Vi och dom: En diskursanalys om medias framställning av missbrukare

Sammanfattning: Abstract Title: We and them: A discourse analysis of the media`s representation of addicts. Supervisor: Janicke Andersson Author: Therese Benjaminsson Assessor: Eva Palmblad This study analyzed 14 different articles from Expressen and Aftonbladet from a time period between February 2015 and March 2016. By analyzing vocabulary, concepts, themes and content in general, three different discourses about addiction and drug-addicted persons in Sweden coud be found. The first discourse found was about the concept of crime and showed a clear picture of how the drug-addiction was linked to criminality and the criminal world. The second discourse found concerns exclusion. Life as an addict can not be combine with a regular family life, which is based on trust in each other, something that the addict can not offer because the only loyalty is to the drugs. The third and final discourse is about social legacy and the reason why people become addicts. Here is given a picture that the addiction iss due to mental health problems and often have a relationship with a bad childhood. Finally, one can also point out that half of the articles in this study have used former addicts or close relatives as sources, indicating that the discourses of addiction not only is created by a powerful elite of professional experts and authorities with a political agenda. Keywords: Critical discourse analysis, socialconstructivism, media, newspaper article & addict.