Securitising an international humanitarian crisis: news framing of the Syrian refugee crisis in the US

Introduction: Following decades of internal religious, political, and economic turmoil and international actions, a civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, sending unprecedented numbers of refugees to the surrounding countries, to Europe, and gradually to North America. While the international and Canadian communities are struggling to address this humanitarian crisis, background knowledge about the unfolding situation is needed. This report will provide: (1) a summary of the recent history of the Syrian crisis, starting in the 1970s; (2) an orientation to the Syrian refugee flows; and (3) an outline of the Canadian and international refugee resettlement efforts.

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Framing Syrian refugees: US local news and the politics of immigration

International Communication Gazette ◽

10.1177/17480485211006662 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 174804852110066

Author(s):

Aziz Douai ◽

Mehmet F Bastug ◽

Davut Akca

Keyword(s):

Public Attitudes ◽

News Coverage ◽

Syrian Refugees ◽

Refugee Crisis ◽

Local News ◽

Administrative Costs ◽

Syrian Refugee ◽

Global Responsibility ◽

The Us ◽

Syrian Refugee Crisis

The article investigates news coverage and media framing of the Syrian refugee debate as a public opinion issue in US local news in 2015. The sheer number of refugees created an unprecedented humanitarian crisis as millions of civilians settled in neighboring countries, and a significant number of them embarked on a perilous journey to seek refuge in European countries. The political response to the Syrian refugee crisis was divided, but public attitudes shifted after the terrorist attacks on Paris in November 2015 with calls for more restrictive immigration policies and smaller refugee quotas. In the US, GOP leaders demanded “extreme vetting” and “screening” of refugees and many opposed resettling the modest number of refugees the Obama administration promised to let in. The study analyzes local news coverage variation across the States that welcomed, not welcomed or did not commit to accepting Syrian refugees at the height of the Syrian refugee crisis in 2015 and 2016. The findings of the study demonstrate that the editorial framing of the Syrian refugee crisis downplayed the global responsibility and international commitment of the US, highlighted the administrative costs and framed them as security threats. The implications of these frames are discussed.

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On the Border of the Syrian Refugee Crisis: Views From Two Different Cultural Perspectives

American Behavioral Scientist ◽

10.1177/0002764218756920 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 62 (4) ◽

pp. 532-546 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Daniela V. Dimitrova ◽

Emel Ozdora-Aksak ◽

Colleen Connolly-Ahern

Keyword(s):

Media Coverage ◽

Media Framing ◽

National Context ◽

Refugee Crisis ◽

Global Media ◽

Humanitarian Crisis ◽

Cultural Perspectives ◽

Syrian Refugee ◽

National Media ◽

Syrian Refugee Crisis

Since the Syrian refugee crisis represents the worst humanitarian crisis in modern history, it is critical to examine how global media covered this issue. Focusing on two nations significantly affected by the refugee crisis—Bulgaria and Turkey, this study employs a content analysis to examine differences in refugee portrayals in national media. The results show that Turkish media coverage was more personalized and more likely to emphasize the victim frame. In contrast, Bulgarian coverage was less personalized and more likely to emphasize the administrative frame. The findings are placed within national context and their implications for media framing of refugees are discussed.

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The Syrian Refugee Crisis: A Short Orientation

10.32920/ryerson.14669196.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Vappu Tyyskä ◽

Jenna Blower ◽

Samantha DeBoer ◽

Shunya Kawai ◽

Ashley Walcott

Keyword(s):

Civil War ◽

North America ◽

Recent History ◽

Refugee Resettlement ◽

Refugee Crisis ◽

Humanitarian Crisis ◽

Syrian Crisis ◽

Syrian Refugee ◽

History Of ◽

Syrian Refugee Crisis

Introduction: Following decades of internal religious, political, and economic turmoil and international actions, a civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, sending unprecedented numbers of refugees to the surrounding countries, to Europe, and gradually to North America. While the international and Canadian communities are struggling to address this humanitarian crisis, background knowledge about the unfolding situation is needed. This report will provide: (1) a summary of the recent history of the Syrian crisis, starting in the 1970s; (2) an orientation to the Syrian refugee flows; and (3) an outline of the Canadian and international refugee resettlement efforts.

Download Full-text