British Newspaper Coverage Research Articles

Loners, Criminals, Mothers: The Gendered Misrecognition of Refugees in the British Tabloid News Media

Misrecognition has been conceptualised as an act of recognition that is ‘distorted’ or ‘incomplete’, and can be used to capture the differentiated experience of social and/or political phenomena by different individuals. In this article, we apply the concept of misrecognition to the visual representation of refugees in the British tabloid news media. The article presents a novel two-step analysis which combines visual analysis of a representative sample of British tabloid newspaper coverage of refugees with an analysis of a representative sample of this coverage by two focus groups of tabloid newspaper readers. In taking this approach, we capture the role of audiences in constructing the meanings of the images, a perspective largely absent from the literature to date. The findings show that a gendered misrecognition shapes the visual construction of refugees by this media and its audience, with women more likely to be recognised as refugees and (mis)recognised as vulnerable mothers, and men more likely to be misrecognised as loners and criminals and less likely to be recognised as refugees. Reflecting on the findings, we argue that misrecognition is a critical concept in understanding the politics of marginalisation constructed by the tabloid news media.

Fueling nationalism: social and cultural media frames in French and British newspaper coverage of Formula 1 racing, 1981–1985

ABSTRACT Research into media coverage of sports news has lately shed new light on expressions of nationalism and media framing. Nevertheless, much of such research has been about national teams, has offered little historical perspective, and has neglected most of the socio-cultural aspects through which nationalism is connected to sports. This article aims to overcome these shortfalls by examining how French and British newspapers shaped and sustained national identities in writing about Formula 1 racing between 1981 and 1985. It demonstrates the complexity of the relationship between nationalism and sports through the interlinked connections of media framing, class, and gender.

Disrupting or reconfiguring racist narratives about Muslims? The representation of British Muslims during the Covid crisis

This article examines British newspaper coverage of Muslims during the first wave of the Coronavirus crisis. A well-established trajectory of research shows that Muslims are negativized in mainstream media representation in the UK. However, it became obvious from the outset of the pandemic, that ethnic minority key workers were disproportionately affected by Coronavirus. This, alongside high levels of support for NHS staff, had the potential to challenge and shift established narratives about Muslims as questions of structural discrimination became the subject of news media discourse. This article examines whether these events were able, even momentarily, to disrupt dominant narratives about Muslims in the UK or whether the pandemic provided further opportunity for Othering discourses to be perpetuated. In the context of a tumultuous political landscape, where the politics of immigration have been linked to the politics of austerity, Muslims have been scapegoated as a threat to the nationalist project. In this context, the identifier ‘Muslim’ is only deemed relevant if it signifies ‘difference’, or to distinguish between good versus bad Muslim/immigrant. Hence, in the context of the reporting of Coronavirus, racist discourses have been reshaped as Muslim key workers are distinguished in the reporting from other Muslims. We examine how these representational practices play out through an analysis of four British newspapers (The Sun, Daily Mail, The Telegraph and The Mirror) over a months’ coverage at the peak of the crisis (April, 2020).

Something wicked this way comes: How well did UK newspapers support the public debate of Avian Influenza as a wicked problem?

The news media in general, and newspapers in particular, are supposed to provide a forum for public debate. These expectations of news media take on a heightened relevance in the case of wicked problems precisely because of the irreducible complexity, the inherent tensions, and the multiplicity of stakeholders and conflicting interests involved in such issues. Both their material complexity and lack of consensus make wicked problems difficult to address. This study uses British newspaper coverage of the H5N1 avian influenza outbreak (2003–2008) to determine if under near ideal conditions, newspaper coverage in the UK is compatible with the expectation that newspapers provide a forum that supports constructive societal debate of a complex, wicked problem. We chose to work with avian influenza because it was extensively covered, evidence rich, and not captive to clear partisan constructions. Our frame analysis examined 254 relevant newspaper articles published in seven national circulation outlets between 2003 and 2008. Newspaper coverage did reflect multiple problem definitions and causal interpretations of avian influenza, which is consistent with the expectation that the media inform and open up public debate. Coverage did not, however, link avian flu to other related issues, engage in systemic contestation or problematise structure. Finally, we found that, despite heterogeneous problem definitions, there was near consensus on a single technical solution. This coverage does not appear to support the open, constructive and informed public debate whose promise justifies the privileges given to news media.

