Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T19:58:35.870Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Framing Immigration in the Canadian and British News Media

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 December 2015

Andrea Lawlor
Andrea Lawlor*
Affiliation:
King's University College, Western University
*
King's University College, Western University, 266 Epworth Ave., London ON, N6A 2M3, Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Despite an extensive dialogue on the subject of immigration, there has been little systematic cross-national investigation into the framing of immigration in the news media. Understanding the evolution of frames is an important piece of how we conceive of the link between the public's political priorities and policy makers’ responses. While the multi-directional relationships that exist between media, public policy and public opinion often pose challenges to precisely extracting media effects, there is still much that can be said about how the content and tone of immigration frames change over time in response to major policy changes or focusing events. Using automated content analysis (ACA) of print news data from Canada and Britain, I examine immigration framing from 1999 to 2013, identifying immigration-related frames in print news coverage and identifying trends in the volume and tone of frames over time. Results offer insight into striking commonalities in the frames used by each country's print media, and the divergent evolution in the emphasis on certain frames over others, largely predicated on coverage of focusing events.

Résumé

Malgré un dialogue expansif au sujet de l'immigration, il y a eu jusqu'ici peu de recherche transnationale systématique sur le cadrage de l'immigration dans les médias. Comprendre l'évolution des cadres est un point essentiel de la manière dont on conçoit le lien entre les priorités politiques du public et les réponses des décideurs. Bien que les relations multidirectionnelles existant entre médias, politiques publiques et opinion publique représentent un défi pour discerner les effets des médias, il reste encore beaucoup à dire sur la manière dont le contenu et le ton des cadres de l'immigration évoluent dans le temps, en réponse aux changements majeurs de politiques ou événements politiques. En utilisant une analyse de contenu automatisée (ACA) de la presse écrite canadienne et britannique, j'examine le cadrage de l'immigration de 1999 à 2013, en identifiant les cadres reliés à l'immigration dans la couverture médiatique de la presse écrite ainsi que les tendances dans le volume et le ton de ces cadres à travers le temps. Les résultats offrent un aperçu des points communs frappants dans les cadres utilisés par la presse écrite des deux pays, mais aussi de l'évolution divergente dans l'emphase de certains cadres par rapport à d'autres, largement fondé sur la couverture d'événements politiques.

