ABSTRACT
This study uses a comparative discourse analysis in Flanders (Belgium) and the Netherlands to examine how mass media reinforces stereotypes related to gender and migration. We aim to reflect upon the way these stereotypes are being reproduced in printed media articles, by comparing two newspapers per region and studying how these discourses differ across themes discussed. In doing so, we focus on five topics: “paid domestic work”, “islamophobia”, “femicide”, “abortion” and “citizenship and rights”. Our findings highlight that newspapers play a key role in shaping public agendas by agenda-setting and framing of news items. When studying how stereotyping occurs, we note that most stereotyping can be found in opinion-based content instead of direct reporting, and the level of stereotyping varies per theme. Finally, popular and quality newspapers differ in their usage of words, employ an intersectional and multi-actor approach and vary in the extent to which they situate events/phenomena in a broader structural context.
