Studia Polensia, Vol. 8 No. 1, 2019.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.32728/studpol/2019.08.01.01
MIGRATION, THE PERCEPTION OF SECURITY RISKS AND MEDIA INTERPRETATION FRAMEWORKS IN CROATIA AND HUNGARY
Vlatko Cvrtila
orcid.org/0000-0002-4169-4761
; VERN’
Marija Slijepčević
; VERN’
Tomislav Levak
; UNIVERSITY JOSIP JURAJ STROSSMAYER OF OSIJEK
Abstract
Although they are the most vulnerable group of people, immigrants
are often perceived as a threat, with immigration and terrorism issues
put under a common denominator. Political discourse and mass media
are contributing factors, which, when framing migrants as a threat and
emphasizing the connection with terrorism in their reporting, can affect
the perception of public safety risks. Framing migrants as a terrorist risk
has a negative impact on migration-related policies, changing focus from
humanitarian towards security issues. The European Union’s migration
policy is humanitarian, but it is reconsidered by individual member states
defining migration as a risk. In these countries, measures to prevent
terrorism include the acceptance of restrictive immigration policies, e.g.
in Hungary. In the process of securitization, migrants are interpreted as a
risk and threat to the survival of traditional identity values.
This problem is analysed through examples of Hungary, a country
with an exceptionally restrictive migration policy, and neighbouring
Croatia which was perceived as a transitional country for migrants and
refugees on their way West during the European migration crisis in 2015
and 2016, much like Hungary. For this purpose, several components are
considered: the results of longitudinal Eurobarometer surveys that can
determine public opinion changes in EU member states, the trends and
results of the Hungarian referendum on migration quotas from October
2016, and the selected research and analysis of trends and media coverage
of this issue in media. It is an attempt to determine whether and to what
extent the public, political authorities and media in Croatia and Hungary
referred to “unintentional” or „forced migrants“ as the negative non-
European Other, during the European migration crisis.
Keywords
Croatia; Hungary; media framing; migrations; perception of risk; terrorism
Hrčak ID:
229184
URI
Publication date:
4.12.2019.
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