International Media Studies (M.A)

Master Thesis

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree “Master of Arts”

Syrian Refugees in Germany:

A Content Analysis of Daily National and Regional Newspapers in Germany

First Supervisor: Dr. Ulrike Butmaloiu

Second Supervisor: Almuth Schellpeper

Submitted on: 16.07.2015

By: Ahmad Al Tayep

Student Number: 9020922

Address: Biberweg 8

63457 Hanau

Abstract

According to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) 42,500 people were

displaced every day in 2014. The civil war in Syria has been the biggest single driver of

movement worldwide. In the Middle East, 7,6 million Syrians have taken the road within Syria as

refugees, and more than 4 million Syrians have become refugees/asylum seekers in neighboring

Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. Thousands of Syrians flee Middle East to the European Union in

general, and Germany in particular. The former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi

Atta Annan tweeted on the 20th of June 2015-World Refugee Day-saying that it is time to accept

the reality that the ebb and flow of human movement cannot be stopped.

German print media is a principle source of information to readers on Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers in Germany. Print press sheds lights on German support, motivates Germans to welcome

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, and to assist them in finding peace and safety in their new home.

This research provides results from four German newspapers-two national and two regional-for

deploying the prevalent editorial themes on Syrian refugees/asylum seekers and reflect how

German newspapers deal with these issues in the daily editorial practice. The analysis focuses on

resettlement issues, official/non-official initiatives, integration, critique and Sympathy for Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers in Germany on national and regional levels.

The study is based on qualitative content analysis during an important period in the Syrian

humanitarian tragedy targeting from national newspapers: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and

Süddeutsche Zeitung, and from regional newspapers: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger and Sächsische

Zeitung in order to reveal how Syrian refugees/asylum seekers are presented in the German print

media.

Note: This research is referring to both Syrian refugees and asylum seekers as the selected

newspapers reported on these people without mentioning the difference between the above

mentioned status. For further explanation concerning the difference between these two terms,

please look at Terms and Definition on page: (9).

II

Table of Contents

List of abbreviations........................................................................................................... VI

1 Introduction...................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Context........................................................................................................................ 3

1.2 State of research......................................................................................................... 5

1.3 Mythology and limitation.......................................................................................... 6

1.4 Category codebook................................................................................................... 8

1.5 Terms and definitions................................................................................................. 9

1.6 Structure...................................................................................................................... 10

2 Syria................................................................................................................................... 11

2.1 Syria from sociological and political perspectives..................................................... 12

2.2 Social conflicts in Syria.............................................................................................. 14

2.2.1 Syrian revolution and break of violence.................................................................. 15

2.2.2 Syrian war and atrocious of the conflicts................................................................. 17

2.3 Arrival of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers to Germany.............................................. 19

2.3.1 Background information on Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany.............. 21

2.3.2 Motivation for Germany........................................................................................... 22

2.3.3 Distribution of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany................................... 24

3 German media landscape................................................................................................ 25

3.1 History, ownership, policy of print Media in Germany............................................. 26

3.2 German national newspapers...................................................................................... 30

3.2.1 Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung............................................................................... 31

III

3.2.2 Süddeutsche Zeitung................................................................................................ 33

3.3 German regional newspapers...................................................................................... 35

3.3.1 Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger.............................................................................................. 36

3.3.2 Sächsische Zeitung................................................................................................... 37

4 Media in theory................................................................................................................. 37

4.1 Gate keeping and agenda setting................................................................................. 39

4.1.1 Priming and framing................................................................................................. 41

4.1.2 Newsworthy and interest group................................................................................ 43

4.1.3 Honesty and independence of media........................................................................ 45

4.2 Media ethical responsibility........................................................................................ 46

4.2.1 Impartiality and fairness in media............................................................................ 48

4.2.2 Respect for human dignity in media........................................................................ 49

4.2.3 Effect of media on the society.................................................................................. 49

4.3 Random sampling and findings................................................................................... 50

5 Study analysis of national newspapers........................................................................... 55

5.1 Content scrutiny.......................................................................................................... 55

5.2 German government and Syrian refugees/asylum seekers.......................................... 57

5.3 Reporting disaster and displaying sympathy............................................................... 60

5.4 Critique of German effort............................................................................................ 63

5.5 Further support for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers................................................... 65

5.6 Voices of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers.................................................................. 68

5.7 Overall language of the articles................................................................................... 70

IV

6 Study analysis of regional newspapers........................................................................... 72

6.1 Content scrutiny.......................................................................................................... 72

6.2 German metropolises and Syrian refugees/asylum seekers........................................ 74

6.3 Integration of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers............................................................ 79

6.4 Dispersal of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers.............................................................. 81

6.5 Solidarity for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers............................................................ 84

6.6 Germany versus Syria................................................................................................. 87

6.7 Overall language of the articles................................................................................... 89

7 Conclusion......................................................................................................................... 92

Bibliography........................................................................................................................ 96

Appendix.............................................................................................................................. 113

V

List of abbreviations

BAMF Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge

DRK Deutsches Rotes Kreuz

EU European Union

FAZ Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

FMR Forced Migration Review

FRG Federal Republic of Germany

GDR German Democratic Republic

ISIS Islamic State in Iraq and Syria

KSTA Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger

ME Middle East

NGOs Non-Governmental Organizations

NRW North Rhine-Westphalia

SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany

SV Süddeutscher Verlag

SZ1 Süddeutsche Zeitung

SZ2 Sächsische Zeitung

UN United Nations

UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

USA United States of America

Note: Both newspapers-Süddeutsche Zeitung and Sächsische Zeitung-have the same

abbreviations (SZ). Therefore, Süddeutsche Zeitung is referred to in this research as (SZ1),

whereas; Sächsische Zeitung is abbreviated with (SZ2).

VI

1 Introduction

Displacement in Syria's modern time dates back to the era of Syria's former president

Hafez al-Assad.1 Assad's regime displaced many Syrians in the 1980s after massacre in

February 19822, after a popular armed uprising by the Muslim Brotherhood in the country

against the ruling regime.3 After suffocating the uprising, Syrian security intelligence

started to intimidate Syrians under the pretext of being members of Muslim brotherhood or

armed opposition militants. The security apparatus has forced thousands of Syrians to flee,

some Syrians have left to neighboring countries peculiarly to Jordan and Iraq. Whereas,

others retreated to Europe in general, and former Federal Republic of Germany (FRG)

West Germany in particular. In that time, the fleeing moves were encouraged by the

German asylum law and the strong presence of Arab immigrants in Germany.4 In

December 2010, the Arab spring started in many countries across the Middle East. On 15 th

of March 2011, civil uprising erupted in Syria calling for political change and more

freedom, and gradually protests intensified, Syrian regime cracked down massively on the

protestors, thus; with each passing day more and more civilians were shot dead.5

The daily skirmishes between the regime and the rebels have turned millions of civilians

into homeless people. Yearly, the Syrian war registers an exponential growth in numbers of

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in the world. In 2012, 100,000 Syrians were registered as

refugee/asylum seekers in the Middle East (ME). By April 2013, the number of Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers reached 800,000. The precedent numbers doubled to 1,6 million

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in less than four months. Currently, there is an estimated

number of more than three million Syrian refugees/asylum seekers scattered in the Middle

East. The Syrian humanitarian crisis is expected to be the largest refugee crisis in the

world.6 This crisis is not only limited to Middle Eastern countries, but also to the European

countires as thousands of Syrians have taken dangerous adventures to reach the European

Union (EU). Since March 2011, 123,600 Syrians asked for asylum in the EU. In 2012,

51,500 applications were submitted by Syrians. These numbers grew bigger as 30,700

1 Hafez al-Assad was a Syrian statesman, politician and general who was President of Syria from 1971 to 2000.

2 The massacre was in the Syrian city of Hama north west of Syria. The massacre is also known as Hama massacre.

3 See Wiedl, Kathrin Nina (2007): The Hama Massacre-Reasons, Supporters of the Rebellion, Consequences. Munchen: GRIN Verlag, p. 3.

