A Qualitative Content Analysis of Alternative News Media Depictions of the Syrian Humanitarian Crisis
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VICTIM, TERRORIST, OR OTHER?: A QUALITATIVE CONTENT ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVE NEWS MEDIA DEPICTIONS OF THE SYRIAN HUMANITARIAN CRISIS Scott Owen Chappuis A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May 2018 Committee: Lara Martin Lengel, Advisor Nicole Kalaf-Hughes Graduate Faculty Representative Ellen Gorsevski Lisa Hanasono © 2018 Scott Owen Chappuis All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Lara Martin Lengel, Advisor Since March 2011, Syria has been embroiled in a brutal civil war. Since the start of the war, over 470,000 Syrians have lost their lives. This conflict has led to over 13.5 million Syrians who are in need of humanitarian aid. Over 6 million Syrians have been internally displaced and more than 5 million are refugees living outside of Syria, resulting in the largest humanitarian crisis since World War II. Syrian citizens and refugees have faced arduous conditions, as evidenced by three-year-old Syrian child Aylan Kurdî’s body washing ashore in Bodrum, Turkey in September 2015 as his family attempted to flee their homeland. To date, no studies have examined refugees through the scope of alternative media. Responding to this lack of research, this dissertation examines media framing of Syrian refugees. Informed by Orientalism, Framing Theory, and Critical Race Theory, the dissertation employs qualitative content analysis to analyze language and images used in 473 articles from a strategic selection of alternative media organizations. It incorporates diachronic analysis of media articles released during the two-week period preceding and succeeding three distinct critical incidents: first, the body of three-year-old Syrian child, Aylan Kurdî, washing ashore in Bodrum, Turkey; second, the Paris massacre; and, third, Donald Trump’s first executive order attempting to ban refugees from Syria and six other predominantly Muslim countries. This analysis of change in a phenomenon over time repositions framing by considering it as a changing concept rather than a fixed thought. Additionally, this dissertation advances Oliver Boyd-Barrett’s definition of alternative media by considering their role in operating on the fringes of political spheres. iv Overall, U.S. political right media emphasized refugee threat, while the left focused on refugee victimization. As such, both left and right media removed refugees’ humanity and agency. Furthermore, of the 473 articles analyzed, only nine (1.9%) included any voice from Syrian refugees, thus demonstrating how alternative media serve to silence victims of humanitarian atrocities. The dissertation forges directions for future research that, first, should examine how framing of humanitarian crises by international media differ from U.S. media and, second, should amplify voices of survivors of these crises. v To Michael and Christa Chappuis, the greatest cheerleaders I have ever had in my life. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I have to begin by thanking Dr. Lara Martin Lengel, my advisor and dissertation committee chair. You have had such a profound impact on me over the past four years. From the moment that I stepped foot in your intercultural communication class, I knew that you would be someone who would greatly influence me. You have been a strong supporter over these four years. You have challenged me and helped me to grow as a researcher, a scholar, and as a human being. I cannot thank you enough for the countless ways that you have helped me. Next, I want to thank Dr. Ellen Gorsevski. I am so thankful that I stumbled into your office in November 2015. You were still on Faculty Improvement Leave and had not had any interaction with me; yet, you were one of the most enthusiastic individuals when it came to my research. You have challenged my way of thinking and you had a great impact on the direction that this dissertation went. It has truly been a privilege and an honor to work with you and to learn from you in this process. I also want to thank Dr. Lisa Hanasono. You are the reason why I ended up at BGSU. I am grateful for each opportunity that I have had to work with you. You have been one of my greatest supporters here at BGSU. Your encouragement has helped me in many ways and I am eternally thankful for every way that you have impacted my life. Next, I must thank Peter, Cory, Octavian, Ricky, Corey, Ben, Mikey, and so many other friends who have supported me through this journey. I am grateful for you and the role that each of you plays in my life. Finally, I must thank my parents, Michael and Christa Chappuis. You have supported and encouraged me through this 10 year journey through college. Thank you for always being a listening ear or a supportive shoulder to lean on. I am eternally blessed to have you as my parents. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I: UNDERSTANDING THE SYRIAN HUMANITARIAN CRISIS ………… 1 Rationale ................................................................................................................... 3 Syrian Humanitarian Crisis: A Brief Timeline .......................................................... 3 Overview of Dissertation ........................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS AND REVIEW OF LITERATURE ……………………… .................................................................................. 12 Defining Concepts ..................................................................................................... 12 Identity ........................................................................................................... 12 Alternative News Media ................................................................................ 17 Humanitarian Crises................................................................................................... 19 Theoretical Frameworks ............................................................................................ 24 Orientalism ..................................................................................................... 24 Historical Causes of Orientalism ....................................................... 25 Orientalism and the “Us versus Them” Dichotomy .......................... 26 Orientalism and the Demonization of Islam ...................................... 27 Framing .......................................................................................................... 30 Definitions.......................................................................................... 30 Assumptions ....................................................................................... 31 Key Components ................................................................................ 32 Implications/Outcomes ...................................................................... 32 Strengths of Framing.......................................................................... 34 viii A General Critique of Framing .......................................................... 35 Framing and Assumptions about Media ............................................ 36 Judith Miller ........................................................................... 37 Informing and Refining Framing Theory – A Peace and Conflict Studies Approach ............................................................................... 38 Critical Race Theory ...................................................................................... 41 Main Assumptions and Components ................................................. 42 Implications/Outcomes ...................................................................... 44 Limitations ......................................................................................... 44 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................... 47 Qualitative Content Analysis ..................................................................................... 47 Definition ....................................................................................................... 48 Qualitative vs. Quantitative Content Analysis ............................................... 49 Key Procedures .............................................................................................. 51 Main Assumptions ......................................................................................... 55 Text ............................................................................................................................ 56 Definition ....................................................................................................... 56 Written Communication ................................................................................. 58 Visual Communication .................................................................................. 59 Method ....................................................................................................................... 60 Description of Article Sources ....................................................................... 60 The Nation ......................................................................................... 60 Democracy Now ................................................................................ 61 ix Huffpost ............................................................................................. 62 RedState ............................................................................................