Sweden through China's Migration Lenses : A Content Analysis of the People’s Daily’s News Reports on Sweden in Migration Contexts

Abstract: This is a content analysis of the Chinese news paper People’s Daily (Renmin Ribao 人民日报). It examines articles published by the People’s Daily reporting about Sweden in migration contexts between January 1980 and September 2015. The purpose of the project is to investigate changes over time when it comes to agenda-setting, together with which other countries Sweden is mentioned and framing used in the articles. The topics of the articles are listed and a deductive frame analysis is carried out, showing clear signs of changes over time. The data shows that there has been a shift from reporting on international disputes to reporting on Europe’s migration issues. From investigating with which other countries Sweden is mentioned, a conclusion can be drawn that Sweden is portrayed as a country that collaborates with the other European countries to a great extent. The data also shows that there is a low usage of the conflict frame, but a high usage the responsibility- and ­morality frames in the People’s Daily which is evidence of letting the ideology of the authors shine through. The People’s Daily shows signs of political correctness by shifting from a high usage of episodic framing to thematic framing.