Presentation from 2015 ePart conference. Applying framing analysis and agenda-setting theory to examine the most shared and most read opinion articles in online newspapers.

1. Please like and share!
A frame analysis of
opinion articles in
online news
Marius Rohde Johannessen
07.09.2016 BUSKERUD AND VESTFOLD UNIVERSITY COLLEGE 1

2. Summary
• Frame analysis as analytical lens
– What (figuring out how a message is packaged)
– Why (Examine how popular themes emerge and spread)
– How (Content analysis of key words and phrases)
• Findings
– Six ways of framing a message
– Personal stories a major trend
– Unknown voices, females, being heard
• Discussion: Implications for deliberation
07.09.2016 BUSKERUD AND VESTFOLD UNIVERSITY COLLEGE 2

3. Context & background
• Agenda-setting
– Important for decision making
– Direct link agenda setting decision
– Leading agendas influence our perceptions
• News media typical arena for agenda battles
• Social media becoming increasingly important
– Symbiotic relationship: News media has credibility,
social media adds reach through network effects
• Framing affects agenda
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4. Framing theory
• «constructing the stories we use to describe the world»
• Roots in psychology and sociology:
– Show how we organize our perceptions of society
– The sum of positive and negative associations
– Associations influence how we talk about issues
• Effects of framing:
– Clear impact on public perception
– Especially when bombarded with one message, or
introduced to new ideas
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5. Frame analysis
• Kuypers: Frames operate in four key ways:
– Define problems, diagnose causes, make moral
judgments, and suggest remedies
• Usage: Rhetorical criticism (deconstruction)
– Break down the content of frames to analyse the
message
• Usage: Social movements (construction)
– Construct frames that support the message of the
movement. Use these intentionally to gather support
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6. Research approaches
Approach Purpose Insights gained
Qualitative content
analysis
Coding of qualitative data:
Keywords, key phrases,
judgment statements
Identify themes and topics
Interpret meanings of texts
to identify frames for the
different themes and topics
Rich description of the
frames used to talk about a
specific issue.
Quantitative content
analysis
Follows pre-defined coding
scheme based on hypotheses
Using frames to examine
issues of statistical
significance.
Impact over time.
Time series data,
tendencies/consequences
of frames
Mixed methods
Approach varies according
to research question
In-depth analysis and
identification of frames, and
of the impact of frames.
Impacts and tendencies
mixed with a deep
understanding of context and
the individual frames
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7. My research approach
• The most read and most shared opinion articles in 2014
• 40 articles in total
• Imported to Nvivo, coded using a qualitative grounded
approach – looking for recursive keywords, phrases,
statements. Some descriptive statistics
• Two rounds of coding:
– Initial: identifying frames
– Second: code articles using identified frames
– Verified by discussions with colleague
• Discovered that the process is to some extent subjective
– Level of framing: «Deliberation» or «argument X»
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8. Findings: general
• Facebook by far the most popular channel for sharing
(tens of thousands vs 100+)
• Issues close to home get more attention
• Personal themes more popular
• Outlet for new voices
• …and for women
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9. Findings: Frames
Metaphors
Using fairy tales to comment on
Norwegian society:
“Askeladden helped those in
need… However, now the
welfare state is threatened.
Social inequality is on the rise.
The number of poor children
increases. The wealthy do not
have to pay taxes”
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10. Findings: Frames
Satire/irony
ridicule the position you are
arguing against, in order to
show how stupid the other is
“How many of us see these
images and think ‘yes, we can
relate to this. Party and
drinking trips to European
brothels, where we party all
night with heavy-chested
women who has no
personality?”
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11. Findings: Frames
Justice
uses arguments related to
justice, fairness and equal
treatment to frame the
message
You are a huge role model for
young kids, who now might
think that drinking and
driving is ok. Therefore we
should all be happy that this
episode is so massively
criticized in the media.”
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12. Findings: Frames
(anti-)Pressure
the psychological pressure of modern society, argues that we
need to find ways of dealing with pressure. Peer pressure,
parenting and the pressure to be the best at everything are
topics within this frame
«I am sick and tired of Muslims who think they are better
than the rest of us. Why do they insist on being so different?
Do they believe God loves them more than us? The Niqab
does not just represent oppression, but also arrogance.”
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13. Findings: Frames
Deliberation
the frame of the classical debate article.
This frame presents arguments backed
up by reasoning and references to
literature.
The Russian insurances comes after
Russia several times the past few
months have entered Swedish airspace
with their fighters, and after several
military provocations of all their
European neighbours, including
Norway
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14. The winner… Personal accounts
The author describes his or her
experiences in relation to a theme, and
discusses the theme based on these
experiences.
I’m burnt out. Exhausted and
depressed. On sick leave because I
could not handle it all anymore. They
call it hitting the wall. I would rather
compare it to walking off a cliff.
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15. Implications
• Less fact-based
discussion
Consequences
for policy?
• Rhetorical theory:
Arguments based on
personal accounts are
flawed
• Opposing/new voices in
policy areas where facts
are less import
• Counterweight to the
increasing influence of
PR agencies in a time
where the media
struggles and the money
sets the agenda?
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Personal accounts’ crushing victory over deliberation

16. Final thoughts
• Calvert and Warren: «Current political debate is a
lean buffet with just a few frames, that does little to
further the political agenda»
• This study shows that debate articles shared in social
media offer
– Alternative frames
– From new and opposing voices
– With a broad reach (theoretically everyone with
FB)
• Supports Graham (2011): Private is the new public
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17. Thank you for listening
Questions?
Marius Rohde Johannessen
mj@hbv.no
07.09.2016 BUSKERUD AND VESTFOLD UNIVERSITY COLLEGE 17