The role of political ideology in the international mainstream news media framing of refugees and LGBT refugees

Abstract

This research examines mainstream press coverage of refugees in general and the coverage of lesbian, gay and transsexual refugees in the international refugee crisis. This study is an attempt to further understand how various newspapers around the world actively, and perhaps ideologically, construct media frames. Articles about refugees and lesbian, gay and transsexual refugees were randomly sampled between 2011 and 2016 and analysed in accordance with their publication in 18 different mainstream news publications from The United States, Australia, and The United Kingdom. An effort was made to sample articles from opposing ends of the ideological political spectrum in mainstream news content. Two coders analysed articles to ascertain the presence of five news frames in coverage of the refugee crisis: attribution of responsibility, human interest, conflict, morality or economic frames. In addition to the presence of these five frames, this research also explored whether the level of responsibility for the refugee crisis was conceptualized at either the individual or governmental level. The results of this content analysis were then contrasted against the politically ideological categorization of each media outlet. Examining content at the ideological level of influence (Shoemaker & Reese, 2013) could reveal active media framing that may have very real, lived, consequences for lesbian, gay and transsexual refugees as well as refugees in general. Media representation also could influence how the rest of the world understands their plight and who is responsible for refugees as well as homosexual and transsexual refugees. This research explores the consequences of these findings for refugees and for the lesbian, gay and transsexual international community. Finally, the implications of these findings for objective newspaper reporting around the world are considered.