Mediated representation of Middle Eastern and African migrants in UK and US press in the Wake of Brexit and Trumpism

Abstract

Immigration was a salient feature of Trump and Brexit campaigns in 2016. In view of this, the study assumes that media coverage of Middle Eastern and African (MEA) migrants in international press might deteriorate. Extracting contents from Bloomberg Businessweek, Time and The Economist magazines for the years 2016–2018, the phenomenon was investigated using quantitative content analysis and qualitative textual analysis methods. The findings showed that MEA migrants are positively framed. However, the metaphors and language of constructing the image of these migrant groups belie the positive frames, making references to migrants’ values, cultural backgrounds, faith, and origins in a way that dehumanises and capable of generating hostile attitudes towards them. Of the categories of sources used, politicians’ voices and quotes dominated the coverage with references to the political actors of the 2016 epochal events, while the voices of MEA migrants are underrepresented. What these findings suggest is that not only did the 2016 Brexit and Trump immigration discourses influenced MEA migrants’ portrayals, they also indicated that the media is still manufacturing consent with regards to immigration coverage.