Framing Chevron Protests in National and International Press

Abstract

Romanians have been protesting against the gas exploration of the US giant, Chevron, in the village of Pungesti. An issue which may have seemed local, has gradually turned into an international one and, thus, it has become visible not only in the national press but also in the international media. This study presents a comparative analysis of the news media coverage of the Chevron crisis and of the forum comments in the online versions of national and international daily newspapers (Adevărul and The Guardian). In our qualitative content analysis of the news stories and of the forum comments we will use two theoretical frameworks: Semetko & Valkernburg's typology of frames (attribution of responsibility, conflict, economic consequences, human interest, and morality) and Nabi's emotion-as-frame perspective. The comparative content analyses will reveal which emotions, themes and frames were most visible in the national and international media (news articles and forum comments).