During epidemics, the media play an important role due to their wide provision of information. In doing so, the salience of certain topics is often heightened through the process of framing. This...Show moreDuring epidemics, the media play an important role due to their wide provision of information. In doing so, the salience of certain topics is often heightened through the process of framing. This process is of extreme importance as it shapes the understanding that the general public has of a health emergency. Identifying what frames prevail in the first phases of an epidemic can help define the major worries of the elite as well as the general public as well as their priorities. While the world is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, this study is aimed at delineating how processes of framing were used by British the printed press. By distinguishing trends in tabloids and broadsheet newspapers, this research will be able to conclude that sensationalist newspapers presented more human interest stories. On the other hand, serious newspapers were found to make larger use of the Economic Consequences and the Attribution of Responsibility frames. Additionally, anchoring frames were found to prevail over othering hence confirming the hypothesis that the COVID-19 pandemic would less “othered” than 2003 SARS.Show less
Protesten zijn voor groepen een manier om hun politieke onvrede te uiten en variëren in grootte en mobilisatievermogen. Ieder protest concurreert om mediaaandacht en streeft naar een groot publiek...Show moreProtesten zijn voor groepen een manier om hun politieke onvrede te uiten en variëren in grootte en mobilisatievermogen. Ieder protest concurreert om mediaaandacht en streeft naar een groot publiek om de politieke agenda te beïnvloeden. De wetenschappelijke literatuur wijst op het bestaan van een structurele negatieve bias vanuit de media tegenover protesten. Vrij zelden zijn de precieze eigenschappen die hierbij een rol spelen onderzocht. Door middel van een frame-analyse van vier uiteenlopende mediabronnen is onderzocht welke factoren invloed hebben op deze negatieve bias. Op basis van de conclusies kan worden gesteld dat een structurele bias niet bestaat. Negatieve frames zijn voornamelijk afhankelijk van de mate van geweld en de eigenschappen, zoals ideologie, in het medialandschap. Toekomstig onderzoek moet uitwijzen of in ieder medialandschap dezelfde eigenschappen van belang zijn of dat in de media zijn eigen manier heeft waarop protesten worden geframed.Show less
The research conducted in this thesis focused on different frames found in the news reporting of international and national media on the Australian asylum-seeker policy of ‘offshore processing’....Show moreThe research conducted in this thesis focused on different frames found in the news reporting of international and national media on the Australian asylum-seeker policy of ‘offshore processing’. Firstly, a content analysis into the news reporting on this subject was undertaken, and it was found that international newspapers such as The Guardian, The New York Times and The Daily Mail assumed a watchdog position, pushing them to use a humanitarian frame. This is in contrast to national newspapers such as The Australian, which assumed more of a lapdog position, pushing them to use a national-interest frame. Subsequently, an experiment was conducted to assess whether these different frames influence public opinion. Respondents with no previous knowledge on the subject were asked to participate in a survey experiment. They were assigned to two different groups – one being exposed to humanitarian framed articles, the other being exposed to national-interest framed articles. The results showed a preliminary direction that public opinion takes, as the group exposed to the humanitarian frame was more negative towards the Australian asylum-seeker policy, and the group exposed to the national-interest frame was more positive towards the Australian asylum-seeker policy. Essentially, more agency must be accredited to the media and the public, in the hope of encouraging a more humanitarian tone towards highly politicised issues.Show less
