Shifting toward a humanized perspective? Visual framing analysis of the coverage of refugees on CNN and Spiegel Online before and after the iconic photo publication of Alan Kurdi

Abstract

Iconic photographs have the potential to stay in public collective memories. One such photograph of a dead 3-year-old Syrian refugee named Alan Kurdi sparked global outrage in September 2015 and became symbolic of the challenges of the Syrian civil war and its consequences. This study examines how global awareness before and after the publication of the iconic photograph affected the visual framing of the arrival of refugees into Europe. The analysis focuses on the theme of refugee photographs on CNN and Spiegel Online news sites from 1 January 2015 to 6 October 2016. The two news outlets have different audience approaches: the US-based CNN reaches out to global news consumers while Spiegel Online in Germany mainly appeals to domestic audiences. Findings reveal that after the publication of Alan Kurdi’s picture, CNN increased humanized visual framing while Spiegel Online’s visual coverage was leaning toward increased border control. The two different visual perspectives and their contribution to a polarized (domestic vs global) interpretation of migration are discussed.

Keywords

content analysis global journalism journalism studies refugee crisis visual communication

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