Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation

5-2017

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Department

Communication

Degree Program

Communication, MA

Committee Chair

Ferré, John

Committee Co-Chair (if applicable)

Leichty, Greg

Committee Member

Leichty, Greg

Committee Member

Willey, Ann

Author's Keywords

public opinion; communication; wire services; magazines

Abstract

This thesis examines how United States news media framed Hungarian refugees of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. It begins with a historical overview of the revolution and an explanation of how the media have framed other refugee groups and influenced American public opinion by doing so. Then the thesis explains how 713 news articles, coded for attributes and value frames, described Hungarian refugees from November 1956 until December 1957. American news media framed Hungarian refugees in a positive way, which matched the positive American public opinion of this particular refugee group. The thesis is divided into five chapters. Chapter one introduces the topic, theories, and method used throughout the rest of the thesis. Chapter two examines how Associated Press and United Press wire services described Hungarian refugees. Chapter three examines how three weekly news magazines, US News and World Report, Time, and Newsweek described Hungarian refugees. Chapter four examines how the New York Times described Hungarian refugees. Chapter five provides an overview of the findings, strengths and limitations of the thesis, and directions for future research.

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