Abstract

In a case study about the establishment of an open asylum centre in a Belgian rural village will be explored how the mass media produce a coherent version of reality. Narrative concepts and the notion 'frame' are used as theoretical framework. Techniques for qualitative-interpretative research are applied to analyze the events, which were observed during an ethnographic preliminary phase, as well as the related media coverage. In the paper is dealt with four dominating frames: the Nimby-frame, the 'All-the-politicians-are-corrupt’-frame, the ’Innocent-victim'-frame and the Abstraction-frame. The comparison of the coverage in the national and in the local media is demonstrating how the events gained a different meaning according to the applied frame. Further, a shift of frames was determined, which also affected the criteria of news selection in the connecting period.

How to Cite:

Van Gorp, B., (2002) “Werken aan de werkelijkheid: een casestudie over de inplanting van een asielcentrum”, Tijdschrift voor Sociologie 23(3-4), 325–341. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/sociologos.86557