A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Representation of the Syrian Refugees in The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian

Abstract

This study aims to examine the representation of Syrian refugees in The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian in the context of the 2015 European migrant crisis. The study employed critical discourse analysis (CDA) to investigate how these refugees were portrayed in both newspapers. To achieve this goal, a sample of eight news articles and editorials published between August 1st, 2015, and December 31st, 2015, was chosen for analysis, taking into consideration the ideological stance of each newspaper (conservative/liberal). The sample covers a period of time when media coverage of the refugee crisis reached its peak. The analysis employed Van Leewun’s (2008) socio-semantic framework and Wodak’s (2009) discourse-historical approach. The two scholars proposed useful categories for analyzing the representation of ‘social actors’ such as: ‘exclusion', ‘inclusion’, ‘individualization’, and ‘collectivization’. Results revealed that both newspapers implemented inclusion and exclusion strategies in their coverage, with individualized and collectivized representations. The study concluded that The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian framed Syrian refugees differently: the former depicted them as outsiders and faceless masses, while the latter portrayed them as helpless, vulnerable refugees.