Media coverage of refugees and asylum seekers in regional Australia: A critical discourse analysis

• Published in: Media international Australia incorporating Culture & policy Vol. 162; no. 1; pp. 78 - 89
• Main Authors: Cooper, Samantha, Olejniczak, Erin, Lenette, Caroline, Smedley, Charlotte
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.02.2017; Sage Publications Ltd. (UK); University of Queensland, School of English, Media Studies & Art History
• Subjects: Content analysis; Critical discourse analysis; Discourse analysis; Dominance; Frame analysis; Journalism; Legislation; Local editions; Mass media; Media coverage; Political asylum; Political refugees; Press coverage; Refugees; Right of asylum; Services for; Social aspects; Topics; New South Wales; Australia; asylum seekers; media representations; critical discourse analysis; refugees; regional settlement
• ISSN: 1329-878X; 2200-467X
• DOI: 10.1177/1329878X16667832

Despite significant research into media and political coverage of refugees and asylum seekers, and ongoing Commonwealth policies to resettle refugees to regional areas, analysis of the regional press is lacking. We reviewed articles from four regional newspapers using quantitative content analysis and qualitative content analysis to examine some initial trends in how regional newspapers represent refugees and asylum seekers. Despite the dominant negative framing of refugee issues at the national level, the regional media used positive, humanising frames and a broader range of sources in articles on local topics such as refugees' personal stories. This reflects the communitybuilding role of local journalism and challenges the familiar boundaries of the debate. However, there was a compelling distinction between articles on local and national topics, with the negative national discourse and dominance of government sources reflected in articles on national topics such as legislation and events.