An ideological conflict: the information about refugees in the European mass media versus the UNHCR communication campaign "Dilemmas"

Abstract: The purpose of this research is to compare how the European mass media have presented the arrival of refugees to Europe, with an awareness campaign on this issue (Dilemmas). From this comparison several conclusions are obtained regarding the validity of the information provided by the mass media. In addition, I identify the key concepts to understand the logic followed by both the mass media and the communication for development campaign. In fact, the contradictions detected between the information of the mass media and the Dilemmas campaign seem to show an underlying ideological conflict, expressed in contradictory discourses.This research starts with the qualitative systematic review of several research reports that analyse the information that the European mass media offered about the arrival of refugees. The analysis of this information is carried out applying the concepts of Agenda setting and Frames. The two approaches have established the criteria used to systematize the comparison of the different research reports. After the analysis of the mass media, I analyze the UNHCR campaign on refugees, called "Dilemma". This communication campaign sought to raise awareness in Western societies about the refugee reality. The main objective is to know what concepts, elements and design are specific to this communication campaign, in contrast with the information about refugees that were reported by the media in the European Union. The structure of this research is as follows. After the introduction, the theories, models and methodologies used in this research are briefly presented: The Agenda Setting, Framing, as well as the methodology of Critical Discourse Analysis and Systematic review. The Systematic review will be used to integrate the research reports analyzing the information of the refugee crisis in the mass media. Second, the empirical part of the research is developed in four phases. In a first phase, the Systematic review methodology is used to integrate the research reports made in several European countries, analyzing the information on the refugee in the mass media. The Agenda Setting and Framing approaches are used in the Systematic review to systematize the findings of the research reports on the mass media. The conclusions of this first phase are used in a second phase to analyze the UNHCR campaign applying the Critical Discourse Analysis. To really understand the transcendence of the mass media information it is very important to compare its approach and its contents with those used by UNHCR. The contrast between the two allows greater ability to identify their specific characteristics. Finally, in the third and four phases some conclusions and reflections on the research outcomes are presented.