Evolving Frames: British Newspaper Coverage of Repression and Resistance in China over Time, 1949–2009

ABSTRACT This study sets out to see if the Western media frames of China change over time and how the dominant ideology emerges in the representations. It investigates how the Tibet-China conflict was portrayed and represented in the British national daily newspapers across four research periods from 1949 to 2009. It examines the frames chosen by the press and the influence of the sources (especially external journalistic influence) reflected on the frame-building process. In this research, both content analysis and qualitative frame analysis were used to analyse 955 news articles from ten newspapers. The present study shows that the British media frames of the Tibet-China conflict evolved over the period of fifty years. During the Cold War period, the coverage reflected the ideology of anti-Communism and during the post-Cold War period, it presented China as a human rights violator in Tibet. The changes in frames can be attributed to the external reality of the Cold War, the constantly changing international relations, and other internal or external journalism factors. It indicates that the frame-building process not only reflects news frames as tools used by journalists to construct reality, but also explains which external journalistic factors influence this evolving process.

Olympic Ceremony and Diplomacy: South Korean, North Korean, and British Media Coverage of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games’ Opening and Closing Ceremonies

In this article, I examined South Korean, North Korean, and British newspaper coverage of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2018 Winter Olympics in order to identify the diplomatic gestures and conduct presented during these ceremonial events. This study looks at three diplomatically important components of the opening and closing ceremonies: artistic performance, a parade of nations, and the presence of world leaders. The media coverage of these components reveals that (1) the dissemination of a message of peace and unity, (2) the representation of unified Korean identity and Korean cultural heritage, and (3) the communication and negotiation between the high-level state officials are the three most visible acts of diplomacy at these celebrational occasions of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. In effect, the combination of cultural diplomacy, sport diplomacy, and interstate diplomacy is actively at work during these ritualistic events. Therefore, the Olympic ceremonies present a global podium where dynamic and dramatic games of diplomacy take place.

‘Russia is all right’

This article considers the British newspaper coverage of the February (or March) revolution in Petrograd in 1917. It argues that, on the key question of Russia's continuing as an ally in World War I, the impression which the coverage conveyed to readers was unduly optimistic. It assesses political factors which may have influenced this. It contrasts the optimism of the editorial columns with the correspondents’ reports, and argues that, despite political influence, and the difficulties involved in reporting the revolution, correspondents were able to convey vivid impressions of a city in the throes of massive political change. It concludes by suggesting that the desire to believe that Russia would fight on was so strong that it eclipsed other interpretations of events, and meant that readers—including policy makers—were ill prepared for what would eventually come to pass.

Payday loans in the press: a discourse-mythological analysis of British newspaper coverage of the payday loan industry

ABSTRACTThis paper analyses media coverage of payday loans in order to understand how a moral case for state intervention and regulation was constructed through forms of mythological storytelling. By analysing the archetypal qualities of media discourse, we can see how particular ideas are legitimised through the ideological mechanisms of moral stories. Stories drew on mythology of the “other world,” the flood, and the tragedy. Archetypal roles were constructed for the borrower as victim and the payday loan firm as villain or trickster, with the latter drawing on religious and literary figures as archetypes. This paper has shown how, regardless of the ideological positioning of individual newspapers, a moral plot was crafted which framed the industry as a problem that ultimately served to justify state regulation of the industry.

Media performance in the ‘age of austerity’: British newspaper coverage of the 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath, 2008–2010

This article explores how British newspapers framed the 2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession and austerity that followed. Analyzing a sample of 1586 articles published between 2008 and 2010, it focused on identifying the primary sources, main issues and key discourses. In common with other empirical studies of British media coverage of these events, this article reveals that the political and economic elite were dominant in terms of sourcing and that the main issues and key discourses featured in these articles reflected the elite perspective. Many politicians and corporate executives welcomed the brief Keynesian revival – in the form of the 2008 bailout of the financial system and the 2008 and 2009 economic stimulus – in order to prevent economic calamity. Newspapers reported these events in a factual manner and did not question them. By contrast, in 2010, as the elite attempted to redirect blame for the crisis away from bankers towards the state, much of the newspaper coverage presented public spending cuts as ‘necessary’ and ‘unavoidable’, while revenue-raising alternatives to austerity were ignored or marginalized. Unlike other empirical studies, this article attempted to explain such coverage and it employed the Herman-Chomsky Propaganda Model of mass media performance to do so.

