The use of risk language in migration discourse. A comparative exploration of German and Italian newspapers

Abstract

Media studies emphasise the increasing use of security frames in migration reporting around the world, but they rarely engage in systematic analysis of risk language. Studying the use of risk language in media discourse could advance our understanding of how migration has come to be perceived, staged and handled as a risk by discursively constructing links to possible future harm for the security of individuals and societies. Using a dictionary-based approach, this study examines how the word ‘risk’ and other close terms, such as ‘danger’ and ‘threat’, are used in the press coverage of migration in Germany and Italy in 2015–16. The findings show that different risk words not only coexist but often compete with each other to convey specific interpretations of the issue. By associating migration to specific topics of debate the media emphasise harmful consequences for the host societies and trigger an understanding of migration as a threat to security. These findings draw attention to the interaction between the construction and the control of risk, and to the performative power of language in mobilizing symbolic and material resources to address social issues. The study also confirms that systematic analysis of media texts can offer a more informed understanding of the relation between analytical and lay concepts of risk, even if variations across languages suggest some caution when using a comparative approach to study risk discourse.