Dynamics in the news coverage of minorities: The case of the Arab citizens of Israel

Most previous research in communication has looked at media coverage of minorities as a mostly static process in which journalists continually produce the same news stories. This article proposes a more dynamic approach that explains how such coverage can change over time and circumstance, and examines two factors that can alter the ways in which the news media cover minorities: short-term changes in the sociopolitical environment and changes in editorial policies. The case study looks at the Arab citizens of Israel. The findings demonstrate two changes that had an influence on the extremely negative portrayal of this minority in the Israeli media. The first was rooted in political changes during the election year 1992, when the Rabin government depended on the Arab parties to stay in power. The second variation was linked to the editorial policies of an elitist newspaper that set up alternative structures and routines for ongoing coverage of the Arab minority.