A Spanish view of the European refugee crisis: TV news coverage

Abstract

The frames of economic crisis and scarcity of resources as well as national priorities are often used by EU ruling governments to legitimize their restrictive migration and refugee policies. In Spain, some opposing political parties offer more compassionate views of the refugees, but none has been able to offer sustainable solutions to the crisis; meanwhile a growing number of pro-refugee manifestations arise from civil society and human rights activists. The conflict of interests in the socio-political arena leaves Spanish media, not entirely independent, in a complex situation in terms of media objectivity. Politicians use priming and framing strategies to force their positions in a battle for a dominating public discourse. These representations are then reinterpreted by media and consequently, used to (re)frame “migrant crisis” news and depict refugees. The narratives used by Spanish TV broadcasts during 2016 pre-elections offer an interesting example of how media and politics converge in constructing social realities.