Distant Conflicts, Nearby Agendas: Ukraine, Gaza, and Taiwan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29105/rcp.v8i1.91Keywords:
agenda-setting, framing, international political communication, Latin American press, international conflictsAbstract
Objective. To examine how three leading Latin American newspapers rank and frame coverage of the conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and Taiwan, and what horizons of political intelligibility they offer their publics. Method. The study uses a qualitative comparative design combining qualitative content analysis, comparative framing analysis, and a discourse-sensitive reading of agency, legitimacy, and victimization. The corpus consists of 54 journalistic texts published by La Jornada (Mexico), El Tiempo (Colombia), and La Nación (Argentina) across three critical windows: the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Gaza escalation after October 7, 2023, and the Taiwan crisis associated with Nancy Pelosi’s visit in August 2022. Results. Coverage of the conflict in Ukraine was the most sustained and stabilized around sovereignty and aggression; Gaza coverage was intense but contested among security, humanitarian, and occupation frames; and Taiwan coverage was more episodic and technified, emphasizing strategic and technological risk. Latin America appeared as an affected observer in Ukraine and Taiwan, and as a morally interpellated space in Gaza. Conclusions. The study links second-level agenda-setting, framing, and discourse analysis without conflating media salience with audience effects, and shows that the regional press distributes visibility, agency, and moral proximity unevenly.
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