"The Virus is Your Fault" : En kvalitativ studie om hur amerikansk press rapporterat om diskriminering mot Asian-Americans under coronapandemin

Sammanfattning: The aim of this study is to create an understanding of how American media depicts Asian- Americans and the hate and violence against them during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study analyses two American newspapers: The New York Times and USA Today to answer the following questions: How does The New York Times and USA Today depict hate crimes against Asian-Americans? Which individuals get to make their voices heard in the articles about hate against Asian-Americans? Which identities are given to Asian-Americans and how are they communicated? What are the potential consequences of depicting Asian-Americans in the way the media does? The theory and method used in this study is Laclau and Mouffes’s discourse theory, which is suitable for a study where the aim is to understand the nature of something. The study also includes Barthes method of semiotics to analyse pictures included in the material. Furthermore, the study finds support in the agenda-setting theory, the framing theory, theory of stereotyping and stigmatization as well as the theory of The Other. Gramsci’s theory of hegemony is also included in the theoretical framework to understand power structures. This study shows that American media depicts Asian-Americans with a collective identity and a fixed set of characteristics that are stereotypical. Asian-Americans are portrayed as passive individuals with strong cultural beliefs and values, as well as inferior to the majority consisting of white Americans.