The Correlation Between the Media Coverage of Islamic State's Claims of Responsibility and Public Opinion Towards Muslim Refugees: A Case Study of the Danish Media Coverage
Translated title
Sammenhængen Mellem Mediedækningen af Islamisk Stats Ansvars Påstande og den Offentlige Mening om Muslimske Flygtninge. Casestudie af den Danske Mediedækning
Author
Xhinovci, Filloreta
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2019
Submitted on
2019-05-31
Pages
58
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger, om der er en sammenhæng mellem den danske mediedækning af Islamisk Stats (IS) ansvarspåtagelser for terror og offentlighedens holdninger til muslimske flygtninge i Danmark. Undersøgelsen bygger på et online spørgeskema med 249 besvarelser, hvor alle spørgsmål tager udgangspunkt i tolv danske overskrifter om IS’ ansvarspåtagelser; svarene analyseres ved hjælp af indholdsanalytiske greb. Den teoretiske ramme forbinder terrorisme og medier samt begreberne moral panik (Stanley Cohen), Appadurais fear of small numbers og ideocide, og inddrager forskning i xenofobi, islamofobi og othering af muslimer. Af hensyn til det lille og ikke-repræsentative sample suppleres analysen med danske statistikker om holdninger til ikke-vestlig indvandring, flygtninge og muslimer. Resultaterne antyder, at mange respondenter efter mødet med overskrifterne udviser negative holdninger til muslimske flygtninge og tenderer til at fremstille dem som en potentiel fare for samfundet; samtidig udtrykker mange også positive holdninger til, at muslimske flygtninge bosætter sig i Danmark. Det fremgår, at flere har svært ved at skelne mellem holdninger til muslimske flygtninge og til muslimer generelt, og at modvilje mod en voksende muslimsk befolkning præger en del besvarelser. At 46 respondenter har muslimsk baggrund er en vigtig kontekst for fortolkningen. Med Appadurais ideocide som optik peger studiet på, at billedet af islam i IS-relaterede overskrifter kan forstærke othering; dog kan resultaterne ikke generaliseres til hele befolkningen, og der efterlyses videre forskning.
This thesis explores whether there is a relationship between Danish media coverage of Islamic State’s (IS) claims of responsibility for attacks and public opinion toward Muslim refugees in Denmark. The study uses an online survey with 249 responses, in which all questions are based on twelve Danish headlines about IS claims of responsibility; responses are examined through content analysis. The theoretical framework links terrorism and media with concepts of moral panics (Stanley Cohen), Appadurai’s fear of small numbers and ideocide, and incorporates research on xenophobia, Islamophobia, and the othering of Muslims. Given the small, non-representative sample, the analysis is contextualized with Danish statistics on attitudes toward non-Western immigration, refugees, and Muslims. Findings suggest that many respondents, after exposure to the headlines, express negative attitudes toward Muslim refugees and tend to cast them as a potential threat to society; at the same time, many respondents are also positive about Muslim refugees settling in Denmark. Respondents often struggle to distinguish attitudes toward Muslim refugees from attitudes toward Muslims in general, and reluctance toward growth in the Muslim population is evident in several answers. The fact that 46 respondents have a Muslim background is important context for interpretation. Using Appadurai’s notion of ideocide, the study indicates that the image of Islam conveyed by IS-related headlines may amplify othering; however, results cannot be generalized to the broader population, and further research is warranted.
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