Focusing on the European migration crisis of 2015, the paper analysed the media framing of recent worldwide crises, and develops theoretical and practical understanding of how single stand-alone events have the ability to change the narrative of media coverage. The same paper was also runner up for ‘Best Paper’ for the Academy of Management Journal for 2021.
"We were both enormously grateful for and humbled by this award. Janina was a doctoral student when we developed the idea and wrote the paper," said John Amis.
"It stemmed from our joint concern with the European migration crisis in 2015 and particularly the number of people dying in the Mediterranean. When the picture of Alan Kurdi, washed up on a beach in Turkey, was published, it fundamentally changed the debate in the UK, with the framing of the crisis shifting from ‘how do we control these economic migrants who are coming to take our jobs and school places?’ to ‘what can we do to help these poor people?’. We were fascinated by how quickly this shift took place. This allowed us a theoretical entry point from which we were able to uncover why that picture in particular was so impactful. In so doing, we were able to further understanding of how emotions play a pivotal role in the framing of issues, particularly those involving images."
Read the full paper
Klein, Janina, & Amis, John M. 2021. . Academy of Management Journal, 64: 1324-1354.
John Amis is the Chair in Strategic Management & Organisation and Head of Strategy Group at the University of Edinburgh Business School.