News Media Uses During War

Abstract

This study contextualizes the theory of uses and gratifications in war and conflict, using the Syrian conflict as a case study. The survey of 2192 displaced Syrian nationals in four countries (Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Turkey) revealed major uses and gratifications of traditional and new media. Among all media, television consumption showed the highest correlation with people’s perception of television as being useful for providing information, while among digital media, social media were the most important for receiving information.