A debate about the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) was intensified in the spring of 2018. The debate occurred in a larger discussion concerning the upcoming political negotiations about a governmental media agreement. The reactions seemed to be many and emotional, which evokes curiosity regarding the underlying dynamics of the said debate and following reactions. The purpose of this master thesis is to explore how framing is a part of the public debate about DR, how framing generates affective response and why it does so.
Therefore, this study will look into, how these frames are established and expressed. In order to examine the aforementioned establishment and expression of the frames, the study is based on different types of theoretical perspectives which mainly include framing- and affect theory. This is explored in the domains of politicians, news media and the public sphere. The basis of the analysis is an in-depth analysis of a significant press conference, the following journalistic communication and reactions to that in the public debate. Lastly, I discuss why the debate is intensified in specific frames that appear dominant in the debate in the link between the framing- affect and media.
First and foremost, this study shows how frames influence the debate and public opinion. These frames are constituted by a particular language and evoked by metaphors and narratives and grounded in historical and cultural contexts. In the framing process, news media plays an important role in relation to communicating, illustrating and creating frames and narratives. The immediate reactions show how the debate raises affective responses based upon these specific frames that stick to the idea about DR. The responses include frames based upon ideas as mediated narratives about economic irresponsibility and narratives about an institution that is too big and too socialistic. These frames are affectively saturated as a consequence of repeated ideas, moral aspects, medialization and previous history. Furthermore, this study found that the affective potential in the debate of DR also relates to a feeling of ownership and a sense of community. That is based in the economic and cultural part DR has and has had in many Danes’ lives. Since the past is a part of memory and body, the receiver reacts affected - consciously or unconsciously. The reactions are released by the framing which are affectively charged because of the accumulation of narratives and emotions over time. They produce affective responses – but the affective public is also a part of producing the narratives and framing itself.
This thesis demonstrates how the combination of framing- and affect theory can produce a deeper and richer understanding of framing, and the importance of understanding affect in order to understand how framing exerts its power in politics.