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Depoliticizing terror : The news framing of the terrorist attacks in Norway, 22 July 2011

Falkheimer, Jesper LU and Olsson, Eva Karin LU (2015) In Media, War & Conflict 8(1). p.70-85
Abstract

This article analyzes how the Norwegian news media framed the terrorist attacks in Oslo and the island of Utöya, which killed 77 mainly young people on 22 July 2011. Did the news media favour or counteract the propaganda of the terrorist? After discussing earlier research about terrorism and media and presenting theories on news framing, results from a content analysis of 924 news articles in two major Norwegian newspapers during the first two weeks after the attacks are analyzed. The coverage of the attacks is found to be very descriptive, focused on the perpetrator as an individual, giving him questionable political exposure and not analyzing reasons and consequences on a political-societal level. The news framing functioned as a way... (More)

This article analyzes how the Norwegian news media framed the terrorist attacks in Oslo and the island of Utöya, which killed 77 mainly young people on 22 July 2011. Did the news media favour or counteract the propaganda of the terrorist? After discussing earlier research about terrorism and media and presenting theories on news framing, results from a content analysis of 924 news articles in two major Norwegian newspapers during the first two weeks after the attacks are analyzed. The coverage of the attacks is found to be very descriptive, focused on the perpetrator as an individual, giving him questionable political exposure and not analyzing reasons and consequences on a political-societal level. The news framing functioned as a way of depoliticizing the terror attacks by portraying the attack as conducted by a lone lunatic in contrast to a politically motivated terrorist linked to right-wing extremism.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Framing, news journalism, Norway, propaganda, terrorism
in
Media, War & Conflict
volume
8
issue
1
pages
16 pages
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • wos:000410264500004
  • scopus:84926465549
ISSN
1750-6352
DOI
10.1177/1750635214531109
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
536c9498-d12c-4481-aea6-76b9d0fe2c68
date added to LUP
2016-05-11 10:21:07
date last changed
2024-04-04 21:26:13
@article{536c9498-d12c-4481-aea6-76b9d0fe2c68,
  abstract     = {{<p>This article analyzes how the Norwegian news media framed the terrorist attacks in Oslo and the island of Utöya, which killed 77 mainly young people on 22 July 2011. Did the news media favour or counteract the propaganda of the terrorist? After discussing earlier research about terrorism and media and presenting theories on news framing, results from a content analysis of 924 news articles in two major Norwegian newspapers during the first two weeks after the attacks are analyzed. The coverage of the attacks is found to be very descriptive, focused on the perpetrator as an individual, giving him questionable political exposure and not analyzing reasons and consequences on a political-societal level. The news framing functioned as a way of depoliticizing the terror attacks by portraying the attack as conducted by a lone lunatic in contrast to a politically motivated terrorist linked to right-wing extremism.</p>}},
  author       = {{Falkheimer, Jesper and Olsson, Eva Karin}},
  issn         = {{1750-6352}},
  keywords     = {{Framing; news journalism; Norway; propaganda; terrorism}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{04}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{70--85}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Media, War & Conflict}},
  title        = {{Depoliticizing terror : The news framing of the terrorist attacks in Norway, 22 July 2011}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1750635214531109}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/1750635214531109}},
  volume       = {{8}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}