Focus on the relationship between media and ethics, analysing how power structures are constructed through the transaction of media.

Determine the research background:

How the U.S. media has reacted to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the last decade.

Determine the research question:

Using the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as an example, explain how the American media system influences the public's ethical perspectives.

seeking out case studies:

TV

Newspapers

Social media

• Foucault's theory of "discourse and power/knowledge"

• Blum's classification of "media system models"

  
  

→ These theories help us establish an argument:

• Media works as a tool of power that operates through the transaction of knowledge to shape the "truth" and "moral standards" to the public.

The division of moral opinions in America is closely linked to the country’s liberal media system. This system fragments audiences into increasingly segmented groups, which amplifies differences in moral perspectives.

Role and Function of the Media:

The media is not merely a reflector of reality. It helps people to define what is considered truth and justice through discourse, knowledge, and certain power structures.

• The liberal nature of the American media system is a core reason why public opinion on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is deeply divided.

• Commercial goals lead to audience segmentation, which strengthens political differences among American citizens.

• There is no real neutral form of media. All forms of media carry a subjective starting point, and the media is a site for power and discourse to reproduce.

• Social media platforms regulate user content to gain their interest. X increases engagement by highlighting controversy; Instagram filters content to keep its platform image, limiting speech related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; TikTok uses emotional content to attract more users. These profit logics determine the behaviors of a platform’s users and shape the image of a platform. As a result, the ethical frameworks of platforms naturally divide because of user behaviors.

• TV networks also guide audiences to form ideologies by their chosen content: CNN focuses on humanitarian stories, Fox News on conservative narratives, and MSNBC on liberal perspectives.

• Print media like The New York Times appear diverse but still follow limited narrative frames.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13-Q_Xl2OATcrABvov2nutHaeSRQccyUb/view?usp=sharing

What looks like diversity is a controlled dualism.
As Foucault suggests, power shapes what can be known and said.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/09/opinion/israel-hamas-attack.html?searchResultPosition=2

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/17/opinion/israel-gaza-invasion-mistake.html?searchResultPosition=4

They debate HOW Israel should respond. They never question WHETHER Israel—as an occupying power—has the "right" to respond. "Occupation" appears 0 times.

Debate within boundaries, but never question the boundaries themselves.

bubblemerge.com

:Media

Some progressives claim the networks have leaned heavily toward pro-Israel coverage, echoing U.S. government talking points without delving deeply into the humanitarian crises faced by Palestinians. This has led younger, left-leaning audiences—once a core demographic for MSNBC—to abandon the network for independent voices on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.