Framing MH17 : comparing state-funded perspectives on a plane crash in an area of tension

Abstract

This thesis describes how two state-funded international news broadcasters covered the MH17 plane crash that happened on 17 July 2014 in the Donbas region in Ukraine. The two outlets chosen were the Russian broadcaster RT, which has been accused of being a Russian propaganda flagship, and German broadcaster Deutsche Welle as benchmark. Due to the fact that Deutsche Welle’s CEO Limbourg had joined into these accusations and Germany’s membership to US-led NATO and EU, who have colliding interests with Russia in Ukraine and the conflict going on in the Donbas region, the coverage was examined on conflict framing, human interest framing, economic consequences framing, responsibility framing and propaganda framing. This framing analysis was conducted on the content of the two outlets’ online coverage over the first ten days following the incident. This thesis examines whether there is a significant difference in the coverage of events that indicates exclusive and unique propagandistic framing practices of RT.