(Un)Reporting Xenophobia

Normalising and Resisting Officials’ Discriminatory Discourse on Migration in Online Journalism in Cyprus

Bibliographic Data

ID12909800
AuthorsDimitris Trimithiotis (0000-0003-3421-8852, University of Cyprus, corresponding author), Chris Voniati (0000-0002-7801-2779, University of Cyprus)
Year2023
Volume19
Issue7
Pages1517-1537
Publication date2023-11-08
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournalism Practice (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1751-2786 • E-ISSN: 1751-2794
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17512786.2023.2279336
OpenAlexW4388509692
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited54

This article draws on existing research suggesting that media discourses may contribute in normalising xenophobia. Its objective is to advance these studies by investigating not only how journalists become complicit in naturalising officials' expressed anti-immigration stance, but also the potential of journalists to counterbalance the normalisation of xenophobic discourse. In doing so, the article emphasises the role of the features of the online news production. The research draws on a multimethod research design that approaches online journalistic reporting on two separate yet interconnected levels: the media reports on migration, through discourse analysis, and the news production process, through in-depth interviews with news producers. The findings reveal that churnalism, sensationalist reporting, excessive reliance on elite sources and the discursive construction of immigrants and refugees as threat and Cyprus as victim work to reinforce the normalisation of xenophobia. Respectively, representing immigrants and refugees as rights-holders and Cyprus as duty-bearer, drawing information from diverse sources, conducting investigative journalism and (re)contextualising migration-related news in a non-negative perspective are elements that resist and challenge xenophobic discourse. However, journalists need to put in extra effort to overpass standardised online news production practices that facilitate the reproduction of xenophobic narratives

Elite · Immigration · Journalism · Media studies · Narrative · News media · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Refugee · Sensationalism · Sociology · Xenophobia · Cyprus History, Politics, Society · European Union Policy and Governance · Law · Migration, Refugees, and Integration

Tools

Open DOI