The portrayal of the Mali Conflict in Swedish News Media : A Content Analysis of the Usage of National References

Abstract: The purpose of this thesis is to examine the use of national references in contemporary Swedish journalism. As a result of this, the study raises the question of the importance of national references throughout the world and provides a deeper understanding of the production of news. Through a qualitative and quantitative content analysis of 23 articles from the Swedish news organizations Dagens Nyheter (DN) and Svenska Dagbladet (SVD), the study examines the material using the agenda-setting theory, the gatekeeping theory, and the theories of news frames and news values. The qualitative approach aims to investigate how national references are used, and the quantitative research investigates to what extent national references are used and which themes are often occurring. The study's main findings show that the usage of national references is identifiable in both SVD and DN. The articles are found to utilize national references linked to Swedish soldiers, Swedish politicians, and the political allies of Sweden to provide cultural links to consumers, thus making the news more accessible and recognizable. National references are regularly implemented by using a narrative that exhibits a unified West where Sweden collaborates with other countries and international organizations such as the European Union and the United Nations. Further, Swedish military involvement in the conflict in Mali is often the subject of the articles examined in the study. The situation of the Swedish soldiers is often put on the agenda, and the Swedish military is generally framed as a responsible military force, protecting democracy and being in a leading position. The involvement of the Swedish government and Swedish politicians is frequently mentioned in the articles, making the Mali issue political, which could impact the 2022 election in Sweden.