Papers by Dominic Castello
This study explores the discursive representation of migrants found in British newspaper articles... more This study explores the discursive representation of migrants found in British newspaper articles published since the EU accessions of 2004. It investigates how depictions of victims and perpetrators crime are justified, and the extent to which ideologies embedded in news accounts are reflective of the newspapers’ political stances. A review of previous literature leads to the adoption of both corpus linguistics and critical discourse analysis methodologies to examine 283 newspaper articles. Keyword and concordance analysis revealed strong collocation between migrants and extreme criminal deviance, which often worked to legitimise calls for stronger punitive measures. Romanians in particular were problematised as a threat to personal safety and domestic social order. Liberal titles were generally more favourable than conservative ones, broadly emphasising economic and judicial aspects of the debate.
The discussion examines newspapers’ juxtaposition of an accepting, multicultural British community against a destructive migrant ‘other’. Exceptions are found in Northern Irish reports nuanced by past ethno-nationalist conflicts, but overall a capricious delimiting of national identity betrays deep anxieties about losing sight of differences between ‘them’ and ‘us’. Contrary to expectations, the results also suggest that political capital is being made in the liberal press by masking increasingly conservative ideologies with seemingly pro-immigration rhetoric. The article concludes by outlining further applications of a multidisciplinary framework in the analysis of immigration-centered journalism.
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Papers by Dominic Castello
The discussion examines newspapers’ juxtaposition of an accepting, multicultural British community against a destructive migrant ‘other’. Exceptions are found in Northern Irish reports nuanced by past ethno-nationalist conflicts, but overall a capricious delimiting of national identity betrays deep anxieties about losing sight of differences between ‘them’ and ‘us’. Contrary to expectations, the results also suggest that political capital is being made in the liberal press by masking increasingly conservative ideologies with seemingly pro-immigration rhetoric. The article concludes by outlining further applications of a multidisciplinary framework in the analysis of immigration-centered journalism.
The discussion examines newspapers’ juxtaposition of an accepting, multicultural British community against a destructive migrant ‘other’. Exceptions are found in Northern Irish reports nuanced by past ethno-nationalist conflicts, but overall a capricious delimiting of national identity betrays deep anxieties about losing sight of differences between ‘them’ and ‘us’. Contrary to expectations, the results also suggest that political capital is being made in the liberal press by masking increasingly conservative ideologies with seemingly pro-immigration rhetoric. The article concludes by outlining further applications of a multidisciplinary framework in the analysis of immigration-centered journalism.