Abstract
This study focuses on how Roma communities are represented in the Lithuanian online media. The aim is to answer the question of how news about the Roma is embedded in the broader practices of neoliberalism and racist discourses. Representation of the Roma in the media is inseparable from constructivism, power and influence. Roma communities have little opportunity to make their voices heard in society, i.e., their voice is not heard or represented in the media. Political representation of the Roma is particularly important due to the weak opportunities to participate in the formulation and decision-making of certain political decisions, both in the national and international context. It is assumed, that the negative and even stereotypical portrayal of the Roma in the media encourages a negative public attitude towards this ethnic group and has an impact on the (in)successful integration of the Roma into society. The aim of the research is to find out how Roma are represented on the online news portals 15min.lt and Lrytas.lt and to reveal how stereotypes are formed in relation with this national minority. The following tasks are used to reveal the aim of the work: to present the history of the Roma and the problems of their identity, to analyze the concept of Romaphobia, to present the theory of social constructivism and the role of the media in shaping social reality; to perform a qualitative analysis of the content of the news portals 15min.lt and Lrytas.lt: comparing how Roma perceptions are formed on these news portals and how different groups of actors contribute to constructing and maintaining stereotypes in the media/society. The qualitative analysis of the content revealed that the information, provided in the media, aims to portray the Roma as a threat to public security and to the local population, who experience socio-economic exclusion, who have different values and are reluctant to integrate. However, Roma are not given the right to self-representation because the unilateral narrative of the event dominates and the audience for which the report is addressed is too homogeneous. Manifestations of Romaphobia are observed in the news portals' discourse. It can be assumed, that this creates a negative value orientation for readers, as Roma is perceived as an “undesirable” ethnic group in Lithuania. However, the Roma themselves do not have effective means to make heard their “voice” and participate in public life in order to challenge the dominant negative images
Highlights
Recently, too little attention has been paid to research on the media representation of certain social groups, such as the Roma
The aim of this work is to find out how the Roma community is represented on the online news portals 15min.lt and Lrytas.lt and to reveal how stereotypes are formed regarding this national minority
Romaphobia can reflect the hostility and suspicion that is evident in many anti-Roma discourses
Summary
Too little attention has been paid to research on the media representation of certain social groups, such as the Roma. There is an increasing return to criticism of ethnic minorities and their representation in the media, which is why the relevance of the issue is unquestionable. Since 2000 various plans are being prepared for the integration of Roma into Lithuanian society [2, 3]. Roma inclusion and integration policies and efforts had to face negative societal attitudes towards Roma people in the society. Negative public perceptions towards the Roma community hamper some Government reforms, related to Roma integration. It is assumed, that in order for the
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