Media diplomacy and global politics: the changing role of news media in international relations
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The various developments in global communication technologies have provided a new dynamics of media, diplomacy and international politics. In the traditional sense, diplomacy was mainly a process in which formal negotiations between states and their diplomatic representatives took place and the news media were an observer and disseminator of this information on the outside. In today's international environment, however, news organizations, digital platforms, journalists and transnational media networks are more and more involved in creating international narratives that impact public opinion, diplomatic agendas and foreign-policy outcomes. This study is aimed at looking at the role of news media in international relations with the concept of media diplomacy which is changing. It suggests that the news media has gone from being a passive medium for diplomatic communication to an active player that can shape the international public opinion, crisis escalation and projection of soft power. The study uses a qualitative research method and thematic analysis of relevant academic and some international media articles to explore the relationship between media discourses and diplomacy. The results indicate that the use of media visibility, frames, agenda-setting, digital diplomacy and strategic communication have become a part of modern international relations. Meanwhile, the increasing power of the media poses problems in the areas of misinformation, polarisation, propaganda and securitization of international events. The study concludes that it is necessary to pay more attention to the relationship between states and the media, institutions and digital platforms as well as audiences on the global stage in order to have a better understanding of contemporary diplomacy.
Source: Aposta
Institution: Alhamd Islamic University
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7204824307