Paramilitary Activity in Post-Brexit Northern Ireland through the lens of the Irish News

This thesis explores how the Irish News, a leading Catholic-oriented newspaper in Northern Ireland, has framed paramilitary activity in the post-Brexit period (2019–2025). With the continuation of dissident violence and shifting sociopolitical dynamics following the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, media representations play a crucial role in shaping public perceptions of conflict. Through a qualitative single-case study, this research applies Reflexive Thematic Analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis to a sample of 43 news articles published by the Irish News, aiming to assess the outlet’s portrayal of both Republican and Unionist paramilitary activity. The analysis is grounded in three interrelated theoretical frameworks: human security, sectarianism, and legitimacy. The findings demonstrate that the Irish News consistently condemns paramilitarism across all political affiliations, with a clear editorial stance against violence and its impact on civilian life....Show moreThis thesis explores how the Irish News, a leading Catholic-oriented newspaper in Northern Ireland, has framed paramilitary activity in the post-Brexit period (2019–2025). With the continuation of dissident violence and shifting sociopolitical dynamics following the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, media representations play a crucial role in shaping public perceptions of conflict. Through a qualitative single-case study, this research applies Reflexive Thematic Analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis to a sample of 43 news articles published by the Irish News, aiming to assess the outlet’s portrayal of both Republican and Unionist paramilitary activity. The analysis is grounded in three interrelated theoretical frameworks: human security, sectarianism, and legitimacy. The findings demonstrate that the Irish News consistently condemns paramilitarism across all political affiliations, with a clear editorial stance against violence and its impact on civilian life. However, the study identifies a pattern of asymmetrical framing: Unionist-affiliated crimes tend to receive more emotive and judgmental language from the outlet itself, while Republicanrelated incidents are more often critiqued through indirect discourse such as quotations and testimonies. This imbalance is observed across three core themes: paramilitary control through violence, the social consequences of paramilitary influence, and evolving community-state relations. The thesis highlights the ongoing influence of sectarian narratives and the media’s function in either bridging or reinforcing societal divides in contemporary Northern Ireland.Show less

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Paramilitary Activity in Post-Brexit Northern Ireland through the lens of the Irish News