The Framing of Humanitarian Crises in the Spanish Media: An Inductive Approach

Abstract

The media are important actors in humanitarian crisis management and
resolution, both in the countries facing the crises and in the rest of the
world. Based on an inductive approach to a news sample from four
Spanish newspapers, this study analyses the news frames used in the
coverage of countries facing humanitarian crises. Results show that,
with certain differences between countries, the Spanish press frames
these countries as being theatres of war and violence, Islamic terrorism,
and crime. From a theoretical perspective, results also suggest that
news frames should not be classifi ed either as “generic” or “specifi c,”
but that they should instead be placed on a continuous scale ranging
from “generic” through to “specifi c”.