4 See Ibid., p. 5.5 See Lesch, David W (2012). Syria: The Fall of the House of Assad. New Haven, Conn.: Yale UP, p. 94.6 See Mercycorps.org (2015): Quick Facts: What You Need to Know about the Syria

Crisis.https://www.mercycorps.org/articles/turkey-iraq-jordan-lebanon-syria/quick-facts-what-you-need-know-about-syria-crisis, retrieved on: 5. March 2015.

1

Syrian requested asylum in the EU. In 2014, The number of Syrian asylum seekers in the

EU expanded greatly between January and May 2014 because of the continuous massive

war in the ME. Yet, only four per cent of these asylum applications were accepted in the

EU7 Germany is among the top five Syrian refugees/asylum seekers hosting countries-

Sweden, Germany, Bulgaria, Switzerland and the Netherlands-Germany is regarded as a

pioneer country in hosting Syrian refugees/asylum seekers among European Union

countries.8

The question of welcoming Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany brought

arguments for or against it among German politicians and debate along the last four years.

“Der Fraktionsvorsitzende der CDU-Bundestagsfraktion Volker Kauder sagte, es

müsse an einem Aufnah-meprogramm für syrische Flüchtlinge gearbeitet werden.

Auch Außenminister Guido Westerwelle (FDP) und die Integrationsbeauftragte der

Bundes-regierung Maria Böhmer (CDU) schlossen dies nicht aus. Philipp Mißfelder

(CDU) plädierte dafür, vor allem christliche Flüchtlinge ins Land zu lassen.” 9

New major political development in the world order have taken place: The emergence of

Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) along the high level of expected terrorist attacks

have forced German politicians to think twice before taking an official decision regarding

welcoming Syrian refugees in Germany. Upon these concerns, Germans have been

divided. Some German politicians and citizens call on supporting vulnerable Syrians and

offering them the right of asylum in Germany, while others have expressed that the support

of the neighboring countries should be sufficient enough. In August 2012, German

parliament witnessed a harsh debate between these two opposite opinions.10

This research sheds light on the representation of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in the the

German newspapers. This analysis focuses on the press coverage of four newspapers-two

national newspapers and two regional newspapers-from 15.03.2011 until 31.12.2014.

7 See The UN Refugee Agency (2014): UNHCR Urges Europe to Do More for Syrian Refugees. http://www.unhcr.org/53bfa7719. html, retrieved on: 3. March 2015.

8 See Ibid.9 Deutschland/Syrien: Debatte Um Flüchtlinge (11. September 2012). Bundeszentrale Für Politische

Bildung. http ://www.bpb.de/gesellschaft/migration/newsletter/144213/debatte-um-fluechtlinge, retrieved on: 5. July 2015.

10 See Entwicklungen Im Asyl-Und Flüchtlingsrecht (2014): 10.Bericht Der Beauftragten Der Bundesregierung Fur Migration, Fluchtlinge Und Integration Uber Die Lage Der Auslanderinnen Und Auslander in Deutschland. Berlin: Beauftragte Der Bundesregierung Fur Migration, Fluchtlinge Und Integration, p. 510.

2

1.1 Context

Experts reviewed the German media landscape profoundly in 2014, and researchers

pointed to both the power and the importance of the German daily newspapers.“German

newspapers are attempting to reach international audiences, and increase their readership

and influence, by publishing in the English language.”11 The conducted study on the media

landscape showed that Germany has the biggest press market in Europe and the fifth press

market in the world. On the whole, Germany has 329 daily newspapers. A handful of

sound studies present evidence that German citizens rely on newspapers for actualization.

Germany sells 17,45 million copies per day, reaching 45,5 million citizens over the age of

14 just through traditional version of printed newspapers. Moreover, 27,7 percent of

Germans read electronic newspapers. This means, 56,6 million of Germans are informed

through newspapers. Interpreted, this number means that 80,5 milion of German speaking

people have a daily contact with newspapers.12

Thomas Jefferson, the founding father of United States of America, says that newspapers

have a very good role in educating the public and documenting the history of a nation,

once he said:

“I really look with commiseration over the great body of my fellow citizens who,

reading newspapers, live and die in the belief that they have known something of

what has been passing in the world in their time, whereas the accounts they have

read in newspapers are just as true a history of any other period of the world as of the

present, except that the real names of the day are affixed to their fables. General facts

may indeed be collected from them [...] but no details can be relied on.”13

Like many other refugee nations in Germany, Syrian refugees/asylum seekers only appear

in German print as adjunct to the German local news except when the scale of the news is

great. The reporting about Syrian refugees/asylum seekers can be tracked back to the

beginning of the Syrian conflict in the early March of 2011, when Syrians went on the

streets to protest against Bashar al-Assad.

11 Nazhmidinova, Rukhshona (18. September 2012): English Language Newspapers in Germany. In: European Journalism Observatory. http://en.ejo.ch/media-economics/handelsblatt-global-english-language-newspapers-germany, retrieved on: 7. July 2015.

12 See Die Deutschen Zeitungen in Zahlen Und Daten 2014 (2014). Bundesverband Deutscher Zeitungdverlag. Haus Der Presse, p.5-14.

http://www.bdzv.de/fileadmin/bdzv_hauptseite/markttrends_daten/wirtschaftliche_lage/2014/assets/ZDF_2014.pdf, retrieved on: 6. March 2015.13 Jefferson, Thomas (n.d). Letter XL V III To John Norvel. In: Memoir, Correspondence, and Miscellanies

from the Papers of T. Jefferson. Vol. 3-4. Charlottesville: F. Carr, 1829, p. 81.

3

“Im September dieses Jahres waren es bereits 301. Auch insgesamt steigen die

Asylbewerberzahlen. Auf dem Tiefpunkt 2007 stellen gut 19000 Menschen erstmals

einen Asylantrag, vergangenes Jahr 41300 und in den ersten neun Monaten dieses

Jahres gut 32400-ein weiterer steiler Anstieg. Mittlerweile ist Syrien nach

Afghanistan, Irak und Iran das Land, aus dem die meisten Asylbewerber

stammen.”14

The Syrian conflict attested the escalation of violence in 2012 as the country descended

into a bloody civil war. Fighting brigades have been formed to battle the governmental

forces Assad's Army. This phase is marked by many cries in Germany for helping Syrian

civilians. Even some German politicians have called on support for Syrians.

“Außenminister Guido Westerwelle (FDP) hat die Bereitschaft der Bundesregierung

signalisiert, syrische Flüchtlinge aufzunehmen. 'Deutschland ist grundsätzlich bereit, auch

syrische Flüchtlinge aufzunehmen'.”15

In 2013, the German newspapers attempted to prop-up the case of Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers by pressuring German decision makers, and calling for more support for the

vulnerable Syrians.

“Die Aufnahmequote für Sachsen liegt bei rund fünf Prozent. Bei mehr als sechs Millionen

Menschen, die etwa vor dem Bürgerkrieg aus Syrien fliehen, finde ich die Anzahl von 765

neuen Zuweisungen sowieso beschämend.”16 Just 32,828 Syrian citizens have been granted

the right of asylum in Germany.17 Yet, more than 39,707 Syrians have applied for asylum

in Germany by the end of 2014.18

In sharp contrast to the prior years of press coverage regarding Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers, 2014 was marked by focus on problems of these displaced people. This year has a

good share of in-depth stories about Syrian refugees/asylum seekers who look forward to

rebuilding a new life in Germany.

