Deciding Who's Legitimate: News Media Framing of Immigrants and Refugees

Authors

  • Andrea Lawlor King's University College, Western University
  • Erin Tolley University of Toronto

Keywords:

, media coverage, immigrants, refugees, automated text analysis, framing, Canada

Abstract

With its relatively high immigration levels and comparatively favorable public opinion, Canada is often seen as a bastion of support for immigrants and refugees. We argue that support is uneven because Canadians differentiate between economic immigrants and those who arrive on humanitarian grounds. Our conclusion is supported by an automated content analysis of Canadian print media coverage over a 10-year period, an approach that allowed us to capture a wide swath of discourse. We found distinct differences in the framing of immigrants and refugees. Immigrants are framed in economic terms, whereas greater attention is focused on the validity of refugee claims, potential security threats, and the extent to which refugees “take advantage” of social programs. More focus is also given to refugees’ national origins, and that framing is disproportionately negative. Our analysis illustrates the discursive distinctions that are drawn between immigrants and refugees and the hierarchy of preferences for the former over the latter. 

Author Biographies

Andrea Lawlor, King's University College, Western University

Assistant Professor, Department of Political Studies, King’s University College, Western University, 266 Epworth Avenue, London ON N6A 2M3T: 519-433-3491 ext. 4540

Erin Tolley, University of Toronto

Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Toronto, Sidney Smith Hall Room 3018, 100 St. George Street, Toronto ON M5S 3G3

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Published

2017-02-28

Issue

Vol. 11 (2017)

Section

Articles

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