An individual or a collective : A critical discourse analysis about the Swedish press representations of Muslims and non-Muslims

The Western world’s view of Muslims became more negative after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. International as well as Swedish studies show how negative attitudes towards Muslims increased after the attack. This study analyses discourses regarding Muslims and non-Muslims in Swedish press in relation to two terrorist attacks. This is done by a critical discourse analysis on three newspapers reports on the terrorist attack in Oslo and Utøya 2011 and the terrorist attack on the headquarters of magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris 2015. The study uses social constructionism and Orientalism as a theoretical framework. Study results show more differences than similarities in the portrayal of the offenders. Main findings include that Breivik was portrayed as an individual, unlike the Kouachi brothers who were portrayed as part of a larger group as well as the fact that the brothers in a high degree were linked to Islam. The study concludes that Swedish press differentiates Muslim and non-Muslim perpetrators. Media affect people’s actions and thoughts and ought to affect how authorities treat this group and it’s therefore important for social workers to be critical of media reporting’s in order to meet clients individually, rather than in a generalising manner