European press portrayals of migration: national or partisan constructs?

The press occupies an influential position through its ability to portray current developments and social groups within a particular context. This paper examines which issues receive the greatest attention within European press coverage of migration and migrants, as well as the particular emphases given to these frames. An examination of coverage of immigration in six national-level newspapers from France, Spain, and the United Kingdom from 2010–2016 addresses three questions. First, to assess which are the preeminent portrayals of migration within the media discourse, the paper tabulates the relative prominence of cost, security, or social integration in European press coverage of migration, disaggregated to the national level to provide a comparative perspective. Second, separate case studies of the three countries delve into the particular manner through which key specific frames are presented within each country. The third question investigates whether newspaper partisanship has an impact upon coverage trends. The findings indicate that the framing of migration in terms of issue frequency is still more influenced by national differences, although there are common trends depending on press partisanship.