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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.11567/met.2026.5
Media Narratives and Dominant Frames in the Representation of Migrants in the Croatian Media Space
Kristijan Sedak
; Odjel za komunikologiju, Hrvatsko katoličko sveučilište, Zagreb
*
Lucija Pranjić
orcid.org/0009-0008-4207-6384
; Sveučilište obrane i sigurnosti „Dr. Franjo Tuđman“, Ilica 256 b, 10000 Zagreb
Ana Dobraš
; Srednja škola Vrbovec, Hrvatska
* Dopisni autor.
Sažetak
Migration has become one of the most prominent social and political issues in contemporary Europe, and the way it is represented in the media significantly influences public perception, political discourse, and societal attitudes toward migrants. Media outlets not only report on migration processes but also shape the interpretative frameworks through which audiences understand complex social phenomena. Within this context, the framing of migration in news coverage plays a crucial role in determining whether migrants are perceived primarily as a security threat, an economic opportunity, or a humanitarian concern. This paper analyses the dominant narratives and frames used in Croatian mainstream media when reporting on migrants and migration.
The primary objective of this research is to examine how migrants and migration are represented in Croatian mainstream media and to identify the dominant thematic frames, narrative patterns, and levels of journalistic objectivity present in such coverage. The study focuses on identifying the tone of reporting, the thematic orientation of media content, the portrayal of migrants, and the diversity of sources cited in news reports. In addition, the research aims to evaluate whether Croatian media coverage tends to emphasize security concerns, humanitarian aspects, economic implications, or broader social integration issues.
The theoretical framework of the study is based primarily on framing theory, which explains how the media select and emphasize particular aspects of reality while omitting others, thereby shaping the interpretative context in which audiences understand social phenomena. According to Entman (1993), framing involves the selection and salience of certain elements of reality in order to promote a particular problem definition, causal interpretation, moral evaluation, or treatment recommendation. In the context of migration, media framing often highlights themes of security, legality, and political conflict, whereas humanitarian and integration-related aspects may receive less attention. Previous research across Europe has shown that migrants are frequently portrayed through security-oriented or sensationalist narratives, often emphasizing illegality, criminality, and perceived threats to national stability.
The Croatian media system provides a particularly relevant case study because of its relatively small but highly concentrated media market and the strong influence of mainstream outlets on public discourse. Ownership concentration, commercial pressures, and reliance on official institutional sources may influence the framing of migration issues. Furthermore, the increased role of digital platforms and social networks has intensified competition for audience attention, sometimes encouraging sensationalist or simplified representations of complex social processes.
The empirical part of this study is based on a content analysis of the media coverage of migrants and migration in Croatia. The analysis includes media content published between July and September 2024, a period chosen deliberately because it was not dominated by a single major migration-related event. This allows for the observation of routine reporting patterns, rather than crisis-driven media narratives. The analysed corpus consists of 182 media items drawn from the most influential Croatian media outlets across several platforms: print newspapers, online news portals, television broadcasts, and radio programs.
The sample includes content from leading national newspapers (Večernji list, Jutarnji list, 24 sata), major online portals (index.hr, jutarnji.hr, 24sata.hr), national television news broadcasts (HRT1, Nova TV, RTL), and radio stations (HR1, HR2, and Otvoreni radio). These media outlets were selected based on publicly available data regarding audience reach, readership, and viewership. In the initial stage of sampling, 427 media items containing references to migration or migrants were identified. After applying a systematic sampling procedure and excluding items in which the terms were used outside the relevant analytical context, the final dataset consisted of 182 media reports.
The analytical framework was operationalized through a content analysis matrix consisting of 29 variables, designed to measure several dimensions of media representation. These variables included journalistic genre, thematic orientation, tone toward migrants, portrayal of migrants, communication style, presence of sensationalism, use of sources, plurality of viewpoints, and the presence of hate speech or discriminatory narratives. Additional variables captured contextual characteristics such as the type of migrants mentioned (e.g., economic migrants, refugees, undocumented migrants), geographical origin, legal status, and references to political institutions.
To ensure methodological reliability, the coding process was conducted by two independent coders, and inter-coder reliability was assessed using Cohen’s kappa coefficient, with values ranging from 0.70 to 0.82, indicating satisfactory to very good agreement between the coders.
