Conferences and Publications

In this study, we examined media coverage of the migrant shipwreck off the Greek coast of Pylos, in June 2023, in which more than 600 people mostly from Syria, Egypt, and Pakistan are thought to have drowned. Following an analysis of 447 news stories from the online platforms of five Greek media outlets that represent a range of political perspectives, we discovered that, although there appears to be a shift toward a victim-framing approach, which is explained by the size and severity of the migrant shipwreck, a more nuanced and subtle anti-migration narrative has been revealed in media discourse. Initially, this discourse appears to be concerned with refugees and migrants, placing all the blame on illegal and cruel smuggling networks. However, rather than discussing inadequate migration policies in Europe, it highlights the necessity of stricter laws intended to discourage migration.