“Matroud19 spricht bislang nur wenige Worte Deutsch, und das, sagt er, sei für ihn

14 Preuß, Roland (26. October 2011). Weit Weg Vom Folterknast: In: Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), p. 6. 15 Mehr Syrische Asylbewerber (17. October 2012). In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), p. 4. 16 Das Ist Beschämend (30. December 2013). In: Sächsische Zeitung (SZ), p. 20. 17 Your Inquiry Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (9. January 2015). Message to the author. E-

mail. Büro des Präsidenten Presse/Öffentlichkeitsarbeit Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge Frankenstraße 210, 90461 Nürnberg.

18 Your Inquiry Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (27. February 2015). Message to the author. E-mail. Büro des Präsidenten Presse/Öffentlichkeitsarbeit Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge Frankenstraße 210, 90461 Nürnberg.

19 Matroud is a celebrated Syrian painter, he has come to Germany in the early beginning of 2014 by the initiative for Syrian artists by Heinrich Böll House.

4

das größte Problem: 'Die Abwesenheit einer gemeinsamen Sprache. Ich brauche

diesen 'cultural support', diese kulturelle und gesellschaftliche Teilhabe, um kreativ

zu sein. Ich möchte ein Teil des Landes sein, in dem ich lebe, doch ich verstehe die

Menschen nicht, und sie verstehen mich nicht.' Über Facebook hält er Kontakt zu

den Freunden und Verwandten in Syrien.”20

After underlining the context, this research investigates almost four years of German

newspapers' coverage of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany. The conducted

research analyzes German newspapers from the first day of Syrian crisis (15.03.2011) and

until (31.12.2014) within various social and political events that occurred inside and

outside Germany. This study accounts for discursive representation of the target group

through detailed textual analysis of the four selected newspapers; aiming to provide a

rough historical mapping of the different ways German newspapers have represented

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers to the reader. The research takes in consideration the

differences and similarities among a variety of newspapers in terms of formats and

ideological associations (National Newspapers in comparison to Regional Newspapers).

1.2 State of research

The deteriorating humanitarian situation of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers worldwide

comes along the key motivation of carrying out this research. Before conducting this study,

research on Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany has been carried out in the archive

of Universitäts und Landesbibliothek in the city of Bonn and the library of Bonn Rhein-

Sieg. The research examined furthermore, the publications of Bundesamt für Migration

und Flüchtlinge (BAMF) German Immigration and Refugee Authority on Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers in addition to other publications on the internet issued by research

centers and organizations concerned with refugees and immigration: Pro-Asyl, Forced

Migration Review (FMR), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),

and Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (DRK) German Red Cross. The results of this research showed

that the available studies are limited only to: Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in the Middle

East and Europe, Syrian war, studies about how media reports on refugees/asylum seekers,

analysis of the impact of immigration on Germany, policies toward Syrians refugees,

German public opinion on immigration and integration, racism, policies of anti-

20 Pluwatsch, Peter (29. May 2014): Träume Sind Stärker Als Tyrannen. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA), p. 24.

5

discrimination, and integration. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is no single study

or review about how German media in general and print media in particular reports on

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany. This research enhances the value of the news

that gatekeepers considered in the selected newspapers during news selection process.

According to perspective of news selection theory, Syrian refugees/asylum seekers' news

and stories are of great importance, as they are listed among important news and events

carrying humanitarian dimensions.21

Such topics are important to the press; as newspapers employee such humanitarian stories

in leading features-news stories-about vast communities facing catastrophe. Here the

reader with such sensitive humanitarian stories is encouraged to use the cinema of the

mind for identifying himself/herself with the plight of the helpless and the hopeless people,

to imagine the suffering and vulnerability of others.22 This art of reporting puts important

emphasis on human-interest stories that centers on the emotional and sympathetic stories.

The present research gives an answer to the question: How Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

are presented in the German print media?

The initial idea for this research is illuminated by frequent observation of print media in

Germany on national and regional levels. The following issues are also considered in

addition to questions addressed by this research: German print coverage is not balanced

and the stories about Syrian refugees/asylum seekers are limited to extraordinary

news/events that catch. In addition to that; the coverage differs depending on the type of

the newspaper. These points expose how German newspapers-National and Regional- deal

with Syrian refugees/Syrian asylum seekers in Germany.

1.3 Methodology and limitation

The reseach articles were gathered from four different newspapers from 15.03.2011 until

31.12.2014 as previously mentioned. Four newspapers were analyzed: two top reading

national newspapers-Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) and Süddeutsche Zeitung

(SZ1)-due to the power of reach and position and the perceived credibility which both

newspapers enjoy among German speaking people.

21 See Ger, Ludwig (2010). Rumor-More or Less at Home: On Theories of News Value in the 20th Century. Media, Culture, and Mediality: New Insights into the Current State of Research. Bielefeld: Transcript, p. 102.

22 See Machin, David, and Sarah Niblock (2006). Humanitarian Reporting. News Production: Theory and Practice. London: Routledge, p. 120.

6

“The liberal Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) is one of the largest dailies published in

German. With a circulation of approximately 450.000, the Munich-based SZ reaches

over 1.1 million readers daily. The more conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine

Zeitung (FAZ) is published daily with approximately 400,000 copies in Frankfurt am

Main.”23

That makes up this study about Syrian refugees/asylum seekers of sound account in these

two national newspapers. Moreover, the two regional newspapers-Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger

(KSTA) and Sächsische Zeitung (SZ2)-were selected for this analysis. Both regional

newspapers are published in two largest urban regions. (KSTA) in North Rhine-Westphalia

(NRW) and (SZ2) in the Free State of Saxony. NRW has the biggest quota of Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers24, whereas; the Free state of Saxony has the smallest number of

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers25 which makes the analysis between two different regions

in numbers of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers of huge interest for revealing the similarities

and differences in the daily editorial practice.

The (105) articles of this research were retrieved from Deutsche Welle's press archive,

Westdeutscher Rundfunk's archive, Genios' archive, Universitäts-und Landesbibliothek's

archive in Bonn city, and Institut für Zeitungsforschung der Stadt Dortmund in Dortmund

city based on the search terms: Syrien, Flüchtling, Asyl, Asylantrag, and Asylant, in

addition to other terms Syrische Krise, and Syrischer Krieg; for collecting good number of

articles from the four selected newspapers. Once the initial search results were pared down

to only the articles that met up with the criteria focusing on Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers in Germany, (39) articles from national newspapers were subjected to the research

in addition to additional (66) articles from regional newspapers.

The selected articles were analyzed by using critical discourse analysis based on the

qualitative content analysis methodological approach. Critical discourse analysis is not

only a description and interpretation of text in the social context, but it is an explanation of

how discourse mechanism does function. Many approach may be encompassed under

critical discourse analysis calculating on the nature of the research, the data, and other

mitigating factors, as long as they reveal the structures and language of the text.26 The

23 The Media in the German Speaking Countries (n.d). In: Online Resources. The University of Chicago|Department of Germanic Studies. ht tps: //german.uchicago.edu/lin s k/media, retrieved on: 5. July 2015.

24 See Ibid,. Your Inquiry Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (9. January 2015).25 See Ibid.26 See Dijk van, Teun (2001). Critical discourse analysis. In: Deborah Tannen, Deborah Schiffrin & Heidi

Hamilton (Eds.), Handbook of discourse analysis. In: Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 352-371.

7

qualitative content analysis methodology has been applied here in an in-depth analysis of

the collected articles. This approach focused in this direction on texts-articles-including

discussions, interviews, quotations, and observations. Which is of great importance for this

research as the analysis is based on contents of newspapers. Thus, this method shows how

articles are written and given meaning, enabling the analysis to obtain a deep description

of how an event or news related to Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany were

experienced by the editorial boards of the selected four newspapers. Qualitative content

analysis is viewed as: “Focus on interpretation rather than quantification; an emphasis on

subjectivity rather than objectivity; flexibility in the process of conducting research; an

orientation towards process rather than outcome; a concern with context”27, as defined by

Paul Brewerton and Lynne Millward.

