Two Wars, Two Narratives: A Comparative Study of AP's Coverage of 1982 and 2006 Israel-Lebanon Conflicts

This thesis investigates how coverage of Western mainstream media, with a focus on The Associated Press news agency, changed over more than two decades by studying and comparing reporting of two Israeli wars on Lebanon: in 1982 and 2006. The two wars represent a microcosm of media coverage of the conflicts between the same two countries decades apart. Israel's effective use of public relations campaign to regain its reputation in the international mainstream media following its 1982 invasion of Lebanon and following the massacre of Palestinian refugees there, coupled with America’s post-9/11 “war on terror” narrative are at the center of the evolution of media coverage of the Middle East and conflicts there, including the 2006 war.