“The Courageous Conference”: British and American Newspaper Coverage of the 1915 Women’s Peace Congress at The Hague

From the outbreak of the First World War, newspapers in belligerent nations, such as Great Britain, and in neutral countries, such as the United States, discussed what the war might mean for the international order. The British and American public’s engagement with ideas of international organisation was particularly evident in April 1915 when the Women’s Peace Congress was held at The Hague. The overall purpose of the Congress may have been to protest the futility of war but what it produced was an alternative vision of international relations, one with both sexes and all the nations of the world equally represented. Relying on the negative stereotype of wartime newspapers, historians have argued that the contemporary press derided the Congress and the women involved. However, an examination of the British and American press demonstrates the extensive and positive coverage that a number of prominent newspapers gave the Congress. Newspaper reporting of the women’s meeting at The Hague reveals the widespread contemporary acceptance of the Congress as another contribution to the vibrant debate about issues of peace and internationalism that had occurred since the war began.

Sourcing Patterns Within British And American Newspaper Coverage of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution: The Rise of Non-Elite Primary Definers

Previous studies have noted the dominance of official sources within the news process and their unique ability to shape media narratives. This research addresses the role and implications of news sources in contributing to the overwhelmingly positive portrayal of the anti-Mubarak opposition protesters within British and American newspaper coverage of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. Furthermore, this paper will assess how the position of global political elites towards the protests in Egypt possibly opened up the editorial space within the news coverage of the revolution for the anti-Mubarak opposition movement to emerge as the dominant voice within the reporting.

On the possibility of critiquing Israel:The Times’ engagement with Israel’s deployment of white phosphorous during the first Gaza war

This article comprises a discourse analysis of The Times’ (the British daily newspaper) coverage of Israeli deployment of white phosphorous during the first Gaza war. It argues that this issue is of special theoretical importance as it demonstrates a rare instance of a medium that is considered supportive of an agent (i.e. the state of Israel) offering apparently substantial criticism of that particular agent. The article progresses by uncovering layers of the newspaper’s coverage. It starts by introducing some quantitative characteristics, then moves on to analysis proper – explicit arguments and implicit meaning in editorials. In doing this, the author argues that an understanding of the discourse around criticism and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict needs to account not just for overt arguments but implicit meanings which, consciously or not, are sustaining those arguments.

Polish ‘Pawns’ between nationalism and neoliberalism in British newspaper coverage of post-European Union enlargement polish immigration

The United Kingdom was one of four countries to open its labor market to Polish workers post-European Union enlargement in 2004. In this study, we analyze the articulation of discourses of neoliberalism and nationalism through examination of mediated representations of Polish immigrants in four British newspapers. We argue that within the coverage analyzed, across format and political orientation, neoliberal values were promoted and the seeming tension between the two ideologies was articulated in ways that could be discursively mobilized to further particular political, economic, and media objectives. Polish immigrants were constituted as discursive pawns employed by various political and media entities toward these contrasting agendas.

Shifting Images: British Newspaper Coverage of Tito’s Yugoslavia: 1943−1966

This study seeks to prove that the conventional view of British newspaper reporting on Yugoslavia as being mostly positive is inaccurate and the tone of reporting is more difficult to define. It uses newspaper articles determined by random sampling and examines them both quantitatively and qualitatively to provide depth. These methods showed that newspaper coverage of Tito’s Yugoslavia was mostly neutral as Yugoslavia was rarely the main focus in the news; however, when it was, then coverage was more likely to be positive. Nevertheless, this coverage varied through the years, across newspapers examined and, something not considered until now, by the aspect of Yugoslav politics being reported.

The Spitzenkandidaten in the European Parliament Election Campaign Coverage 2014 in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom

Elections to the European Parliament are characterised by a steady decline in voter turnout. To tackle this problem, in 2014, several groups of the European Parliament nominated pan-European Spitzenkandidaten who were expected to personalise the elections and mobilise European voters. Based on this development, this study analyses the media coverage of the 2014 EP elections with special focus on the role of the Spitzenkandidaten. A quantitative content analysis of European election campaign coverage in the opinion leading newspapers of three influential EU member states, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom was carried out. The results show large candidate- and country-specific differences regarding the visibility and thematic coverage of the EP elections in general as well as the presentation of the Spitzenkandidaten. The Spitzenkandidaten were not very visible in either the German, French, or British newspaper coverage. With respect to the presence and media personalisation of the Spitzenkandidaten, the newspaper coverage of the EP election does not demonstrate any mobilising effect and thus does not reflect the high expectations the European Parliament attributed to the nomination of the Spitzenkandidaten.

