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Abstract
Immigration is an issue of contestation across Europe. Since the 1990s, the retreat of multiculturalism has resulted in pressures exerted on immigrants to conform and integrate. The strengthening of anti-immigrant stances has intensified after the economic recession that has deteriorated standards of living for large populations and has increased the competition between social groups for public resources. Linguistic labels that evoke judgments have real consequences, as citizen attitudes depend on the labels attributed to immigrants in the public discourse. This study employs framing analysis of online articles and television news stories about third-country immigrants that appeared in the Cypriot media in 2013, when the consequences of the financial crisis were most strongly felt by the Cypriot population. The findings reveal the explicit discursive and sourcing mechanisms by which immigration is constructed as a problem and immigrants are 'othered' in the media discourse. The study concludes with a discussion of possible remedies deemed appropriate in the context of Cyprus.
Keywords: News framing, sources, immigration, financial crisis, Cyprus
Introduction
In recent years a growth in anti-immigrant sentiment across the globe has been documented (Wilson and Hainsworth, 2012). The onset of the global financial crisis hitting hard both the US and Europe has set the immigration issue high on the political agenda, while raising more restrictive postures towards immigration (Dalton, 2011). In Europe, the economic crisis has led to a border crisis where France, Germany and most prominently the UK started to rethink the principle of freedom of movement within the European Union, although mobility comprises a cornerstone of the European idea. At a time when European governments implement neoliberal policies curtailing the welfare state and when employment opportunities become harder to find, it is no surprise that the politicisation of immigration intensifies.
At the societal level, under such economic and social insecurity, immigrants become convenient targets, as the frustration felt by native populations can lead to hostile and antagonistic attitudes as well as aggression targeted toward the most vulnerable, those less likely or unable to retaliate (Larsen, Krumov, Ommundsen and van der Veer 2009; Haslam and Holland, 2012; Philo, 2013). At the political level, immigration comprises a common field of contestation, as political actors and parties attempt to benefit from conflicting social ideas and public...