The representation of immigrants by the local press

: analysing the Amsterdam newspaper Het Parool

Abstract

This research aims to understand how immigrants in Amsterdam are represented in Het Parool, a local newspaper in Amsterdam, in the context of the 2023 parliamentary elections where the antiimmigrant PVV party gained significant traction. The study focuses on news articles published in the three months leading up to the elections. This research analyses the discourse in news articles of the social-democratic newspaper Het Parool. The objective is identifying the frames and narratives regarding immigrants using a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) on text and images. CDA is a method to analyse discourse critically, considering context and exposing hidden structures, power relations and inequalities based on text and other discourses. The results show that Het Parool mainly reports about refugees/asylum seekers and international students, rather than other types of immigrants. Immigrants are predominantly framed negatively, which is consistent with the results of previous research. The frames used within the discourse are ‘immigrants as a threat’, ‘immigrants as victims’ and ‘immigrants as heroes’, with the first two being the most common. The representation of immigrants by Het Parool reflects a socialdemocratic ideology by opposing harsh immigration policies and showing empathy towards refugees. However, elements of populist discourse are also present, creating a narrative of moral panic and emphasising the threat of immigrants.

Date of Award	10 Dec 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Nelson Ribeiro (Supervisor)