• Major events, the media, and refugees: Examining Canadian print media framing of Syrian refugees

Between the years of 2015 and 2017, the Canadian government reported that 40,081 Syrians arrived in Canada as refugees. News media can be very powerful and since the discourses that it presents can greatly impact the process of integration, it is important to understand how Syrian refugees have been depicted.

Given the interrelatedness of major events in the world and public perception, I sought to examine the relationship between major events involving Syrians, the prominent media frames in Canada and the subsequent impact on Syrians arriving in Canada, asking the question: How do major events perpetuate the way that Canadian media frames the arrival of Syrians to Canada and how in turn, does this affect the Syrian newcomers? Through analysis of various studies examining the portrayal of refugees, I determined that the three major frames in Canadian print media include refugees as threats, refugees as victims, and Canadians as saviors. Following Edward Said’s theory of orientalism which emphasizes the “othering” of people from the East by people of the West, I conclude that such frames contribute to this division.

The frame of refugees as threats is furthered by events such as terrorist attacks, hindering integration as they face discrimination from the members Canadian public who in turn view them with fear. The victim representation of Syrian refugees simplifies complex narratives and people, removing their agency and distancing them from host communities who have specific expectations of refugees—expectations with which the refugees may not actually identify. The Alan Kurdi photo particularly garnered support for this emblematic narrative of suffering. Finally, the media’s focus on the Canadian public as altruistic takes away from the voice of the refugees and creates a savior complex for Canadians, in turn, forcing Syrian refugees into the role of the receiver of aid.