Framing Theory and Journalism

Abstract

Framing research on news and journalism rests on the metatheoretical proposition that framing is an integrative concept. Doing framing analysis does not presuppose a universal theoretical framework or a unified conceptual definition of “frame” and “framing.” Working in light of three paradigmatic approaches, researchers draw from and subsequently refine various theoretical frameworks in order to investigate connections among the four main types of frames and to demonstrate framing effects on social entities on the individual, organizational, and cultural levels. Although researchers conduct news framing research on myriad topics, on the level where they study frame type(s) via theory integration, two main agendas stand out: audience frames shape opinion formation and journalist frames shape issue cultures.