Frihetskamp eller terrorism? En kvalitativ textanalys av irländska och engelska tidningars gestaltningar av det anglo-iriska kriget 1919–1921

Sammanfattning: This study examines how The Times and The Irish Times framed the Anglo-Irish War from September to December 1920. The research question explores how the British and Irish press framed the Anglo-Irish War based on political and national affiliations. The purpose of the paper is to contribute to an understanding of how the newspapers chose to frame the war based on their own interests and perspectives. The military-historical interest lies in understanding the role of the media in war and how they influence the reader’s perceptions of the war and its participants. The source material used consists of 14 newspaper editions from The Times and 15 from The Irish Times between September 1st and December 31st, 1920. The sources are digitized primary materials obtained from the newspapers’ online archives. To analyse the material, the method of qualitative text analysis has been employed, involving careful reading to identify trends in the newspapers. Combined with the method, the framing theory has been applied to interpret frames in relation to the newspapers’ political stance and national identity. Previous research indicates that the newspapers were not objective observers of the war, but through their critical reporting, influenced public opinion and the outcome of the war. This study demonstrates that The Times and The Irish Times framed the war and its participants differently, thereby creating different versions of the reality of the war. The Times focused on British reprisals and emphasized the international reputation of the empire. The Irish Times focused on the IRA and the consequences of their actions for the Irish people. The results are considered relevant today to remind consumers of the media to be critical of sources and aware of media’s framing.