Sources and framing: how the citation of different actors predicts the tone of representation on migration issues

Abstract

The news media plays a role in shaping audiences’ perceptions toward different political issues, such as the acceptance of migrants. However, news items usually promote the silencing of migrants by citing mainly political actors and highlighting stereotypical representations. This study examines the associations between sourcing practices and the tone of representation of migration issues in news coverage from the United Kingdom (UK) and Brazil. Using a quantitative content analysis of news items published in four widespread newspapers between 2016 and 2018 (N = 1312), the findings show that newspapers in the UK and Brazil represent migrants negatively and that the most cited source of information is public sector actors, while migrants are rarely allowed to speak. From exploring different sources as predictors of the tone of representation of migrants, the results show that the more news items cite public sector sources, the more likely they are to cover migration issues negatively. By contrast, the more they cite migrants’ sources, the more likely the news items will be in a positive tone. These findings on the association between sourcing and the tone of framing provide insights into the importance of capturing the plurality of voices for a more inclusive representation.

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