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Framing Migration: A Thematic Frame Analysis of Migration in Danish News Media Before the 2015 and 2022 General Elections

Christophersen Månsson, Filippa LU (2025) UTVK03 20251
Sociology
Abstract
The 2015 refugee crisis saw millions of refugees arrive in Europe, eliciting mixed responses from receiving countries and, subsequently, the media. In Denmark, 2015 is widely regarded as a turning point in the way in which migration was presented in the media and discussed in political debates, going from a humanitarian to restrictive focus. The media has an essential role in distributing information and presenting dominant narratives, thereby influencing audience perception as well as voter behaviour. This thesis investigates how migration is presented in Danish television news, more specifically TV2’s News, Sports, Weather and DR TV’s 21 Sunday, in the periods leading up to the 2015 and 2022 general elections. A qualitative research... (More)
The 2015 refugee crisis saw millions of refugees arrive in Europe, eliciting mixed responses from receiving countries and, subsequently, the media. In Denmark, 2015 is widely regarded as a turning point in the way in which migration was presented in the media and discussed in political debates, going from a humanitarian to restrictive focus. The media has an essential role in distributing information and presenting dominant narratives, thereby influencing audience perception as well as voter behaviour. This thesis investigates how migration is presented in Danish television news, more specifically TV2’s News, Sports, Weather and DR TV’s 21 Sunday, in the periods leading up to the 2015 and 2022 general elections. A qualitative research approach is used, with discourse analysis and framing theory as the methodological and theoretical frameworks. The aim of this study is to identify the main frames and themes surrounding migration presented by the episodes to depict the media discourse before these two elections. The key frames and themes identified are moral responsibility and obligation, a focus on the quantity of migrants entering Europe, integration, economic consequences, government pressure and helplessness, and Danish exceptionalism and nativism. Amongst these themes and frames, a shift in political priorities is identified, presenting migration as a priority in political debate in 2015 but not in 2022. This shift between 2015 and 2022 indicates a change in public and political interests and suggests that there are other more pressing issues in 2022. (Less)
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author
Christophersen Månsson, Filippa LU
supervisor
organization
course
UTVK03 20251
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Migration, Denmark, Refugee Crisis, Media framing, Immigration, Elections, Political shifts
language
English
id
9194306
date added to LUP
2025-06-17 09:05:59
date last changed
2025-06-17 09:05:59
@misc{9194306,
  abstract     = {{The 2015 refugee crisis saw millions of refugees arrive in Europe, eliciting mixed responses from receiving countries and, subsequently, the media. In Denmark, 2015 is widely regarded as a turning point in the way in which migration was presented in the media and discussed in political debates, going from a humanitarian to restrictive focus. The media has an essential role in distributing information and presenting dominant narratives, thereby influencing audience perception as well as voter behaviour. This thesis investigates how migration is presented in Danish television news, more specifically TV2’s News, Sports, Weather and DR TV’s 21 Sunday, in the periods leading up to the 2015 and 2022 general elections. A qualitative research approach is used, with discourse analysis and framing theory as the methodological and theoretical frameworks. The aim of this study is to identify the main frames and themes surrounding migration presented by the episodes to depict the media discourse before these two elections. The key frames and themes identified are moral responsibility and obligation, a focus on the quantity of migrants entering Europe, integration, economic consequences, government pressure and helplessness, and Danish exceptionalism and nativism. Amongst these themes and frames, a shift in political priorities is identified, presenting migration as a priority in political debate in 2015 but not in 2022. This shift between 2015 and 2022 indicates a change in public and political interests and suggests that there are other more pressing issues in 2022.}},
  author       = {{Christophersen Månsson, Filippa}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Framing Migration: A Thematic Frame Analysis of Migration in Danish News Media Before the 2015 and 2022 General Elections}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}