Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Who's Driving The Asylum Debate: Newspaper And Government Representations Of Asylum Seekers, Natascha Klocker, Kevin M. Dunn

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The welfare and future of asylum seekers in Australia have been very contentious contemporary issues. Findings based on content analysis of media releases in 2001 and 2002 reveal the unrelentingly negative way in which the federal government portrayed asylum seekers. While the government's negative tenor was constant during the study period, the specific terms of reference altered, from 'threat' through 'other', to 'illegality' and to 'burden'. The negative construction of asylum seekers was clearly mutable. Analysis of newspaper reporting during the same period indicates that the media largely adopted the negativity and specific references of the government. The media dependence …