As it is the case with this research, readers need to consider the presented results within the

context of limitations, the research had no access to all the articles in full newspaper copies

specifically in the fourth quarter of of 2014. Both regional newspapers Kölner Stadt-

Anzeiger and Sächsische Zeitung were not available in hard copies neither in Universitäts-

und Landesbibliothek's archive in Bonn city, or in the Institut für Zeitungsforschung der

Stadt Dortmund in Dortmund city. The editorial board of Sächsische Zeitung was not

collaborative in addition to that the head of the archive in Sächsische Zeitung is not easy to

approach as the archive excuses itself for not being ready to help by stating that it is not

the job of the archive to help students or researchers in obtaining information. Addressing

and answering the specific questions of this study generated more questions that need to be

explored through further research. Most importantly, and with respect to the current

research, readers need to remember that the research is clearly specific to only Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers in Germany, and how they are presented in the German print

media.

1.4 Category codebook

The applied codebook is describing and analyzing the content, structure, and layout of the

collected articles. The codebook28 of this research is made of (27) comprehensive

categories addressing the following points: sourcing, date, headline, page number,

cateogry, visualization, favorability, motivation, quotations, German politicians and

27 Brewerton, Paul, and Lynne Millward (2001). Applying Social Science to the Real World. In: Organizational Research Methods: A Guide for Students and Researchers. London: SAGE, 2001, p. 12.

28 The codebook is found on page (114)

8

government, main character in the article, and presentation of the main character of the

article. Each of the above mentioned points coincide with a range of sub-categories

assigned to the articles. The selected articles were interpreted at first by implementing the

codebook on (20) percent of the selected articles. (21) articles for expanding the

understanding of the selected articles and assuring the validity of the codebook. A

reliability test was carried out by appling the codebook again after two weeks on the same

selected articles and comparing the results between the two conducted coding processes.

The results showed that the codebook is reliable. Thus, it was adopted for coding the

whole selected articles of this research. In addition, one extra-coder29 was assigned for

coding the selected articles, just in case the article is not clear for the researcher, to insure

understanding of the selected patterns by the research. The whole articles wre coded by the

codebook as preparation for this research. This process was continued until the analysis of

the articles was done. A reliability test for the codebook was carried out through and psot

the coding process. Once the codebook is ready, the collected data were interperated at

first and adopted as preliminary results. After this research is achieved, the collected data

were coded further by applying the same mechanism. The results were compared with

each other to assure accuracy. The final results of the coded pieces were adopted for this

research.

1.5 Terms and definitions

Different terms are used to describe Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. This terms have a

specific legal meanings. Understanding the terms corrctly is an important way in order to

treat vulnerable Syrian refugees/asylum seekers with the due respect. The following terms

are associated directly with the research.

Refugee is defined by 1951 Refugee Convention as someone suffering from anxiety of

being persecuted for reasons of religion, race, nationality, membership of a particular

social and ethnic group, or political opinion. He/she is outside his/her country, and owing

to fear. He/she is unwilling to avail himself/herself because of the protection of that

country.30

Asylum seeker is person who claims he/she is a refugee, but whose status has not yet been

definitively evaluated.31 The terms asylum-seeker and refugee are often confused togather.

29 Sophia Hoffman, a German journalist and a researcher.30 See Refugees. In: The United Nations Human Rights Council.

http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c125.html, retrieved on 11. March 2015.31 See Asylum-Seekers. In: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

9

Resettlement refugee is the transfer of refugee from a State in which he/she has sought

asylum to a third State that has previously agreed to admit him/her as a refugee and grant

him/her a form of legal status, with the possibility of acquiring future citizenship.32

Temporary protection is an exceptional measure to provide a displaced person due to an

armed conflict and unable to return to his/her home, with immediate and temporary

protection. It applies when the standard of asylum procedure is struggling to deal with

demand stemming from a mass influx that risks having an adverse impact on the

processing of claims.33

Stateless person is a person who is not considered as a national by any State under the

operation of its law.34

Dublin Regulation sets the legal basis for establishing the criteria and mechanism for

regulating the member country responsible for studying an asylum application lodged in

one of the member states by a third country national or a stateless person. This mechanism

is known as the Dublin procedure; it applies to 32 countries which include the EU member

states in addition to Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.35

1.6 Structure

The structure of this study is divided into seven chapters, in which selected features will be

planned, explained, and analyzed. On the first chapter, the state of research regarding

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers has been drawn through explaining the importance of

newspapers in Germany in general and the selected papers in particular. Next, chapter two

follows introducing Syrian war and Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany into

details. Chapter three explains the mechanism of how news are selected and what criteria

are applied in the process of news selection by the editorial teams. The information on

German print media landscape will be set in chapter four, where information about the

selected newspapers of the study will be mentioned. Additionally, national and regional

http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c137.html, retrieved on:11. March 2015.32 See Resettlement. In: European Council on Refugees and Exiles. http://www.ecre.org/topics/areas-of-

work/resettlement.html, retrieved on:11. March 2015.33 See Gill, Guy S, and Jane McADAM (2007). Protection under Human Rights and General International

Law. In: The Refugee in International Law. Third ed. Oxfordshire: OXFORD UP, p. 340. 34 See Ibid., p. 68.35 See Dublin III Regulation (17. December 2014). Citizens Information Board. The Office of the Refugee

ApplicationsCommissioner (ORAC). http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving_country/asylum_seekers_and_refugees/the_asylum_process_in_ireland/dublin_convention.html, retrieved on: 11. March 2015.

10

newspapers will be explained and described with current examples in chapters five and six,

both chapters monitor and analyze national and regional newspapers of the selected

sampling of the research. The final chapter addresses the conclusion and answers the

research question.

2 Syria

Syria is formally known as the Syrian Arab Republic. It is centred in Western Asia,

neighboring Lebanon and the Mediterranean to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the

east, Kigndom of Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest. The capital is Damascus.

Syria has a rich ethnic landscape as the country is made up of Sunni Arabs the largest

ethno-religious group makes up approximately 65 percent of the population in addition to

Kurds of Sunni confession; they compose eight percent of the total population. Alawite

and Shia Islam represent only 13 percent of the population. 10 percent Christians, beside

other significant ethnic groups of Druze, Turkoman, and other ethnic groups.36

After the second World War, Syria became a French mandate. France administered Syria

until 1946. Since that time, Syria lacked political stability and experienced a string of

military coups during the first decade of independence. In February 1958, Syria united

with Egypte to form the United Arab Republic. In September 1961, the two nations

separated, and the Syrian Arab Republic was re-established as an independent country.37 In

November 1970, Hafez al-Assad, a member of the socialist Baath Party38 (ruling Syria

until today) and the minority Alawi community, confiscated the power in a military action

and brought political stability to Syria. Following the death of President Hafez al-Assad,

his son Bashar al-Assad was approved as a leader in July 2000. In May 2007, Bashar al-

Assad's second term as president was approved theoretically by a popular referendum.39 In

June 2014, Assad held presidential elections (the first multi-candidate election under

Assad family) and until today, Bashar al-Assad is recognized as legal president of Syria by

the international community.

36 See The Gangs of Syria. In: Harvard University/ Institute of Politics. Harvard IOP 2015 The President and Fellows of Harvard College. http://www.iop.harvard.edu/gangs-syria, retrieved on: 3. March 2015.

37 See Leukefeld, Karin (1. May 2011). Syria: A Historical Perspective on the Current Crisis. In: Global Research/ Center for Research on Globalization. http://www.globalresearch.ca/syria-a-historical-perspective-on-the-current-crisis/24568, retrieved on:12. March 2015.

38 Baath Party is also known as: The Arab Socialist Baath Party. It was founded on: 7. April 1947 in Syria. 39 See Central Intelligence Agency (20. June 2014): THE WORLD FACTBOOK/SYRIA.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sy.html, retrieved on: 12. March 2015.

