Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric, Shifting Ideologies and the Criminalisation of the "Other": An Analysis of Migrant Crime and Threat Discourse in the Norwegian Print Media from 2000 to 2014

Abstract

This paper examines the construction of "immigrants" and "threat" in violent crime media coverage in Norway, by drawing upon themes from McCombs and Shaw‘s (1972) agenda-setting hypothesis, and Blalock‘s (1967) race-threat theory. Results from the thematic qualitative analysis and the themes identified suggest an escalating anti-immigrant rhetoric in the Norwegian media, with an agenda that demonises deviant 'others' (i.e. immigrants, particularly of the 'non-Western‘ variety). The current study is limited to print media, however, future research in this field should examine other media mediums, including visual media and social media, as well as comparing and exploring the themes of this paper within other national contexts.