The findings revealed several consistent patterns in the Croatian media representation of migrants and migration. First, the analysis demonstrates the strong dominance of the security frame in the media coverage. In approximately 66% of the analysed media reports, migration was primarily framed as a security-related issue, often associated with border control, illegal crossings, criminal activities, or political debates regarding migration management. Economic aspects of migration, such as labour market participation or demographic challenges, were significantly less represented.
The tone of reporting toward migrants was predominantly negative or sceptical, appearing in approximately 50% of the analysed media items, while neutral reporting accounted for about 42% of the coverage. Positive portrayals of migrants were rare, appearing in only 6% of the cases. This suggests that migrants are more frequently associated with problems, risks, or controversial issues rather than contributions to society.
Another significant finding concerns the representation of migrants in the media narratives. Migrants were most commonly portrayed as perpetrators of criminal acts (46%), followed by representations as labour migrants (21%) or as participants in political debates and policy discussions (20%). Humanitarian portrayals, emphasizing migrants as victims or vulnerable individuals, were considerably less frequent.
The analysis also revealed a strong emphasis on illegal migration. More than half of the analysed media items focused primarily on irregular or illegal migration, whereas legal forms of migration received significantly less attention. This disproportionate focus contributes to reinforcing a narrative that associates migration predominantly with illegality and border control issues.
Despite the prevalence of negative or security-oriented narratives, the analysis indicates that most media reports maintain a generally informational and fact-based journalistic style. Approximately 90% of the analysed reports were classified as primarily informational, with relatively few instances of overt sensationalism or explicit editorial commentary. Explicit hate speech was not identified in the journalistic narratives themselves; however, controversial or inflammatory statements occasionally appeared in quotations from political actors.
One of the most significant weaknesses identified in the analysis is the lack of plurality of sources. While most media reports cited at least one source of information, multiple perspectives were included in only about 35% of cases. In the majority of reports, information was based primarily on official institutional sources, such as government representatives, law enforcement agencies, or political actors. Migrants themselves were rarely cited directly as sources, which limits the diversity of perspectives and contributes to the reproduction of dominant institutional narratives.
The discussion section interprets these findings within the broader context of European media trends. The dominance of security-oriented frames in Croatian media coverage corresponds to the patterns identified in previous international research on migration reporting. Studies conducted across Europe have shown that migrants are often portrayed through narratives emphasizing threat, illegality, or political conflict. These patterns reflect both journalistic news values, which prioritize conflict and crisis, and the broader political discourses surrounding migration governance.
Simultaneously, the study identifies some positive developments in Croatian media reporting compared to earlier research. The predominance of informational reporting and the limited presence of explicit sensationalism or hate speech suggest a certain level of professional and journalistic standards. However, the persistence of security-focused narratives and limited source diversity indicate structural constraints within the media environment.
The results highlight the tension between professional journalistic norms and commercial pressures within contemporary media systems. In highly competitive media environments, migration stories that emphasize conflict, risk, and dramatic developments may attract greater audience attention. As a result, complex issues such as integration, labour migration, or the social contributions of migrants may receive less coverage.
The findings of this research contribute to a deeper understanding of how migration is framed in Croatian media discourse and how such framing may influence public perceptions. Since mainstream media remain one of the most influential sources of information for the public, dominant media narratives play an important role in shaping attitudes toward migrants and migration policies.
The study concludes that Croatian mainstream media tend to frame migration primarily as a security and political issue, often emphasizing illegal migration and criminal activity while marginalizing humanitarian or integration-related perspectives. Although the overall level of journalistic professionalism remains relatively high, the limited diversity of sources and the dominance of institutional perspectives contribute to the persistence of a security-oriented narrative.
Future research should expand the temporal scope of analysis and include additional media platforms, particularly social media and alternative media outlets, which increasingly influence public discourse. Furthermore, qualitative discourse analysis could provide deeper insights into narrative structures and ideological patterns underlying media representations of migrants.
Overall, the results of this research underline the importance of media literacy, ethical journalism, and pluralistic reporting in addressing complex social issues such as migration. Balanced and diverse media coverage has the potential to foster a more nuanced public understanding of migration processes and contribute to informed societal debates about migration policies, integration strategies, and intercultural coexistence.
Ključne riječi
migration, media, content analysis, media discourse, objectivity of reporting
Hrčak ID:
347701
URI
Datum izdavanja:
11.6.2026.
Posjeta: 0 *