Browsing by Author "Jylhä, Anne"

The aim of this thesis is to examine how the unity of the European Union (EU) is constructed in the Finnish media during a crisis, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and whether there are distinctive changes in the media portrayal during the analysis period. The present research also aims to point out any frequently occurring features in the data and consider how the portrayal of the EU in the Finnish media builds and shapes its audiences’ perceptions of the EU and its unity in a crisis context. The material of the thesis consists of 58 news articles from YLE and Helsingin Sanomat (HS) covering the ongoing 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Utilising keywords in Finnish, the data was collected from the official websites of YLE and HS using search engines provided by the news outlets. As the methodology of this thesis, qualitative content analysis is utilised. By applying qualitative content analysis, the present study is conducted in a material-oriented way, and it includes systematic close reading of the material in which the identification of key themes and patterns, i.e., coding, is of essence. The results show that during the analysis period, the media portrayal of the EU and its unity was predominantly positive in nature. According to the analysis, the EU was depicted as exceptionally and historically united, but also capable of making decisions in complex circumstances. In addition, the unity of the EU was portrayed in the media as surprising in light of previous crises. However, both YLE and HS were found to be mostly following the national and European elite’s interpretations of the crisis, and ultimately refrained from presenting contradicting views to their audiences. All in all, the present study contributes to the deeper understanding of not only the EU but also, the role of the media, specifically in crisis situations.