11

2.1 Syria from sociological and political perspectives

Syrian society is found on a mosaic of social groups of various sizes that do not share the

same values and loyalties binding the country into one nation. Distinctions of languages,

religions, and ethnics produce a large number of separate communities, each marked by

strong internal loyalty and solidarity. Two thirds of Syrians are Arabic speaking Sunni

Muslims. Nevertheless, they do not constitute a unitary social unit due to the the strongly

felt differences among the beduins, villagers, and urban people, that does not help in

building a national consensus in the country.40

Syria gained its independence in 1946, this year marked the birth of the first national

government. In this era, the political life was dominated by the old ruling class. However,

the elite had never been a monolithic community, and the new parliament was divided by

generational differences, and factionalism. These detachment provoked a military coup in

1949 that ushered in a new life in Syrian society.41

In the 1960s, a syndicate of several hundred extended families living in Damascus and

Aleppo42 had monopolized society in Syria. Some of these families were of the nobility.

Thus, they had accumulated feudal power as landlords possessing agricultural and real-

estate holdings and great wealth. The middle class people found in the armed forces and

the Baath Party good mechanisms for their rise as a new uprising power. A military job

was often the only avenue of upward mobility open to rural people and minority groups.

The rural and minority came to dominate the Syrian security apparatus and the armed

forces. Disenfranchised Syrians joined the Baath Party in a need of power. These people

culminated in the 1963 Baath Socialist Revolution.43

In 1963, Syria nationlized large financial, commercial, agricultural, and industrial

establishments, virtually eliminating the economic and political power of the nobility. This

procedures have served the new elite to cultivate positons in the government with support

of peasants and the proletariat.44

40 See Collelo, Thomas (ed) (1. January 1987): Syria.. In: Country Studies .The Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. http://countrystudies.us/syria/20.htm, retrieved on:15. March 2015.

41 See Rum, Emma (2014). Political Developments in Post-independence Syria.. In: Beyond Syria's Borders: A History of Territorial Disputes in the Middle East. New York: I.B. Tauris & Co, pp. 28-29.

42 Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and serves as the commercial capital of Syria. 43 See Bamber, Gascoigne. HISTORY OF SYRIA.In: History World. Political. From 2001, ongoing.

http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=nns01, retrieved on:16. March 2015.

44 See Moubayed, Sami (2006). Al-Azm, Khalid (1903-1965). Steel & Silk: Men and Women Who Shaped Syria 1900-2000. Vol. Politicians. Seattle, WA: Cune, p. 190.

12

In 1970, Baath's members succeeded in takeovering the power; in this year President

Hafez al Assad, came into the power. He relaxed the blatant socialist economic measures

which practiced in 1963. Hafez al-Assad's measures have led to the emergence of a

relatively small, but highly conspicuous new class of businessmen. This class45 has

monopolized lucrative government business. To some extent, the new and old ruling

classes have merged through business contracts and marriages that fuse the money and

prestige of the former nobility members and the influence and prestige of the new coming

elite members. As result, favoritism and patronage have remained important factors in the

Syrian society and Syrian economy.46

In the 1980s, Syrian society was in a state of alteration. The developments of the preceding

two decades made profound socio-economic flux, but the probable results of these changes

were not entirely visible due to the division of Syrian society. Minority groups segregated

themselves in their own neighborhoods and villages. Therefore, Syrians have been divided

between city inhabitants Sunni nobility and peasants ethnic minorities. The social distance

between the ethnic and religious majorties and minorities have made significant blocs

between Syrians that led to deep hatred between both communities.47 This had led all

groups to develop loyalty to one's fellow members, rather than to a nation as a paramount

social value.

In the 1990s, Syria witnessed economic hardships, Hafez al-Assad's policy was a resilient

dictatorship that favored Alawites and people from other minorities. He imposed serious

socioeconomic restrictions on the people. That influenced negatively the development of

the country.

“It was the regime's goal to save itself by avoiding any change at home. More than

that, Syria's rulers viewed internal reforms as the greatest danger to their power […]

Hafez made no real political, social, or economic reforms at home. All the country's

problems continued to smolder but not to burn.”48

In this phase, Hafez al-Assad was the main source of initiative inside the government, he

45 This class is known among Syrians as the velvet class because its people live in luxury.46 See Borshchevskaya, Anna (17. May 2010). Sponsored Corruption and Neglected Reform in Syria.

Middle East Forum. In: The National, pp. 42-46. http://www.meforum.org/meq/pdfs/2760.pdf, retrieved on: 17. March 2015.

47 See White, Benjamin Thomas (2011). Divide and Rule: But on What Grounds? In: The Emergence of Minorities in the Middle East the Politics of Community in French Mandate Syria. Vol. Part 1. Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP, p. 46.

48 Rubin, Barry M (2007). Surviving the 1990s. In: The Truth about Syria. New York, N.Y.: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 102.

13

began looking for a successor. His first choice as successor was his own son, Bassel al-

Assad.49 In 1994 Bassel al-Assad died in a car accident. Hafez al-Assad's second choice

was Bashar al-Assad, who had by that time no political experience. Hafez al-Assad started

to groom Bashar al-Assad in different military positions bringing him gradually to power.

This choice was met with open criticism inside the Syrian ruling class, but Hafez al-Assad

razed who opposed his succession plan.50

2.2 Social conflicts in Syria

Throughout Bashar al-Assad's first governmental period, Syria witnessed huge social

conflicts that have alerted the country and the region. In March 2004, a football game in

Qamishli51 between two local teams sparked violent clashes between people of Kurds and

Arab citizens. The crisis spilled out across the streets. The conflict escalated between two

different groups. Tensions expanded, the Arabs in neighborhoods where Kurdish people

live, attacked the Kurds. Local governmental buildings were burnt down by the

demonstrators, security forces reacted violently. More than 15 people were killed and more

than 100 people were injured.52 This case describes the silenced nature of social conflict

between Syrians du to the governmental policy, which excludes people due to their ethnic

or religious belongings from the social and political life by dennying them their basic

social and cultural rights.53 Another phase of social conflict in Syria during Bashar al-

Assad's time dates back to 2006 when drought gripped Syria until 2010. The draught was

a trigger of frequent conflicts between urban people and rural inhabitants who left home

due to devastating consequences. The four years of deficiency caused at worst 800,000

Syrian farmers to lose their entire livelihood and around 200,000 simply left their farms.54

Hundreds of thousands of Syria’s farmers moved to the cities and towns in search of non-

existent jobs and new life. Observers including United Nations estimated that between 2

49 Bassel al-Assad was the eldest son of Hafez al-Assad and the older brother of President Bashar al-Assad.He was expected to succeed his father.

50 See Orbach, Benjamin, and David Schenker (5. March 1999). The Rise of Bashar Al-Asad. In: POLICY ANALYSIS. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/the-rise-of-bashar-al-asad, retrieved on: 5. March 2015.

51 Qamishli is a city in north eastern Syria on the border with Turkey. 52 See Repression of Kurdish Political and Cultural Rights in Syria. In: Group Denial (2009): 14. Human

Rights Watch. http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/syria1109webwcover_0.pdf, retrieved on: 17.March 2015.

53 See Ziadeh, Radwan (n.d).The Kurds in Syria. Special Report. New York: United States Institute of Peace, p. 2. http://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/kurdsinsyria.pdf, retrieved on: 17. March 2015.

54 See Femia, Francesco, and Caitlin Werrell (n.d). Syria: Climate Change, Drought and Social Unrest. In: The Center for Climate and Security. http://climateandsecurity.org/2012/02/29/syria-climate-change-drought-and-social-unrest/, retrieved on: 17. March 2015.

