Abstract
Abstract Along with other Central and Eastern European counties, Czechia has invested significant effort in deterring refugees from entering the country during the ‘refugee crisis’. This article sheds light on the role of the media in legitimising anti-refugee policies by analysing the politicised discourse on refugees in 900 articles published in Czech newspapers between 2014 and 2016. The findings indicate that refugees were depicted as a security threat and an administrative burden partly imposed by the European Union. The article discusses the policy implications of depicting refugees in this way and thus broadens the literature on European narratives during the refugee emergency in Europe.
Highlights
Studies looking at policy-making have suggested that the way in which recipients of these policies are framed influences policy decisions (Yoo, 2008). Devereux (2015, s. p.267) pointed out that the mainstream media sets agendas and determines what the public see as important and shapes our understanding of the social world, the attitudes of the general public and the perspectives of those in political power
The aim of this article is to analyse the main framework of the Czech media coverage of refugee issues in response to the ‘refugee crisis’ and broaden the debate on how the politicisation of refugee issues is legitimised
The analysed timeline is between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2016, as my preliminary research revealed that newspapers hardly wrote about refugee issues until mid-2014 and so this timeline enables me to trace the changing patterns of ‘refugee crisis’ coverage
Summary
Studies looking at policy-making have suggested that the way in which recipients of these policies are framed influences policy decisions (Yoo, 2008). Devereux (2015, s. p.267) pointed out that the mainstream media sets agendas and determines what the public see as important and shapes our understanding of the social world, the attitudes of the general public and the perspectives of those in political power. P.267) pointed out that the mainstream media sets agendas and determines what the public see as important and shapes our understanding of the social world, the attitudes of the general public and the perspectives of those in political power. The press has the power to reflect and shape public opinion on migration issues, and there may be clear links between the media discourse and the discourse of political parties and other ideologies (King & Wood, 2013). Krzyżanowski, 2017), not much is known about media coverage of refugee issues and its policy implications in the CEE countries, which have remained reluctant to accept refugees despite the fact that some of their neighbouring counties (e.g. Germany) have accepted many. Despite the possible serious consequences of this, these countries’ governments received vast public support for their stance on this issue
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