Content analysis of the photographic representations of the Syrian refugee crisis and their visual framing impact

Abstract

This paper studies the visual framing components through a photojournalistic analysis applied to digital media outlets on the crisis of Syrian refugees in central Europe, which occurred between mid-2015 and early 2016. The main objective is to identify and classify the denotative and connotative components of the photographs as visual documents with special emphasis on the visual framing. We are interested in the treatment of the two fundamental aspects for fixing perceptual frameworks: the physical context and human context, as well as their cognitive-affective effects. On a sample of 196 photographs from 13 international digital media a content analysis is carried out. The results reveal the preponderance of places and traffic scenarios, rural areas and with certain stressful episodes component, but without excessive dramatic charge. The group or collective aspect is emphasized over the individual, with clear majority of male, young or middle-aged actors. Overall the characters express a more passive than active attitude, with moderate physical actions or statism. Gestures are not always shown explicitly, and largely transmitted naturally, but are also relevant negative feelings. An image of solidarity with refugees, neutral of the security forces and positive for the NGOs-personal is transmitted. The findings indicate that the overall vision of the event is realistic, devoid of violent or dramatic tone, but without obscuring the very harshness of the situation. No rhetorical stereotypes are detected.