Type
Immigration and Identity Politics in Canada
Information
Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique , Volume 48 , Issue 2 , June 2015 , pp. 329 - 355
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Political Science Association (l'Association canadienne de science politique) and/et la Société québécoise de science politique 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abu-Laban, Y. and Garber, J. A.. 2005. “The Construction of the Geography of Immigration as a Policy Problem the United States and Canada Compared.” Urban Affairs Review 40 (4): 520–61.Google Scholar
Baumgartner, Frank R. and Jones, Bryan D.. 1994. “Attention, Boundary Effects, and Large-Scale Policy Change in Air Transportation Policy.” In The Politics of Problem Definition: Shaping the Policy Agenda, ed. Rochefort, David A. and Cobb, Roger W.. Lawrence KS: University Press of Kansas.Google Scholar
Baumgartner, Frank R., Jones, Bryan D. and Leech, Beth L.. 1997. “Media Attention and Congressional Agendas.” In Do the Media Govern? Politicians, Voters, and Reporters in America, ed.Iyengar, Shanto and Reeves, Richard. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Benson, Rodney. 2010. “What Makes for a Critical Press? A Case Study of French and US Immigration News Coverage.” The International Journal of Press/Politics 15 (1): 3–24.Google Scholar
Benson, Rodney. 2013. Shaping Immigration News. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Benson, Rodney, Blach-Ørsten, Mark, Powers, Matthew, Willig, Ida and Zambrano, Sandra Vera. 2012. “Media Systems Online and Off: Comparing the Form of News in the United States, Denmark, and France.” Journal of Communication 62 (1): 21–38.Google Scholar
Bleich, Erik. 2003. Race Politics in Britain and France: Ideas and Policymaking since the 1960s. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Boswell, Christina, Geddes, Andrew and Scholten, Peter. 2011. “The Role of Narratives in Migration Policy-Making: A Research Framework.” The British Journal of Politics & International Relations 13 (1): 1–11.Google Scholar
Boykoff, Jules. 2006. “Framing Dissent: Mass-Media Coverage of the Global Justice Movement.” New Political Science 28 (2): 201–28.Google Scholar
Brabeck, Kalina M., Lykes, M. Brinton and Hershberg, Rachel. 2011. “Framing Immigration to and Deportation from the United States: Guatemalan and Salvadoran Families Make Meaning of Their Experiences.” Community, Work & Family 14 (3): 275–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bradimore, Ashley and Bauder, Harald. 2012. “Mystery Ships and Risky Boat People: Tamil Refugee Migration in the Newsprint Media.” Canadian Journal of Communication 36 (4): 636–61.Google Scholar
Buonfino, Alessandra. 2004. “Between Unity and Plurality: The Politicization and Securitization of the Discourse of Immigration in Europe.” New Political Science 26 (1): 23–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cappella, J. N. and Jamieson, K. H.. 1997. Spiral of Cynicism. The Press and the Public Good. New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Charteris-Black, Jonathan. 2006. ” Britain as a Container: Immigration Metaphors in the 2005 Election Campaign.” Discourse & Society 17 (5): 563–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chong, Dennis and Druckman, James N.. 2007a. “Framing Theory.” Annual Review of Political Science 10 (2): 103–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chong, Dennis and Druckman, James N.. 2007b. “A Theory of Framing and Opinion Formation in Competitive Elite Environments.” Journal of Communication 57 (1): 99–118.Google Scholar
De Vreese, Claes H. 2005. “News Framing: Theory and Typology.” Information Design Journal and Document Design 13 (1): 51–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. 2013. “International Migration Report 2013.” New York: United Nations.Google Scholar
Entman, Robert M. 2004. Projections of Power: Framing News, Public Opinion, and U.S. Foreign Policy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Fleras, Augie. 2011. The Media Gaze. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fleras, Augie. 1995. “Please Adjust Your Set: Media and Minorities in a Multicultural Society.” In Communications in Canadian Society, 4th Ed., ed. Singer, Benjamin D.. Toronto: Nelson Canada.Google Scholar
Fleras, Augie and Kunz, J.. 2001. Media and Minorities: Representing Diversity in a Multicultural Canada. Toronto: Thompson Educational Publishing Google Scholar
Fryberg, Stephanie A., Stephens, Nicole M., Covarrubias, Rebecca, Markus, Hazel Rose, Carter, Erin D., Laiduc, Giselle A. and Salido, Ana J.. 2012. “How the Media Frames the Immigration Debate: The Critical Role of Location and Politics.” Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy 12 (1): 96–112.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gamson, William A. 1992. Talking Politics. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Gamson, William A. and Modigliani, A.. 1987. “The Changing Culture of Affirmative Action.” In Research in Political Sociology, eds. Baungart, R.G. and Braungart, M.M.. Greenwich: JAI Press.Google Scholar
Grimm, Josh and Andsager, Julie L.. 2011. “Framing Immigration: Geo-Ethnic Context in California Newspapers.” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 88 (4): 771–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grimmer, Justin and Stewart, Brandon M.. 2013. “Text as Data: The Promise and Pitfalls of Automatic Content Analysis Methods for Political Texts.” Political Analysis 21 (3): 267–97.Google Scholar
