HOLLY JACKSON

I’m a first-year PhD student in computer science at UC Berkeley advised by Ben Recht.

Previously, I received my Bachelor’s in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT and my Master’s in human rights studies from Columbia University.

I work on on interdisciplinary applications of computer science, from astrophysics to history to politics. My research has been featured in over 100 media outlets and has been liked and shared tens of thousands of times on social of media.

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05 ANTI-PALESTINIAN MEDIA BIAS

2021-23

I have completed two major quantitative studies of anti-Palestinian bias in US media.

1. Analysis of US media coverage the Israeli genocide in Gaza (Oct. 7, 2023 onwards)

In October 2023, I analyzed anti-Palestinian media bias in thousands of articles from the The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal published in the first weeks of the Israeli genocide of Gaza that began after the Hamas-led invasion on October 7, 2023.

This work was posted to Instagram in a collaboration with Mona Chalabi, a Pultizer-prize-winning writer and illustrator who designed visual representations of the data.

My code and description of methodologies is available free and open-source on Github, along with a comprehensive write-up of the methodologies. So far, this work has been re-purposed for other investigations, including analyses of anti-Palestinian bias in major Canadian newspapers and in BBC news coverage since October 7, 2023.

2. Analysis of US media coverage the First and Second Palestinian Intifadas

In May 2021, I analyzed over 33,000 New York Times articles on Palestine and Israel using machine learning methods. This work provides a methodologically novel, large-scale proof of historical bias against Palestine in The New York Times. My complete research paper, linked here, is published with Media, War & Conflict. An earlier pre-print of the study is also posted here. All associated code is posted free and open-source on Github. The study has also been translated into Arabic by Farouk Kouider Moussaoui and is available in the Algerian Journal of Political Science and International Relations.

SELECTED RESULTS

Please see the links above for full results.

1. Analysis of US media coverage the Israeli genocide in Gaza (Oct. 7, 2023 onwards)

Fatality data for Israelis and Palestinians from October 7, 2023, to October 22, 2023, from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The New York Times has consistently mentioned Israeli deaths more often than Palestinian deaths overall from 10/7 to 10/22. Israeli deaths have been mentioned the most on 10/12 and 10/13, even though Israeli deaths plateaued since 10/12 and Palestinian deaths have skyrocketed. Coverage of Israeli deaths increased as Palestinian deaths began to skyrocket. On average, about four Palestinians died per each mention of Palestinian deaths in The New York Times. On the other hand, Israeli deaths were matched almost exactly one-for-one by the Times.

The Washington Post has consistently mentioned Israeli deaths more often than Palestinian deaths overall from 10/7 to 10/22. Israeli deaths have been mentioned the most on 10/12 and 10/13, even though Israeli deaths plateaued since 10/12 and Palestinian deaths have skyrocketed. On average, about nine Palestinians died per mention of Palestinian deaths in The Washington Post. On the other hand, two Israelis died per mention of Israeli deaths in the Post.

The Wall Street Journal has consistently mentioned Israeli deaths more often than Palestinian deaths overall from 10/7 to 10/22. Israeli deaths have been mentioned the most on 10/12 and 10/13, even though Israeli deaths plateaued since 10/12 and Palestinian deaths have skyrocketed. On average, about 17 Palestinians died per mention of Palestinian deaths in The Wall Street Journal. On the other hand, three Israelis died per mention of Israeli deaths in the WSJ.

Visualization of my data by Mona Chalabi (@monachalabi) posted on October 28, 2023.

2. Analysis of US media coverage the First and Second Palestinian Intifadas

Percent of references to Palestinians and Israelis that used violent language during the First Intifada.

Tone (left) and objectivity (right) of passive voice references to Palestinians and Israelis during the First Intifada. Positive values indicate positive tone, negative values indicate negative tone, and zero values indicate neutrality. More positive objectivity values indicate higher objectivity (i.e. less presence of opinion) in the reference.

Percent of references to Palestinians and Israelis that used violent language during the Second Intifada.

Tone (left) and objectivity (right) of passive voice references to Palestinians and Israelis during the Second Intifada. Positive values indicate positive tone, negative values indicate negative tone, and zero values indicate neutrality. More positive objectivity values indicate higher objectivity (i.e. less presence of opinion) in the reference.

PUBLICATION:

The New York Times distorts the Palestinian struggle: A case study of anti-Palestinian bias in US news coverage of the First and Second Palestinian Intifadas

Holly Jackson
Media, War & Conflict, 2023

Paper
Pre-print
Arabic version / العربي*
Code

* Translated by Farouk Kouider Moussaoui for the Algerian Journal of Political Science and International Relations / ترجمه فاروق قويدر موساوي للمجلة الجزائرية للعلوم السياسية والعلاقات الدولية

SELECTED PRESS:

Truthout
Mondoweiss
TRT World

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