Examining the Effects of News Frames as a Risk Factor of Radicalisation

Abstract

The present study conducted an online experiment to examine whether news frames could cause radicalisation. In the study, 248 participants (age: M = 22.89, SD = 6.77) read and summarised news articles which contained either positive news frames (depict Islamist extremist groups as avengers of the Muslim communities), negative news frames (depict the groups as barbaric), or neutral news frames (news unrelated to Islamist extremism). The analysis revealed an effect of the positive news frames on the acceptance of Islamist extremism, specifically on the attitudes toward Muslim violence by others. The results indicate that news-framing content that narrates the goodness of Islamist extremist group could be a factor in the radicalisation process through media. It is recommended news content regulation is improved especially during times of crisis which could increase the public’s vulnerability to extremism.