By No name
Introduction
The
2017 independence referendum of the Kurdistan Regional Government was a
political event in the Middle East that transcended the local and regional
level to have a significant impact on international politics. The global powers believed the event to be
very sensitive. This attitude was
reflected clearly by the manner that foreign media outlets covered the 2017
Kurdish poll. This cautious manner was particularly noticeable in the
referendum’s coverage by prominent United States media outlets, which saw the
referendum as an essential moment in Middle Eastern politics, and thus, covered
the issue in detail.
One
year on from the independence referendum, it is now a fitting time to ask: how
did United States media outlets cover the 2017 independence referendum and its
consequences? In answering this question, this article attempts to put forward
an understanding of the manner that the United States based media outlets
covered the Kurdish poll. In reaching this understanding, this article will use
two prominent United States newspapers as case studies and compare their
coverage of the Kurdish independence referendum. The papers that have been
chosen for the survey are ‘The New York Times” and “The Washington Post”, as
these two newspapers have a robust readership base, and they cover political
issues. Moreover, these two newspapers can influence the events that they
include.
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