Multiple studies on the bias of Western, and specifically American, media have been released in recent years, including one by WSU professor of English and researcher Susan Ross.
Her study, which examined more than a year’s worth of New York Times editorial coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict, found most often Israelis were presented as victims and Palestinians as aggressors. Ross said she’s disappointed her study, now more than a decade old, is still largely accurate.
One explanation she offered is that this attitude was created in the United States during the past 70 years. Since the end of World War II, three generations of Americans have grown up with the belief that the preservation of Israel is all important, she said.
“It’s difficult to question Israeli practices or advocate for Palestinian causes,” Ross said.
Read more about Ross’s study and a WSU doctoral student’s activisim for peace in the Moscow-Pullman Daily News (subscription required)