A Diverse View on Diversity: Four Clusters of the Press and Hypotheses Derived from the Worlds of Journalism Study Comparing Belgium to Sweden

This study presents an integration of two yet uncombined databases, and derives new clusters and hypotheses from this comparison. The Migrant Integration Policy Index gives an account of the level of integration policy in 38 mainly Western countries. A score ranging from 1 to 100 is attributed to each country. The Worlds of Journalism Study presents an analysis of the role conceptions of professional journalists throughout the world, including a variable measuring the extent to which journalists conceive promoting tolerance and cultural diversity as one of their tasks. The hypothesis that journalists will be more supportive of cultural diversity in societies with a more diversity oriented policy proves to be untrue, as no significant linear correlation could be found. Cluster analysis however reveals four clusters: high MIPEX & high tolerance, high MIPEX & low tolerance, low MIPEX and high tolerance, low MIPEX and low tolerance. Sweden and Belgium, key countries in the IMMEDIATE project on refugees and/in the media, are clearly situated in different clusters. A closer comparison between the journalism cultures of Sweden and Belgium reveals that the watchdog role of journalism is more developed in Sweden, compared to Belgium, next to the tolerance promoting role. Hypotheses about the consequences of the tolerance role and the watchdog role for journalistic content analysis on refugees are discussed.status: publishe