THE FRAMING OF THE DARFUR CONFLICT IN THE NEW YORK TIMES: 2003–2006

Abstract

This multi-method study examines how the New York Times reported the Darfur conflict in the Sudan, which has led to an estimated 300,000 deaths and over 2.3 million people displaced by the fighting. Drawing on normative media theories and prior studies of Africa's representation, the role of sources in the frame-building process was analyzed, together with the impact of news-making processes on journalists' reporting about Darfur. The textual analysis largely supports results of prior studies on news framing of Africa. However, interviews with four New York Times journalists reveal that the individual biases and motives of the journalists and their sources significantly influenced the coverage. While the journalists participated in news-making processes distinguishable by journalist goal, source availability, and source credibility, their sources also provided information that reinforced certain media frames.

Keywords:

• Darfur conflict
• international news
• media framing
• news-production process
• sources

Acknowledgements

A previous version of this paper received a second place student award from the International Communication division at the 2009 Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication conference in Boston, MA. The author would like to thank Professor Amy Reynolds, Indiana University for her feedback on the paper.