Coverage of tolerance towards ethnical minorities in Latvian regional press | Iecietības pret etniskajām minoritātēm atspoguļojums Latvijas reģionālajā presē
2011
Skunstins, E., Latvia | Kusis, J., Latvia Univ. of Agriculture, Jelgava (Latvia)
The aim of this article is to describe the coverage of societal tolerance towards ethnic minorities in regional newspapers of Latvia published in the Latvian language. The research object is Latvian regional newspapers in the Latvian language, and the research subject is the coverage of the societal tolerance towards ethnic minorities. The research hypothesis is that the Latvian regional newspapers, which are printed in the Latvian language, portray the ethnic minorities positively. This research gives a sample of the Latvian regional press coverage of tolerance towards ethnic minorities. The research was conducted by an empirical quantitative method – content analysis. One newspaper from each of the four regions of Latvia was chosen for the analysis: “Kurzemes Vards” (Kurzeme), “Zemgales Zinas” (Zemgale), “Liesma” (Vidzeme), and “Latgales Laiks” in Latgale. The popularity and high readership were the main selection criteria for the newspapers. The results from the study show that portrayals of ethnic minorities are not a popular theme in the regional newspapers. The main attention is devoted to cultural, economic and social aspects of the minority lives. Tolerance or intolerance towards ethnic minorities is reported comparatively rarely. A neutral position is a characteristic feature of all the above newspapers. This would mean that they are very attentive and careful in their approach and assessment of the minorities who reside in Latvia.
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