Unravelling migration media coverage: How migrants and immigration were portrayed in Spain during the refugee crisis (2015-2018)

Abstract

Immigration emerges as a relevant topic in the analysis of media coverage. This case of study identifies that the media coverage adopted a more predominantly political frame rather than a social or human frame. Also, there were significant differences between the presence of migrant and non-migrant news sources, while non-migrant speakers were not judgmental regarding migration. Likewise, news framing influences the selection of news coverage. The political frame over-represented the political actors and international institutions and under-represented migrants. Nevertheless, when it comes to the human-interest angle, migrants are the most common sources. Our results contribute to the literature regarding the description of the issue of immigration focused on the information sources.