Migrants in Italian Spectacular Jornalism. Fuel for Racism?

Abstract

The role played by newsmedia in the perception of the Other is central in a democracy because the foreigner-enemy frame and the description of the migratory phenomenon as a menace offered by journalism may contribute to the spread of racism and influence migration policies in order to ensure safety. In this paper I will underline the presence of some linguistic strategies used by Italian newsmedia to present migrants as a danger and will put them in connection with infotainment logic and the new flow of direct digital communication between individuals and leaders.