Biased or balanced? ----A study of British and Chinese newspaper coverage of climate change in the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference

Nowadays, climate science communication is an issue not only discussed within a country but more like a global urgent task that needs wide perspective. This study investigated the prevalence of news frames in Climate change news coverage from the Guardian and China Daily during the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Five news frames, attribution of responsibility, human interest, economic consequences, morality and conflict were applied to 59 Chinese news stories and 71 British news articles. By applying deductive framing analysis, the results showed that with slight variation, the proportion and pattern of reports on Copenhagen Climate Summit were similar across the two countries. This outcome extends the knowledge of developing and developed countries’ news coverage on climate change. Keywords: Climate change; UK; China; newspaper; Copenhagen

Two decades of British newspaper coverage regarding do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation decisions: Lessons for clinicians

ObjectiveTo review UK newspaper reports relating to Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions in order to identify common themes and encourage dialogue. MethodsAn online media database (LexisNexis®) was searched for UK Newspaper articles between 1993 and 2013 that referenced DNACPR decisions. Legal cases, concerning resuscitation decisions, were identified using two case law databases (Lexis Law® and Westlaw®), and referenced back to newspaper publications. All articles were fully reviewed. ResultsThree hundred and thirty one articles were identified, resulting from 77 identifiable incidents. The periods 2000–01 and 2011–13 encompassed the majority of articles. There were 16 high-profile legal cases, nine of which resulted in newspaper articles. Approximately 35 percent of newspaper reports referred to DNACPR decisions apparently made without adequate patient and/or family consultation. “Ageism” was referred to in 9 percent of articles (mostly printed 2000–02); and “discrimination against the disabled” in 8 percent (mostly from 2010–12). Only five newspaper articles (2 percent) discussed patients receiving CPR against their wishes. Eighteen newspaper reports (5 percent) associated DNACPR decisions with active euthanasia. ConclusionsRegarding DNACPR decision-making, the predominant theme was perceived lack of patient involvement, and, more recently, lack of surrogate involvement. Negative language was common, especially when decisions were presumed unilateral. Increased dialogue, and shared decision-making, is recommended.

National Discussions, Global Repercussions: Ethics in British Newspaper Coverage of Global Climate Negotiations

There is convincing evidence that the media have been responsible for questionable coverage on climate change, which has been blamed for undermining public consensus on the issue. However, less is known about the way in which the media communicate the key values, or ethical dimension, surrounding the debate over climate change and its global effects. It is generally argued that a strong notion of cosmopolitanism rather than narrow national self-interest will be fundamental to the achievement of a comprehensive international agreement on climate change. The media provide a crucial forum for discussing such challenges. The study examines how climate ethics form part of the debate on climate change in three British national newspapers leading up to, during, and following two key United Nations conferences. Through a quantitative and qualitative content analysis of climate change coverage, this article examines how the values of cosmopolitanism and communitarianism underpin the debate on climate ethics in the respective newspapers. This article argues that the possibility of reaching a fair climate agreement partially depends upon the ability of media to inform citizens of the inherent injustices of climate change and the importance of taking bold action. It is concluded that a more cosmopolitan perspective in the media could be useful in helping sway public opinion in favor of effective climate action.

An analysis of British Newspaper Coverage of the Teenage Swimming Gold Medallists at the London 2012 Olympics

The London 2012 Olympics saw a number of medallists across events who were 16 years old or younger. This article examines the British print media coverage of three of the youngest gold medallist swimmers, namely: Ye Shiwen of China (16), Ruta Meiluyte of Lithuania (15) and Kate Ledecky of the USA (15). The aim of the analysis is to highlight the ways in which dominant discourses around childhood, exceptional ability, ethnicity and gender, are played out in media narratives about young, high-profile sport performers. The paper finds that Ye Shiwen is represented in a markedly different way to the other swimmers in the newspaper stories analysed, and argues that this discrepancy is due to perceived violations of normative Western constructions of childhood in Shiwen's backstory and stereotypical conceptions of Chinese culture.

‘Moatifs’ of masculinity: The stories told about ‘men’ in British newspaper coverage of the Raoul Moat case

This article addresses the common omission and/or obfuscation of men in accounts of crime and particularly accounts of violence, despite the overwhelming presence of men in violent activities and, indeed, crime per se. In doing so it identifies key themes that frame masculine identities. Using the case of Raoul Moat, the piece analyses the discourses available in British newspapers to account for male violence. Raoul Moat killed one man, injured his ex-partner and a police officer and finally shot himself dead in the Northumbrian wilderness. Whereas most accounts of male violence blame ‘bad’ women, race, youth, terror, gangs and madness, here news stories evoked different tales of domestic, institutional and elemental masculinity. The themes of those tales, we argue, constitute broad contexts for constructing masculine identities and our analysis offers new insights into how masculine identity is constructed through discourse and why violence is a significantly male-dominated activity; insights which address some of the lacks in current theoretical work on both masculinity and violence.