Watchdog journalism or hush-puppy silencing? Framing the banking crisis of 2013 in Cyprus through the press

Abstract

Abstract From Ida Tarbell to Bob Woodward, journalists crusading for truth have bravely defended democracy from the incursions of corruption and undue influence despite being forced to live with the ‘consequences’ of their actions. In Cyprus, the debt of major Cypriot banks and their financial bailout culminated in the banking crisis of March 2013. As expected, the crisis has altered modes of everyday life and the images with which it is depicted, leading most Cypriots to a different notion of reality. This article focuses on the examination of the news items published in the daily newspapers of the highest circulation with different political alignments in March 2013, during which the bailout and austerity measures were negotiated by the Cyprus government, the parliament and the Troica. Based on the concept of investigative journalism, the article particularly examines the model of watchdog journalism and the extent to which this model can be applied to the role performance of the Press in times of crisis. Using framing analysis, this article aims to examine the way(s) in which these negotiations were communicated to the public through the Press. By identifying the specific frames they used, we attempt to investigate the possible relation(s) of the specific representations to the political/ideological orientation of each newspaper. The initial research question for this study is the following: Did the orientation of the newspapers examined steer their coverage of the crisis in general and what is the link (if any) with watchdog journalism?