Ukrainian refugees in Polish press

Abstract

The paper examines the representations of Ukrainian refugees in Polish press at the beginning of the 2022 Russian invasion. Using corpus linguistics methods (namely, collocation analysis) it shows that the displaced Ukrainians were mostly referred to as (war) refugees and discussed with respect to their movement and reception in Poland. The study contrasts the construal of Ukrainian refugees in media outlets with different ideological and business aims. The findings are also discussed with respect to how European media tend to cover immigration from other regions, notably the Middle East and North Africa, and how these two types of migration become linked in the analysed news reports. Altogether, while pointing to a potential of the media to shape positive attitudes towards refugees, as attested by their coverage of Ukrainians, the study also highlights the extent to which racism is likely to determine the construal of different groups of migrants.

Norwegian citizens’ responses to influxes of asylum seekers: comparing across two refugee crises

“…From previous research, we know that how immigrants are constructed in the media and political rhetoric matters for public perceptions (Esses, 2021 ; Gaucher et al, 2018 ; Verkuyten, 2004 ). Media frames employed during the 2015 crisis were dominated by security threats and economization (i.e., emphasizing the economic costs; Greussing & Boomgaarden, 2017 ; Zawadzka-Paluektau, 2022 ). Although empirical analyses of the media coverage of the mass flight from Ukraine is still limited, there is evidence that Ukrainian refugees are not portrayed with the negative frames used to describe MENA refugees (Zawadzka-Paluektau, 2022 ).…”

“…Media frames employed during the 2015 crisis were dominated by security threats and economization (i.e., emphasizing the economic costs; Greussing & Boomgaarden, 2017 ; Zawadzka-Paluektau, 2022 ). Although empirical analyses of the media coverage of the mass flight from Ukraine is still limited, there is evidence that Ukrainian refugees are not portrayed with the negative frames used to describe MENA refugees (Zawadzka-Paluektau, 2022 ). Similarly, the dramatic shift in rhetoric by traditionally anti-immigrant politicians is particularly telling (Albertazzi et al, 2022 ).…”

“…After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the resulting mass flight, public debate about differences in the reception of refugees across the two crises soon arose. Not only were European political responses and media portrayals different (Dražanová & Geddes; Zawadzka-Paluektau, 2022 ), but the question of differential reactions on part of the receiving populations quickly emerged. Anecdotal evidence points to a warmer welcome in Norway of Ukrainians in 2022 as compared to the predominately Syrian and Afghan asylum seekers in 2015/2016 (Apeland, 2022 ).…”

“…A lot is similar [to Ukraine]’ (Røsvik, 2022 ). There is also evidence to suggest that initial media portrayals of people fleeing from Ukraine were less negative than those of people fleeing from Syria and other countries in the Middle East and North Africa (Zawadzka-Paluektau, 2022 ). Differences such as these have led some researchers to argue that there is a pervasive double standard in the treatment of refugees based on their country of origin and race (Freedman et al, 2022 ).…”

Visual humanization of refugees: A visual rhetorical analysis of media discourse on the war in Ukraine

“…However, few studies have systemically explored the media discourse of the ongoing war. As an exception, Zawadzka‐Paluektau's (2023) study on the representations of Ukrainian refugees in the Polish press at the beginning of the 2022 Russian invasion demonstrated how Ukrainian refugees were portrayed neutrally or positively as receivers of help, accommodation, and material support. These representations of Ukrainians in the Polish press could reflect the framing of displaced Ukrainians as war refugees instead of being portrayed as a threat to economy and welfare that were the dominant frames of the refugee “crisis” in 2015–16.…”