreign policy and potentially alter the diplomatic relationships established with each country by its immediate predecessors. The dispute also allowed for an examination of how The New York Times would frame the conflict. This manuscript reviews the census of stories appearing in the main news section distributed by the newspaper from the beginning of the conflict through to the end of the 2017 calendar year. The results indicate the Trump administration’s view of the conflict appeared to be simplified as a good actor and a bad actor, influenced by the president’s affinity for one of the nations. The New York Times regularly highlighted the mistakes it believed the White House was making in addressing what it saw as a more complex dynamic between the two Middle Eastern nations.

Keywords

• saudi arabia
• qatar
• middle east
• framing
• newspaper coverage
• new york times