Discrimination or victimisation? The construction of asylum seekers in the norwegian print media – A critical discourse analysis of the “October Children” case

Abstract

This study seeks to investigate the representations of asylum seekers in the Norwegian print media by analysing the case of the “October children” in 2017. An exhaustive sample of the online coverage of the case has been gathered and examined through a critical discourse analysis, implementing the social actors approach by Van Leeuwen (2008). After reviewing the 24 news stories, this paper finds that the overall coverage tends to be negative portraying the October children as a political case where the asylum seekers are seen as passive, motionless, and figures that merely contributes to a political debate and rivalry between political parties. The study further concludes that the asylum seekers are portrayed with an emphasis on their rejection, where deportations is a major topic of debate. The findings suggest that the Norwegian press is responsible for creating and also maintaining certain stereotypes about asylum seekers.