Steibel, F. and Marinkova, M. orcid.org/0000-0003-4875-6483 (2013) Positive, negative or neutral? The “appraisal” variable in content analyzes studies of the media. E-Compós, 16 (2). ISSN: 1808-2599
Abstract
This article interrogates the assumption that media content analyzes based on mixed-method research are free of contradictions. We argue that when qualitative and quantitative methods are used simultaneously, the different research paradigms applied in the process cannot be reconciled in a bid to produce consistency. In order to do this, we review in this paper the findings and methodology of a project funded by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency on the coverage of migrants and minorities in the UK press. Focusing more specifically on the codification and interpretation of the Appraisal variable used in the project, we investigate how its subjective definition and challenging quantification are indicative of some of the problems of consistency accompanying the intersection of qualitative and quantitative approaches to content analysis. In this sense, we do not dismiss the potential of mixedmethod research to deliver insightful findings, but warn against the mechanical application of cross-paradigmatic approaches, and argue that the gaps and inconsistencies exposed by different paradigms can reveal more about the ambivalence of media representation than their uncritical synchronization can.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | Mixed methods, Content analysis, Journalism, Human rights |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Languages Cultures & Societies (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 31 Jul 2025 09:19 |
Last Modified: | 31 Jul 2025 09:19 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Compós |
Identification Number: | 10.30962/ec.v16i2.928 |
Sustainable Development Goals: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:229694 |