Date of Award
Spring 2018
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Mass Communication and Journalism
School
Communication
Committee Chair
Mary L. Sheffer
Committee Chair Department
Mass Communication and Journalism
Committee Member 2
Vanessa D. Murphree
Committee Member 2 Department
Mass Communication and Journalism
Committee Member 3
Jae-Hwa Shin
Committee Member 3 Department
Mass Communication and Journalism
Committee Member 4
Troy Gibson
Committee Member 4 Department
Political Science, International Development, and International Affairs
Committee Member 5
Fei Xue
Committee Member 5 Department
Mass Communication and Journalism
Abstract
This dissertation work seeks to analyze the implications of government and independent owned media outlets framing democracy in the Republic of Moldova from 1991 until 2014. Existing literature reports on the decisive role media played in the process of democratization when referring to former Soviet republics. To understand the role Moldovan media played in the democratization process, the author applied content analysis of three print publications and one televised news program to examine Moldova’s democracy between 1991 and 2014.
The sample consisted of 346 Mesager script news stories aired on the public TV station in Moldova, and 608 newspaper articles and editorials printed in three national newspapers, Glasul Națiunii, Timpul de Dimineață and Moldova Suverană.
The findings indicate that each news outlet framed democracy differently, mainly depending on the medium’s political interests and policies. Glasul Națiunii associated democracy with Moldova reuniting with Romania. Moldova Suverană as a government publication presented democracy positively, while as an independent publication framed democracy negatively. Timpul de Dimineață endorsed a balanced agenda when it came to presenting democracy to the Moldovan people and referred to both, positive and negative portrayals. Overall, the message on democracy evolved from a positive frame with Moldovan people welcoming the new governance system, to a negative frame indicating Moldova’s democracy stagnation.
Copyright
2018, Ecaterina Stepaniuc
Recommended Citation
Stepaniuc, Ecaterina, "Media Framing of Moldova’s Democracy Between 1991 and 2014" (2018). Dissertations. 1526.
https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/1526