The Nation or The Leader? Exploring the Effect of Framing in News Coverage of International Conflicts

This research explores a phenomenon that we see nearly every day and has implications for how we view people in other nations: Different media outlets may report the same international events either in terms of the nation (e.g., “Russia invades Ukraine”) or in terms of the leader (e.g., “Putin invad...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shu Wang, Xilin Li, Chengyue Huang, Christopher K. Hsee
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2025-01-01
Series:Judgment and Decision Making
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Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1930297524000366/type/journal_article
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Summary:This research explores a phenomenon that we see nearly every day and has implications for how we view people in other nations: Different media outlets may report the same international events either in terms of the nation (e.g., “Russia invades Ukraine”) or in terms of the leader (e.g., “Putin invades Ukraine”). Five studies, conducted during the 2022 Russia-Ukraine Conflict and involving both field and experimental data, find that readers of nation-framed news about the conflict had worse impressions of the people in the associated nation (Russians) than readers of the corresponding leader-framed version. We explain the psychology behind this framing effect and identify its moderators. Our research underscores the importance of responsible media practices in shaping global perceptions.
ISSN:1930-2975