The German media has recently been strongly criticized for its coverage of the sovereign debt crisis in Greece. Critics say that journalists tend to represent Greece, its politicians
and the people, in a very negative way. Against the background of the quality news media’s normative role in information coverage and the framing concept, this paper examines how
the German news media covered the sovereign debt crisis in Greece recently, and if the current criticism is justified.
To examine this, I gathered data from the German newspaper
Süddeutsche Zeitung to look at how the Greek debt crisis and the latest events were covered in the time period of 29 June to 19 July 2015. The articles are examined by textual analysis. The findings are contrasted with the theoretical and empirical background and the literature review.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Theoretical and empirical background
The normative role of media and journalism in reporting news
The concept of framing
Literature review: media coverage of crises in criticism
Methodology
Findings
Interpretation
Critique
Conclusion
References
Appendix
Research Objective and Focus
This study investigates how the German news media recently covered and framed the sovereign debt crisis in Greece. By conducting a textual analysis of articles from the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the research aims to assess whether the public criticism regarding the media's negative portrayal of Greece and its politicians is justified, and how these frames compare to previous crises.
- Analysis of the normative role of journalism in reporting economic crises.
- Application of the framing concept to identify patterns in news narratives.
- Examination of media performance concerning "watchdog" functions.
- Contrast of journalistic output against established media criticism standards.
- Evaluation of potential links between media framing and public opinion shifts.
Excerpt from the Book
The concept of framing
Framing is a communicative process that includes production, content, and media use perspectives (De Vreese, 2005, p. 51). De Vreese distinguishes between the emergence of frames, namely frame-building and frame-setting which describes how the frames operate in public opinion formation (ibid., pp. 51-52). Factors influencing the news frames-building arise from the newsroom conditions and can reflect the outcome of the production process. As independent variables, the media frames may be seen as source of audience interpretations (ibid., p. 52). Studies of framing concentrate mostly on the analysis of media content and the relationship between media and the public opinion or framing effects (ibid., p. 51).
Framing means that some aspects of reality are selected and highlighted in a text while others are omitted. A particular problem definition is being promoted by the way aspects of the text are highlighted and made more salient than others. Information gets more remarkable and meaningful for instance by placement and by repeating the word or information (Entman, 1993, p. 53). Whether and how people notice and understand a problem can be influenced by a frame that diagnoses causes and causation of the problem and interprets them. Frames evaluate by making moral judgements and suggest treatment recommendation for the problem (ibid., p. 52).
Chapter Summaries
Introduction: Outlines the context of the Greek debt crisis and introduces the research question regarding how the media in Germany framed the events of June and July 2015.
Theoretical and empirical background: Establishes the normative standards for journalism and defines the concept of framing as a communicative process that influences public perception.
Literature review: media coverage of crises in criticism: Reviews existing scholarship on financial journalism, focusing on the failure of media to act as effective "watchdogs" during economic crises.
Methodology: Details the use of a constructed week sampling method to analyze 30 articles from the Süddeutsche Zeitung between June and July 2015.
Findings: Presents the identification of main themes such as the comparison to the Lehman Brothers collapse and the presence of specific rhetorical devices and metaphors.
Interpretation: Connects the identified framing patterns to broader narratives, specifically the "opposing groups frame" and the "economy-stability frame."
Critique: Reflects on the study's limitations, particularly the sample size and the restricted time frame, while suggesting avenues for future research.
Conclusion: Summarizes that while some criticism of the media is valid, the study found no evidence of "lazy Greek" stereotypes, highlighting the complexity of normative journalistic demands.
Keywords
German media, Greek debt crisis, framing, journalism, Süddeutsche Zeitung, financial crisis, normative role, reporting patterns, economic stability, metaphors, rhetoric, public opinion, Eurozone, political elite, content analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines how the German quality newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung covered and framed the Greek sovereign debt crisis during June and July 2015 to evaluate whether criticism of this reporting is justified.
Which theoretical frameworks are applied?
The research relies on the normative role of the media in a democracy and the concept of "framing," which explains how journalists emphasize certain aspects of reality while omitting others.
What is the primary research question?
The research question asks: "How is the sovereign debt crisis in Greece covered and framed by the media in Germany recently?"
Which scientific method was used to gather data?
The author employed a qualitative content analysis using a "constructed week" sampling method to select 30 relevant articles from the Süddeutsche Zeitung for examination.
What were the main findings regarding the news frames?
The study identified two dominant frames: the "opposing groups frame," which highlights the conflict between the Eurogroup and Greece, and the "economy-stability frame," which contrasts Greek instability with the perceived stability of other Eurozone nations.
What are the key terms that define this work?
Key terms include media framing, sovereign debt crisis, normative journalistic standards, financial reporting, and the role of storytelling in economic news.
Did the study find evidence of stereotypical "lazy Greek" reporting?
Contrary to common criticisms of German media, this study did not identify allusions to the Greek population as "lazy" in the analyzed articles, noting instead that the focus was largely on the political elite.
How did the media portray the role of politicians during the crisis?
There was a strong focus on individual politicians, such as Angela Merkel, Wolfgang Schäuble, and Alexis Tsipras, which facilitated the creation of narratives involving "heroes and villains."
What role does the "Greek patient" metaphor play in the coverage?
This metaphor positions the crisis as a reified entity, allowing journalists to frame the crisis in terms of medical treatment and recovery, which reinforces the distinction between the "doctor" (the Eurogroup) and the "patient" (Greece).
- Quote paper
- Alexandra Pfleiderer (Author), 2015, The Greek debt crisis in German news, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/316313
