FRAMING FRANCE IN SWEDISH MEDIA - A quantitative content analysis of France’s nation image as a cooperation partner in Swedish newspapers over the course of Brexit

Abstract

Aim: To investigate how the Swedish media contributes to France’s country image as a cooperation partner for Sweden and how this might have changed during the progress of Brexit. Theory: Framing theory Method: Quantitative content analysis Material: 437 articles sampled from Dagens Nyheter, Svenska Dagbladet, Aftonbladet, and Expressen Result: The image of France as a cooperation partner demonstrated an increase in positive frames and decrease in negative frames in the portrayal of the Franco-Swedish relationship during the progress of Brexit. It demonstrated an increase of positive frames in the representation of France as a political cooperation partner, whilst the negative framing contained an increase during the progress of Brexit. The framing of France as an economic cooperation partner decreased over the progress of Brexit. The general framing of France contained an increase in positive frames and decrease in negative frames.