TY - BOOK

T1 - The WTO Agenda and the Media Agenda

T2 - Villains, Victims, and the International Press Coverage of the Doha Development Agenda Negotiations

AU - Andersen, Rune Saugmann

AU - Skjoldan, Lasse

PY - 2009

Y1 - 2009

N2 - This book is based on a quantitative content analysis of the press coverage of the World TradeOrganisation (WTO) negotiations as it unfolded in 776 newspaper articles from Argentina, India, Spain,the UK, and the US during four Ministerial Conferences of the so-called ‘Doha Development Agenda’(DDA) negotiations.While the DDA was set off in 2001 and was intended to be concluded by the end of 2004, themultilateral negotiations are in the end of 2007 still short of agreement. This thesis conceives of themedia agenda as an important factor influencing trade policy formation and trade negotiation in theWTO. Combining elements from agenda-setting and institutional media theory, the study examineswhich issues and themes have been covered (priming) and from which angles these issue have beencovered (framing). In particular, this thesis investigates the degree to which this priming and framingseems to be institutionalised across time (the four summits) and across space (the five countries).Using stable trends in coverage as indications of institutionalisation the thesis concludes that the pressagendas are highly institutionalised across both time and space. This is so because: A) From mentioningseveral purpose-definitions of what the DDA talks are about, the press in both G20 and OECDcountries has narrowed down its purpose-definitions to only two: liberalisation and development for the poor.B) In all countries, it is increasingly the same themes and issues, namely Breakdown or breakthrough andagriculture that dominate the press agendas. C) The most covered issues are in all countries framed withan increasing bias in favour of liberalisation. D) The poor are in all countries framed as the sole victims of alack of liberalisation, and E) the rich are in all countries framed as the ones who should liberalise.When this particular press coverage of the DDA is highly institutionalised, it means that it will be stickyand less prone to change. And because the media agenda is taken to affect the WTO agenda, the actorswho are (dis)advantaged from this particular coverage in the press will likely continue to be so sometime into the future.

AB - This book is based on a quantitative content analysis of the press coverage of the World TradeOrganisation (WTO) negotiations as it unfolded in 776 newspaper articles from Argentina, India, Spain,the UK, and the US during four Ministerial Conferences of the so-called ‘Doha Development Agenda’(DDA) negotiations.While the DDA was set off in 2001 and was intended to be concluded by the end of 2004, themultilateral negotiations are in the end of 2007 still short of agreement. This thesis conceives of themedia agenda as an important factor influencing trade policy formation and trade negotiation in theWTO. Combining elements from agenda-setting and institutional media theory, the study examineswhich issues and themes have been covered (priming) and from which angles these issue have beencovered (framing). In particular, this thesis investigates the degree to which this priming and framingseems to be institutionalised across time (the four summits) and across space (the five countries).Using stable trends in coverage as indications of institutionalisation the thesis concludes that the pressagendas are highly institutionalised across both time and space. This is so because: A) From mentioningseveral purpose-definitions of what the DDA talks are about, the press in both G20 and OECDcountries has narrowed down its purpose-definitions to only two: liberalisation and development for the poor.B) In all countries, it is increasingly the same themes and issues, namely Breakdown or breakthrough andagriculture that dominate the press agendas. C) The most covered issues are in all countries framed withan increasing bias in favour of liberalisation. D) The poor are in all countries framed as the sole victims of alack of liberalisation, and E) the rich are in all countries framed as the ones who should liberalise.When this particular press coverage of the DDA is highly institutionalised, it means that it will be stickyand less prone to change. And because the media agenda is taken to affect the WTO agenda, the actorswho are (dis)advantaged from this particular coverage in the press will likely continue to be so sometime into the future.

M3 - Book

SN - 87-91522-10-2

BT - The WTO Agenda and the Media Agenda

PB - Forlaget Politiske Studier

CY - Kbh.

ER -