The News is in the Frame: A Journalist-Centered Approach to the Frame-Building Process of the Belgian Syria Fighters

• In Event: Framing: National and Global Issues

Abstract

This paper presents a model for understanding the frame-building process, based on the early coverage of the Belgian Syria fighters in the four leading newspapers in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. For a period of six weeks, a frame analysis of news stories was linked to reconstruction interviews with reporters and supplemented by newsroom observations and in-depth interviews with superiors. The findings show that the frame-building process passes through various phases, from fitting the events into news formats to seeking explanations. More than being only a selection criterion, news values are equally added to the news story in retrospect, in line with the applied frame, which implies that the newsworthiness of the story may be increased by the way it is told. When journalists report an exclusive story, they are more likely to remain closer to the frame as it is presented to them by their main sources.

Authors

• Jan Boesman, University of Leuven

• Anna Berbers, U of Leuven

• Leen S. J. d'Haenens, Catholic U - Leuven

• Baldwin Van Gorp, KU Leuven