Rubbing Salt in the Wounds - A study of media, power and immigration

Masterarbeit , 2003 , 90 Seiten , Note: 1,3

Soziale Arbeit / Sozialarbeit

Abstract
This thesis involves a multi-disciplinary study of the relationship between media, power and immigration in the UK. The initial goal is to establish the major themes and issues that should potentially play strong roles in the mass media reportage of asylum and immigration. This is achieved through an analysis of the UK’s refugee intake compared to other countries in the world, the demographic effect of immigration in the UK and the situations in the major refugee sending countries. A historical research into both the domestic immigration policies of UK politicians and the contemporary strategies of
globalisation is used to ascertain the very different themes and issues of asylum and immigration that reflect the agenda of the UK political elite. Using Herman and Chomsky’s US “Propaganda Model” as a theoretical template, the UK’s mass media is structurally analysed to ascertain its potential subservience to domestic elite interests.
Having discovered that fundamental institutional similarities exist between the US and the UK media, a content analysis is performed on three British newspapers to test the predictions of Herman and Chomsky’s media model. The results of this case study reveal strongly that asylum/immigration themes useful to the UK political elites are highly visible despite their lack of statistical relevance, whereas fundamental issues damaging to this group are minimised or ignored. This work therefore concludes that the UK mainstream media is flawed as a conduit of information concerning asylum and immigration issues due to its lack of structural independence from the agenda of the political elite. The thesis closes with an overview of organisations attempting to challenge these flaws.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• 1 Problem, Hypothesis and Methods
• 1.1 Introduction
• 1.2 Development of Problem
• 1.3 Research Methods
• 2 Reality and Agendas: the UK, Immigration, and the Media
• 2.1 The Reality of Asylum/Immigration
• 2.1.1 Some Facts and Figures regarding the UK
• 2.1.2 The UK compared with the Rest of the World
• 2.1.3 Situation in Refugee Sending Countries
• 2.1.4 Summary
• 2.2 Agenda of U.K. Political Elites with regard to Asylum and Immigration
• 2.2.1 Historical Record in the UK
• 2.2.2 Racism, Nationalism and Scapegoating
• 2.2.3 Globalisation
• 2.2.4 Summary
• 2.3 Elite Political Power and the Media: The Propaganda Model
• 2.3.1 A Brief Overview of the Propaganda Model
• 2.3.2 Criticisms of the Propaganda Model
• 2.3.3 The Five Filters and the UK Media: A Structural Analysis
• 2.3.4 Summary
• 3 The Performance of Mainstream Media: A Case Study
• 3.1 Summary of method
• 3.2 Quantitative Results
• 3.2.1 Themes
• 3.2.2 Opinion Groups
• 3.3 Analysis of data collected
• 3.3.1 Themes
• 3.3.2 Opinion Groups
• 3.4 Summary
• 4 Alternatives/Challenges to Mainstream Media
• 4.1 Medialens
• 4.2 The RAM Project
• 4.3 ZNet
• 4.4 Glasgow Media Group
• 4.5 Summary

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This thesis examines the relationship between media representation, power structures, and immigration in the UK. The primary objective is to determine whether the UK mainstream media's coverage of asylum and immigration reflects a bias towards dominant elite interests, and to identify methods used to challenge this potential bias. * The role of the UK media in shaping public perception of asylum seekers and immigrants. * The influence of political elites on media coverage of immigration. * A comparison of UK immigration policies and statistics with those of other nations. * Analysis of the "Propaganda Model" as applied to UK media coverage of immigration. * Examination of alternative media sources that challenge mainstream narratives.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

Chapter 1 introduces the research problem, hypothesis, and methodology. Chapter 2 analyzes the reality of asylum and immigration in the UK, comparing the situation to other countries and exploring the historical context and political agendas surrounding immigration policy. It also introduces the Propaganda Model and its application to the UK media. Chapter 3 presents a case study analyzing UK newspapers to examine the themes and biases present in their coverage. Chapter 4 explores alternative media outlets and their approaches to covering immigration issues.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

Media representation, power, immigration, asylum, UK, propaganda model, political elites, alternative media, bias, content analysis.

• Hochschule: Alice-Salomon Hochschule Berlin
• Note: 1,3
• Autor: BA MA Matthew Randall (Autor:in)
• Erscheinungsjahr: 2003
• Seiten: 90
• Katalognummer: V124100
• ISBN (eBook): 9783640288076
• ISBN (Buch): 9783640287949
• Sprache: Englisch
• Schlagworte: Rubbing, Salt, Wounds