14

and 3 million of Syria’s 10 million rural inhabitants were reduced to extreme poverty due

to the wave of draught.55 Farmers flooded Syria's cities, and started to combate urban

dwellers in the job market, who were already struggling to sustain a good job with regular

income. The government did not respond to the needs of the citizens. New social crisis

between Syrians started to come up on the surfice as the gape between the rich and the

poor started to become bigger. Some outside observers believe that the failure of Syrian

government to respond to the daily needs of Syrians parallel to the draught were the main

cause of the uprising against Syrian regim.56

2.2.1 Syrian revolution and break of violence

Waves of demonstrations and protests hit the Arab world in December 2010. The protests

have been welcomed by the Arab streets hoping that they will bloom new spiring. Despite

the political, social, and economic circumstances in Syria, Syrian presidency welcomed the

protest of the Arab world as it signled a new era in the history of the Middle East.

Nevertheless, Bashar al-Assad confidentlty talked about the new changes in the Arab

World believing that Syria is stable, stating that the country is on the right truck, and that

Syrians are satisfied with his presidency.

“If you want to talk about Tunisia and Egypt, we are outside of this; at the end we are

not Tunisians and we are not Egyptians […] We have more difficult circumstances

than most of the Arab countries but in spite of that Syria is stable.”57

The protests in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya succeeded in forcing dictators to step down.

Syrians had been inspired and encouraged to catch up with the Arab Spiring58 that bloomed

in some Arab countries and called for democracy, equality, and freedom. The Syrian

regime of that time intensified its military presence in main streets in order to block any

sudden popular movement in the country. The sparkle of the Syrian protest was beyond

Bashar al-Assad's imagination as the revolution in Syria started by children in Arbin

55 See POLK, WILLIAM R (10. December 2013). Understanding Syria: From Pre-Civil War to Post-Assad. In: The Atlantic. http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/12/understanding-syria-from-pre-civil-war-to-post-assad/281989/, retrieved on: 17. March 2015.

56 See Freedman, Andrew (3. March 2015). Drought: Trigger For Syria’s Civil War?. In: Water Politics. (ed.) Amanda Wills. http://www.waterpolitics.com/2015/03/03/drought-trigger-for-syrias-civil-war/, retrieved on: 17. March 2015.

57 Interview With Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad (31. January 2011). In: The Wall Street Journal. The Wall Street Journal. http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703833204576114712441122894, retrieved on:18. March 2015.

58 The Arab Spring is a term referes to the wave of demonstrations and protests which began on18. December 2010, and spread throughout the Arab World.

15

elementary school in the city of Deraa59 during the first week of March 2011.

“Reportedly ten children aged between nine and fifteen decided to do what children

at this age do the world over: be mischievous. Inspired by a slogan from the

Egyptian uprising, they decided to write ' Down with the Regime' on the wall of their

school.”60

The Syrian security forces arrested the (25) pupils of that school and tortured them.61The

parents urged the Chief of Intelligence in Deraa Atef Najeeb62 to set the children free but

all effort were in vain. The official response to the parents was the following; “Told the

parents to forget about their children among other verbal abuses.”63 Here started what is

known to be the Syrian revolution. On 15 March, a few hundred protesters, mainly family

members and relatives of the imprisoned children, gathered downtown of Deraa, and

called for the release of the children, and the reform of the corrupted repressive

government. Syrian security forces repsonded with fire. Many people were shot dead. The

number of demonstrations sped up; protests flooded Syrian cities calling for change and an

end for Assad's regime.64 Bashar al-Assad attempted to calm down angry protests with unit

of quick reforms on one hand, and massive crackdown on the other hand. He called

implicitly on the entire cabinet to resign as response for the streets' wish.65 Nonetheless,

the trick did not work. By the end of April, demonstrations in Syria have become regular,

and the government deployed only military and security forces to suffocate Syrian

voices.66

Demonstrations become a part of the life of Syrians. Each friday, people gathered in the

mosques after the prayer to protest, despite heavy presence of the security forces. Syrian

regime intended to keep the demonstrations mainly in the mosques for giving the protests

islamic orientation in front of the West. Violence began to escalate, the Syrian state

59 Deraa is a Syrian city near the border with Jordan, in south west of Syria.60 Ibid., Lesch (2012), p. 55. 61 See Human Rights Watch (1. June 2011). MIDDLE EAST/N. AFRICA . We’ve Never Seen Such Horror.

Human Rights Watch, p. 1.http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/syria0611webwcover.pdf, retrieved on:18 March. 2015.

62 Atef Najeeb is a cousin of Bashar al-Assad, and the chief of Syrian Secret Service in Deraa city.63 Sands, Phil, Justin Vela, and Suha Maayeh (17. March 2014). The Man Who Ignited the Syrian

Revolution. In: The National. http://www.thenational.ae/world/syria/the-man-who-ignited-the-syrian-revolution, retrieved on:18. March 2015.

64 See Ziadeh, Radwan ( 1. August 2011). The Syrian Revolution. In: The Role of Emerging Leaders. Middle East Institute. Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies, http://www.mei.edu/content/syrian-revolution-role-emerging-leaders, retrieved on:18. March 2015.

65 See Presidency: 2000-Present (2012). Syria Country Study Guide Strategic Information and Developments. Vol. 1. Intl Business Pubns USA, p. 48.

66 See Gagne, Tammy (2015). The Situation in Syria. In: Preserving Human Rights around the World. Hockessin, DE 19707: Mitchell Lane, pp. 41-43.

16

claimed the existence of extremists. “Syria's deputy foreign minister says the grassroots

violence engulfing his country was ignited and fueled by 'extremist' groups with religious

affiliations.”67

In July 2011, Syrian revoluation turned officially into an armed movement as a troop of

defected military officers announce the establishment of Free Syrian Army (FSA).68 This is

the beginning of the militarization of the revolution, this step was justified under the

pretext of self-defense, opening the door to violence bringing the country into a bloody

civil war.

2.2.2 Syrian war and atrocious of the conflicts

The uprising in Syria has turned into a daily armed conflict between Assad's forces and the

opposition militants. The conflict gradually morphed from use of light weapons to use of

heavy weapons. The opposition formed light armed rebel brigades to assault governmental

forces to control the main cities, heavily inhabited cities and towns are used by the

opposition as hiding palaces. Civilians were killed during the clashes between the

opposition and the government. In December 2011, the United Nations (UN) estimated the

death toll in Syria after nine months of continuous protests and clashes at 5,00069. The

internal conflict expanded into a full-fledged civil war. Syrian regime has been trying to

suppress the new armed groups by employing increasing levels of fire. In 2012, Rebel

forces have made dramatic territorial gains as the opposition's armed units succeeded in

reaching Damascus and Aleppo. The opposition started to eliminate the presence of

governmental forces in the countryside of both cities. In that year, Syrian war entered a

terminal phase due to the use of air weapons and artillery against insurgent areas and

hundreds of heavy shells and mortar bombs against Assad's dominated regions, wounding

and killing thousand of civilians, including women and children.70 The attacks on civilians,

have forced people to flee homes. The UNHCR registered in 2012 a total number of

67 Ghattas, Kamal, Hamdi Alkhshali, and Eve Bower (6. January 2011). Syrian Official: There Is No Crackdown. CNN International Edition.2. http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/06/25/syria.unrest/, retrieved on: 19. March 2015.

68 See Spyer, Jonathan (May/June 2012). Defying a Dictator: Meet the Free Syrian Army. In: World Affairs Journal. (n.p.) http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/article/defying-dictator-meet-free-syrian-army, retrieved on:18. March 2015.

69 As Syrian Death Toll Tops 5,000, UN Human Rights Chief Warns about Key City (12. December 2011). UN News Center. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40708#.VQqwwlWG_0E, retrieved on: 19. March 2015.

70 See Amnesty International USA. News (6. Augst 2012). Satellite Images from Escalating Syrian Conflict Are Reason for Concern. http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/press-releases/satellite-images-from-escalating-syrian-conflict-are-reason-for-concern, retrieved on: 19. March 2015.

