Abstract

The considerable number of refugees fleeing to Europe has an impact on countries’ economic, political and social agenda, as well as the processes of society. The European refugee (migrant) crisis, which began in 2015, brought out not only different attitudes toward refugees among Eu­ropean Union politicians, but also revealed how diverse the coverage of na­tional media may get on the refugee topic. Refugees flee to Europe from various countries and diverse cultural back­grounds. However, society lacks the knowledge about their religious beliefs, lifestyles and outlooks. Moreover, the media has the power to decide which events and individuals to portray, and in such a way constructs the audi­ence’s perception about the world they live in. Refugee-related messages in the media usually occur in a negative context: terrorist attacks, refugee deaths, criminal activity and protests. However, the media does not only construct, but also has the power to change prejudice toward refugees, ensuring that one of its aims is interaction between diverse social groups. The author combines quantitative and qualitative research methods for media messages and analyzes dominant stereotypes about refugees in Lithu­anian online media. The types of refugee-related publications are also exam­ined. Three research periods were chosen: 1-31 July 2015, 1-30 November 2015 and 1-31 January 2016. The main goals are to theoretically discuss the media’s role and peculiarities in shaping certain images which society main­tains, as well as to define the stereotypes and their role in society. Lithuanian online newspapers are commercial institutions, which – in order to compete in the market – strive to engage consumers. Delivering mes­sages quickly and in large quantities often matters more than their content and the reliability of sources. This, in turn, leads to the information being distorted or superficial. Lithuanian newspapers construct a negative refugee image, where the most dominant images of refugees are as individuals who are uncontrollable, aggressive and prone to commit crime, being either gang members, terrorists or benefit recipients.

Highlights

  • In the rapidly changing world, large refugee flows have an impact on countries’ economies, political and social agendas and social processes

  • The European refugee crisis, which began in 2015, brought out different attitudes toward refugees among European Union politicians, and revealed how diverse the coverage of national media may get on the refugee topic

  • The European Union (EU) Constitutional Treaty stresses that the following principles shall prevail in the society of member states: “pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality.”2 Considerable attention is given to the topic of refugees, the Middle East and North Africa; in addition, numerous edu

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Summary

Introduction

In the rapidly changing world, large refugee flows have an impact on countries’ economies, political and social agendas and social processes. According to Manuel Castells (2007), European integration and the formation of a European identity are a response to the process of globalization. The union of countries is designed to maintain influence in the political and economic arena, and to create a generally accepted European identity (Castells 2007). The image of a European being created can be depicted by the values declared by the European Union (EU). The EU Constitutional Treaty stresses that the following principles shall prevail in the society of member states: “pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality.” Considerable attention is given to the topic of refugees, the Middle East and North Africa; in addition, numerous edu-

The Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe
Findings
Conclusions

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