Work

News Framing and the Applicability of Authoritarian Values: Citizens’ Reasoning on News About Societal Disorder

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Tensions between liberal and authoritarian values have gained increasing significance within Western democracies. This focus-group study contributes to the research on the dynamics of authoritarianism, providing in-depth analyses of the interactions between audience values and news framing of societal disorder. Contrasting authoritarian and liberal values—and related models of child-rearing—play a pivotal role in shaping divergent reasoning on news about crime and disturbances in schools and public places. Amplified news framing is consequential in making authoritarian values relevant to how people interpret the news. The implications of the news framing are analyzed by focusing on peer-group conversations on news, representing shifts from amplified to nuanced framing across three news issues.

Source: International journal of communication

Authors: Mats Ekström, Maria Jervelycke Belfrage

Institution: University of Gothenburg

Language: English

Topic: Media Studies and Communication

Subfield: Communication

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: Vetenskapsrådet

Award: Activation and articulation of authoritarian attitudes: The importance of the media