17

311,50071 Syrians who are registered or awaiting to be registeated as refugees in Jordan,

Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq. These numbers have increased between 2012-2014 along the

Syrian conflicts72. After two years of fights, the opposition fighters have started to turn

weapons at one another. The FSA reiterates its demands for more support from the

international community for fighting the extremists in Syria and driving out al-Qaeda

linked brigades.73 The most dramatic events of 2013 in the history of the war was the

appearance of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria74 which has taken over Ar-Raqqah city75.

Since the appearance of ISIS, Syrian conflict took a new course. Islamic State in Iraq and

Syria has forced itself on Syrians. In addition to that it has excercised on people brutal

crimes. Another dramatic event in 2013, the chemical attack at several agricultural districts

around Damascus.76 Refugee displacements have witnessed an overwhelming increase due

to the changes on the ground. The United Nations human rights Organization announced

that the current death toll in Syria has reached approximately 93,000 with more than 5,000

people killed as the situation in the country has deteriorated excessively over the past

year.77 By the end of 2013, the number of registerd Syrian refugees have recorded

2,301,668.78

With the violence boiling between the two Syrian fighting parties, Assad regime became

weaker. Therefore, the governmental forces have taken defensive positions in all locations.

The regime in Damascus has asked for a help from its allaince79. Hezbollah militants80

backed by Iran has fought with Assad in Syria. In 2014, the fighting became the worst as

Syria has witnessed violent clashes between Sunni fighters and Shiite Hezbollah militias.

The conflict is more than just a battle between Assad and his opponents. It has acquired

sectarian implications, pitching the country's Sunni majority against Assad's Shia-Alawite

71 Number of Syrian Refugees in Neighbouring Countries Has Tripled in Three Months (n.d). United Nations News Center. United Nations. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=43187#.VYWcjkYY2a8, retrieved on: 19. March 2015.

72 See Ibid.73 Jabhat al-Nusra and Jihadist groups in Syria are branches of the al-Qaeda. They are operating in Syria

and Lebanon since the break of violance in the country.74 Islamic extremist group controlling territoral area in Iraq and Syria. The group used the Islamic Sharia as

a source for legalizing its barbaric actions.75 Raqqah is located on the north bank of the Euphrates River, about 160 kilometres east of Aleppo. 76 Rockets filled with the nerve agent sarin were fired in August 2013. The opposition and Assad acuse each

other for this attack.77 See Nearly 93,000 People Killed in 'vicious' Syria Conflict (13. June 2013). UN Human Rights Chief.

UN News Center. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=45162#.VQsKD1WG_0E, retrieved on: 19 March 2015.

78 See Syria Regional Refugee Response (18. March 2015). AFAD, UNHCR. UNHCR Registration, http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php, retrieved on:19. March 2015.

79 Iran is Assad's closest strategic ally.80 Lebanese Shia Islamist group and political party. It is one of Assad and Iran's closest ally.

18

alliance.81 That's how Syria was pulled into a long sectarian conflict. Hundreds of

thousands of Syrians are fleeing home everyday because they do not want to live under the

umbrella of the Islamic State or the dictator state of Bashar al-Assad. By the end of 2014,

the death tolls doubled in comparison to the most years reaching 191,000 Syrians at least.82

2.3 Arrival of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers to Germany

Germany is one of the the major hosting countries of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in

Europe.83 Nevertheless, only 20,000 Syrian refugees have been offered the right of

asylums in the EU. This number equals 4 percent of the total number of Syrian refugees

worldwide.84 In January 2010, 84 Syrians have been granted the right of Asylum prior to

the crisis in Syria.85 In December 2014, Germany accepted 5,101 asylum applications just

from Syrians.86 The total number of Syrian applications since the break of the conflict until

the end of 2014 has exceeded 72.00087. Syria is the second refugee exporting country to

Germany after Kosovo.88 There is no systematic information about the arrival of the first

Syrian refugee in Germany, Of these; not all Syrian refugees have come to Germany

during the current conflict in Syria.89

81 See Rodgers, Lucy, David Gritten, James Offer, and Patrick Asare (12. March 2015). Syria: The Story of the Conflict. In: BBC News-Middle East. BBC. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26116868, retrieved on: 11. February 2015.

82 See Price, Megan, Anita Gohdes, and Patrick Ball (August 2014). Updated Statistical Analysis of Documentation of Killings in the Syrian Arab Republic. Ed. Third : UN Human Rights Data Analysis Group, pp. 1-2. http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/SY/HRDAGUpdatedReportAug2014.pdf , retrieved on: 19. March 2015.

83 See Do, What Europe Can, To Ensure Protection, and And Solidarity (2014). SYRIAN REFUGEES IN EUROPE. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. http://www.unhcr.de/uploads/tx_n4mteaserobjects/UNHCR_Report_on_Syrian_Refugees_in_Europe.pdf,retrieved on: 20. March 2015.

84 See Interview with Hélène Flautre, Member of the European Parliament (n.d). In: Syrian Refugees-A SNAPSHOT OF THE CRISIS IN MIDDLE EAST AND EUROPE. http://syrianrefugees.eu//?page_id=311, retrieved on: 20. March 2015.

85 See Your Inquiry Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (12. January 2015). Message to the author. E-mail. Büro des Präsidenten Presse/Öffentlichkeitsarbeit Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge Frankenstraße 210, 90461 Nürnberg.

86 See Ibid., Your Inquiry Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (9. January 214). 87 See Ehrenstein, Claudia, and Eva Marie Kogel (28. October 2014). 70.000 Syrische Kinder Als

Flüchtlinge Geboren. In: DIE WELT. WeltN24, http://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article133729925/70-000-syrische-Kinder-als-Fluechtlinge-geboren.html, retrieved on: 21. March 2015.

88 See Aktuelle Zahlen Zu Asyl (February. 2015). Bundesamt Für Migration Zu Flüchtlinge, p.7. https://www.bamf.de/SharedDocs/Anlagen/DE/Downloads/Infothek/Statistik/statistik-anlage-teil-4-aktuelle-zahlen-zu-asyl.pdf?__blob=publicationFilep, retrieved on: 21. March 2015.

89 See Your Inquiry Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (8 January 2015). Message to the author. E-mail. Büro des Präsidenten Presse/Öffentlichkeitsarbeit Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge Frankenstraße 210, 90461 Nürnberg.

19

The arrival of the first Syrian asylum seeker is not recorded officially. But, the avilable

data show that Germany witnessed a slight wave of Syrian refugees90 before the crisis in

Syria. The majorty of these refugees were from the Syrian kurds who fled political

perscution under Assad's regime. The main wave of Syrian reufgees/asylum seekers has

come along the official German humanitarian admission program for Syrian refugees91

over the course of the past three years. In this initiative, Syrian refugees are chosen by the

German governemnt due to specific humanitarian criteria from the neighbouring countries

of Syria. Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany are from all ethno-religious groups.

Nevertheless, not all of them have arrrived to Germany via the offical humanitarian

program. According to BAMF good numbers of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers have

come illegally to Germany and asked for the right of asylum.92 The only current avilable

data on Syrian refugees are submitted assessments by BAMF, UN, and non-governmental

organizations (NGOs). The reason for the lack of concrete figures on Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers is due to the sudden onset of the crisis, the increasing number of

continous new arriving Syrian refugees/asylum seekers to Germany.93

Numbers of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany.94

90 See Der Fall Der Familie Darwisch (9. May 2009). Bayerischer Flüchtlingsrat. http://www.fluechtlingsrat-bayern.de/abschiebungen-nach-syrien.html, retrieved on: 21 March. 2015.

91 In May 2013, Germany agreed to grant 5,000 Syrians asylum. Germany raised the number to 10,000 in December. There were reportedly over 75,000 applications for the second set of 5,000 spots.