Hallin, D.C. and Mancini, P.. 2004. Comparing Media Systems: Three Models of Media and Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hansen, Randall. 2000. Citizenship and Immigration in Post-War Britain: The Institutional Origins of a Multicultural Nation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Henry, Francis and Tator, Carol. 2002. Discourses of Domination: Racial Bias in the Canadian English-Language Press. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huysmans, Jef. 1995. “Migrants as a Security Problem: Dangers of ‘Securitizing’ Societal Issues.” In Migration and European Security: The Dynamics of Inclusion and Exclusion, ed.Miles, R. and Thränhardt, D.. London: Pinter.Google Scholar
Huysmans, Jef, and Buonfino, Alessandra. 2008. “Politics of Exception and Unease: Immigration, Asylum and Terrorism in Parliamentary Debates in the UK.” Political Studies 56 (4): 766–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Iyengar, Shanto. 1991. Is Anyone Responsible? How Television Frames Political Issues. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaye, Ronald. 2013. “An Analysis of Press Representation of Refugees and Asylum-Seekers in the United Kingdom in the 1990s.” In Media and Migration: Constructions of Mobility and Difference, ed. King, Russell and Wood, Nancy. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Kenney, Jason. 2012. “Speaking Notes for the Honourable Jason Kenney, P.C., M.P. Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism.” In News Conference Regarding Citizenship and Immigration Fraud Investigations, ed. Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Ottawa, Ontario.Google Scholar
Lawlor, Andrea. 2015. “Local and National Accounts of Immigration Framing in a Cross-National Perspective.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 41 (6): 918–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mahon, Adam, Lawlor, Andrea and Soroka, Stuart N.. 2014. “The Mass Media and Welfare Policy Framing: A Study in Policy Definition.” In Political Communication in Canada: Meet the Press and Tweet the Rest, ed. Marland, Alex, Giasson, Thierry and Small, Tamara. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press.Google Scholar
Mahtani, Minelle. 2001. “Representing Minorities: Canadian Media and Minority Identities.” Canadian Ethnic Studies 33 (3): 99–133.Google Scholar
Merolla, Jennifer, Ramakrishnan, S. Karthick and Haynes, Chris. 2013. “‘Illegal,’ ‘Undocumented,’ or ‘Unauthorized’: Equivalency Frames, Issue Frames, and Public Opinion on Immigration.” Perspectives on Politics 11 (3): 789–807.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
National Household Survey. 2011. Statistics Canada. http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/index-eng.cfm Google Scholar
Pennebaker, James W., Mehl, Matthias and Niederhoffer, Kate G.. 2003. “Psychological Aspects of Natural Language Use: Our Words, Our Selves.” Annual Review of Psychology 54 (1): 547–77.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pérez Huber, Lindsay. 2009. “Challenging Racist Nativist Framing: Acknowledging the Community Cultural Wealth of Undocumented Chicana College Students to Reframe the Immigration Debate.” Harvard Educational Review 79 (4): 704–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Price, Vincent and Tewksbury, David. 1997. “News Values and Public Opinion: A Theoretical Account of Media Priming and Framing.” In Progress in Communication Sciences, ed. Barnett, George and Boster, Franklin. London: Abelx Publishing Corporation.Google Scholar
Reitz, Jeffrey G. and Breton, Raymond. 1994. “The Illusion of Difference: Realities of Ethnicity in Canada and the United States.” Observations (C.D. Howe Institute) 37.Google Scholar
Rienzo, Cinzia, and Vargas-Silva, Carlos. 2012. “Migrants in the UK: An Overview.” Oxford.Google Scholar
Roach, Kent. 2005. “Must We Trade Rights for Security? The Choice between Smart, Harsh, or Proportionate Security Strategies in Canada and Britain.” Cardozo Law Review 27: 2151–2221.Google Scholar
Shanahan, Elizabeth, McBeth, Mark, Hathaway, Paul and Arnell, Ruth. 2008. “Conduit or Contributor? The Role of Media in Policy Change Theory.” Policy Sciences 41 (2): 115–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shehata, Adam. 2007. “Facing the Muhammad Cartoons: Official Dominance and Event-Driven News in Swedish and American Elite Press.” The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics 12 (4): 131–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Siemiatycki, Myer, and Triadafilopoulos, Triadafilos. 2010. “International Perspectives on Immigrant Service Provision.” Mowat Publications 5.Google Scholar
Soroka, Stuart N. 2002. “Issue Attributes and Agenda—Setting by Media, the Public, and Policymakers in Canada.” International Journal of Public Opinion Research 14 (3): 264–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Soroka, Stuart N. and Lim, Elvin T.. 2003. “Issue Definition and the Opinion-Policy Link: Public Preferences and Health Care Spending in the US and UK.” British Journal of Politics and International Relations 5 (4): 576–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tolley, Erin. 2011. “Who Invited Them to the Party? Federal–Municipal Relations in Immigrant Settlement Policy.” In Immigrant Settlement Policy in Canadian Municipalities, ed. Tolley, Erin and Young, Robert. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tossutti, Livianna S. 2012. “Municipal Roles in Immigrant Settlement, Integration and Cultural Diversity.” Canadian Journal of Political Science 45 (3): 607–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vliegenthart, Rens and Roggeband, Conny. 2007. “Framing Immigration and Integration: Relationships between Press and Parliament in the Netherlands.” International Communication Gazette 69 (3): 295–319.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Young, Lori and Soroka, Stuart N.. 2012. “Affective News: The Automated Coding of Sentiment in Political Texts.” Political Communication 29 (2): 205–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar