Worthy and Unworthy Refugees: Framing the Ukrainian and Syrian Refugee Crises in Elite American Newspapers

Abstract

This research comparatively examined coverage of the 2015 Syrian refugee crisis and 2022 Ukrainian refugee crisis in five elite American daily papers. The study employed quantitative content analysis and was guided by framing theory. Findings suggest that newspapers were more likely to humanize Ukrainian refugees than Syrian refugees, and to frame Syrian refugees as threats and aggressors. The paper discusses the implications of the findings in light of past research into anti-Muslim media discourse.