When Prophesy Always Fails: Israeli Press Coverage of the Arab Minority's Land Day Protests

This study examines how the Hebrew press in Israel covers the annual Land Day protest carried out by the Arab minority in that country. The protest is rooted in a 1976 incident in which six Arab citizens were killed in a clash over government confiscation of land. Across 21 years of coverage, the Hebrew press consistently has used the days leading up to the protest to exaggerate the threat posed by the protest despite the fact that little violence has ever taken place. Land Day has become an annual ritual of vilification. The struggle over media frames of collective action, it is argued, often entails a contest between challengers attempting to promote an injustice frame and the authorities who want to promote a law and order frame. News routines for covering minorities — especially ones with low levels of social legitimacy — ensure that such protests almost always will be seen as a threat to law and order. Based on in-depth interviews with both Arab and Jewish informants and a content analysis of news coverage, the research demonstrates how such routines make it almost impossible for Arab citizens to promote their own frames about Land Day.