The natural framing of military confl ict news. The 2008 war in Georgia in Resonance , Izvestia and The New York Times

Historically, news organizations located in the heart of confl ict zones have been an im- portant player in informing the public and shaping its understanding of particular issues. To advance research relating to international confl ict coverage the current study analyzed how Georgian, Russian, and American media framed the 2008 war in Georgia. By examining coverage in Izvestia and Reson- ance as well as Th e New York Times — which is an important example of how the confl ict was presented to the American public — this paper elucidates likely determinants of the type of news and events that are prioritized by media producers proximal to the region of confl ict. We fi nd the similarities in confl ict reporting are as interesting as their diff erences.