Empathy or Hostility? Syrian Refugees in Jordanian Media in the Post-Collapse of the Assad Regime

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze how Jordanian media represent Syrian refugees by examining framing, stereotypes, and the emotional tone of coverage, and to explore the media's role in socially constructing refugees’ identities and their reality within the host community. The study employed quantitative content analysis on a sample of news articles published on three Jordanian news websites. The findings revealed a clear dominance of humanitarian and social frames in the coverage of the Syrian refugee issue by Jordanian media outlets. Moreover, the study found a statistically significant relationship between media framing and emotional tone, indicating that framing is linked to the discourse that accompanies the coverage and the frequency of stereotypes that emphasize the humanitarian nature of refugees. Additionally, the results indicate that Jordanian media are positively associated with public opinion by reconstructing the reality of Syrian refugees through messages that are consistent with a discourse that encourages empathy and social solidarity between society and the refugees.