Framing the Participatory Society: Measuring Discrepancies Between Interpretation Frames and Media Frames

Abstract

This research introduces a methodological framework for a valid and reliable analysis of both media and interpretation frames. It responds to recent calls in literature (1) to acknowledge the social-cultural context and power relations underlying framing; (2) to consider frames as a cluster of frame-elements and (3) to identify interpretation frames and media frames using a similar analytical approach to ensure a valid comparison of the outcomes of both interrelated framing processes. The methodological framework was applied to three studies. Results show that the discrepancy between interpretation frames and media frames revolved around the distinction between bottom-up and top-down frames. The introduced method provides meaningful insights into the complete framing process of both the sender and receiver of communication messages.