Abstract:
This study examines how the BBC and Al Jazeera Online newspapers framed the
xenophobic attacks in South Africa. The study is underpinned by the Framing Theory.
Data were gathered from 32 news and feature articles by the BBC and 63 by Al Jazeera
Online newspapers. These were thematically analyzed. The findings reveal that the
attribution of Responsibility frame is the most dominant. This was followed by the
frames of Human Interest, Economic Consequence, Conflict, and Morality in the order
of importance. Also, it was revealed that the African immigrants in South Africa were
depicted as Targets and Competitors of the local South African. The findings also show
that the two online newspapers used negative tones in describing the South African but
are slightly positive towards the African immigrant. The study concludes that the BBC
and Al Jazeera Online newspapers impute responsibility for the attacks to the South
African people who see the African immigrants as the cause of the economic frustration
of the South African. It is recommended that news makers minimize framing players of
migration crisis in a negative light in order to better mediate in migration related crisis
and avoid stirring violent confrontations between immigrants and local populations.
Description:
A thesis in the Department of Communication and Media Studies,
Faculty of Foreign Languages Education and Communication,
submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Master of Philosophy
(Communication and Media Studies)
in the University of Education, Winneba,
JULY, 2020