92 See Ibid.,Your Inquiry Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (8. January 2015). 93 See Woeltert, Franziska/Reiner Klingholz (2014). WER LEBT BEI UND MIT UNS IN

DEUTSCHLAND? In: Neue Potenziale Zur Lage Der Integration in Deutschland. Berlin: Berlin Institut F. Bevolkerung U. Entwicklung /Berlin Institute for Population and Development, p. 25.

94 According to Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge/German Immigration and Refugee Authority.

20

14522603

6090

11830 32828

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2.3.1 Background information on Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany hail from different sectarian and ethnic

backgrounds. They belong to the largest ethnographical group: Sunni Arabs and Sunni

Kurds from northern east of Syria in particular and Sunni inhabitated cities and

neighbourhoods in general. The Sunni areas in Syria (all parts of the country, except the

Syrian shore where Alawites live, and south west of Syria where Druze live.) have

incubated extremists95 that forced many moderate and secular Sunnis, who do not want to

live under their extremism to leave the country. The war in Syria forced people at first to

seek asylam in the Middle East. Yet, the derailed humanitarian and security conditions in

the Middle East have encouraged Syrians to take the journey to Germany. Until recently,

very few Syrian Kurds in the northern-east governorates (Al Qamishli, Al- Hasakah, and

Deir es Zur) have come to Germany. Syrian Kurds prefere to go to the Kurdish Sovereign

State in Iraq (Kurdistan)96 as they are welcomed there and do not have the language

barrier.

Syrian minorities Alawites, Shias, Druzes, and Christiasn move to Germany to avoid the

sectarian conflict and not to get involved in the Syrian war as they have been addressed to

join the Syrian army and fight for Assad.97 It is not of a suprise that so many Syria's

Alwaites and Shia have sought refuge in Germany,98 as Germany offers refugees/asylum

seekers good standard of living: medical treatment, salary, education, training, and safety.

According to field study alongside this research99, moderate educated Alawites do not want

to live under the control of the Syrian regime or to live under strickt radical Assad's

loyalists. The rising internal conflicts into minority groups in general and shias and

Alawites in particular the conflict is due to the political stance of Assad have made Assad's

dominated areas unappealing for moderate/educated Alwaites and Shias. Therefore, they

flee violance elsewhere even in Germany.100 Syrian Christians form an important part of

95 See Solomon, Erika (29. March 2012). Islamists Find Foothold in Syria Revolt.In: Reuters. Thomson Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/29/us-syria-islamists-idUSBRE82S0O120120329, retrieved on: 22. March 2015.

96 Geographical portions of Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria. The Iraqi region of Kurdistan is meant here.97 See Naylor, Hugh (12. November 2014. ). Some Alawites Are Beginning to Question Their Support for

Syria's Assad. In: Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/some-alawites-are-beginning-to-question-their-support-for-syrias-assad/2014/11/11/ee302b0c-aac0-4f17-a220-cddcd49b52db_story.html, retrieved on: 22. March 2015.

98 See Deutsche Welle (9. September 2013): Syrian Refugees Heading for Germany. h tt p://www.dw.com/en/syrian-refugees-heading-for-germany/a-17075719, retreieved on: 7. March 2015.

99 See Personal interviews with Syrian Alawites in Friedland. December. 2014.100 See Olmert, Josef (28. March 2014). Alawites Under Attack: A Syrian Update. In: The Huffington Post.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-josef-olmert/alawites-under-attack-a-s_b_5050245.html, retrieved on: 22. March 2015.

21

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany. After the start of Syrian crisis, pressure

mounted on Syrian christians as many christians have been govermental employees under

Assad, which gave them the reputation of servants of Assad. Assad used them as an excuse

in front of the West. He claims that he protects the minorities.101 Radicals and Assad's

militants often targeted christian livelihoods in Syria. Hard-line Islamic groups asked local

Christians to pay Jizya102 or leave Syria. Syrian christians were famous to be bankers,

goldsmiths, and jewelers and their reputation as wealthy people put them at heightening

risk for ransom kidnappings. Following the beginning of the conflict, they quickly became

a target for both Assad's loyalists and the opposition rebells. There is a very strong feeling

among the various Syrian minorities that leaving Syria will lead to the disappearance of

their communities and distinct cultures in the Middle East in general and Syria in

particular. Not all Syrians who submitted applications to Germany are refugees in the pure

sense of the world. Many Syrians have come to Germany to reunit with relatives or to seek

an income. Some do travel back and forth between the Middle East and Germany. Yet, the

majorties have fled the conflict in Syria and cannot return home now or soon due to bad

security reasons.

2.3.2 Motivation for Germany

Since the outbreak of the conflict in Syria, around 210,000 Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

have made it to Europe legally and illegaly. Almost half of them target Germany as a main

destination to settle down in.103 Why is it that so many different Syrians-from various

ethnic-relgious backgrounds, have chosen Germany? A number of different factos are at

play.

Geographic position: Germany is at the heart of Europe with common border. It is easier

to get to Germany than other European country. The presence of Frankfurt International

Airport makes Germany easy to reach from the Middle East, particularly from Lebanon, as

international flights stop for transit at Frankfurt International Airport. Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers get an advantage of corruption in the Middle East, and take a

fligh that has a stop at Frankfurt International Airport. Than, they surrender to the police in

101See Ibid.102A tax non-Muslims historically paid in Muslim States.103See FAZ.NET (21. March 2015): Flüchtlinge: Deutschland Hauptziel Für Asylbewerber.

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/asylbewerber-wollen-vor-allem-nach-deutschland-12857022. html, retrieved on: 23. March 2015.

22

the airport and submit an asylum application in Germany.104

Quick easy family reunification: It is easier in Germany for Syrian asylum seekers to

bring their family members after they have gained the refugee status than any other EU-

country. In three months directly after being recognized as refugee, the refugee has the

right to bring his/her family to Germany.105 However; sometimes they are compelled to

wait for years to meet with their spouses and children, who might be in situations of

insecurity and ill-treatment. Germany is committed to human rights. Thus, it is compelled

to uphold its commitments. Germany cannot be perceived as betraying vulnerable

refugees, even if the refugee burden is increasing. The Syrian refugees/asylum seekers can

be sure that their familes will join them in Germany. Above all, the German state covers

the whole cost of family reunification.106

Good standards of living: Germany offers Syrian refugees/asylum seekers free access to

public services more than any other European country. The government pays not only for

the accommodation of the refugee/asylum seeker, but also the health insurance in additon

to a regular monthly income. Syrian refugees/asylum seekers can enroll for free in German

schools, and have access freely to all health services.107

Economic factors: It is easy for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers to find small jobs in

Germany due to the fact that Germany has a high rate of Arab immigrants, where

refugees/asylum seekers who do not speak the language can work. Many of them tend to

work on the black market taking an advantage of the transparent German eonomic system.

This explains why, generally speaking, Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany are

rich in comparsion to other Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in the EU.108

Other motivation: There are more intangible factors at play, but that come up repeatedly

in conversation with Syrian refugees, which are clearly important. Germans have a better

104 See Why Germany? (December. 2014). Personal interview. Illegal flight from Lebanon to Venezuela with a transit stop at Frankfurt International Airport.

105See Bell, Roland, Dr. Entscheiderbrief/ Informations-Schnelldienst (2014). No. 21 Jahrgang. Vol. 3. Nürnberg: Informationszentrum Asyl Und Migration. http://www.bamf.de/SharedDocs/Anlagen/DE/Publikationen/Entscheiderbrief/2014/entscheiderbrief-03-2014.pdf?__blob=publicationFile, retrieved on: 24. March 2015.

106See Becker, Benedikt, Katharina Gelhaus, and Kathrin Wiewe (15. August 2013). Schwarz Ist Die Hoffnung. In: ifp Dossier Asyl. Asyl Journal. http://asyl.journalistenschule-ifp.de/schwarz-ist-die-hoffnung/, retrieved on: 24. March 2015.

107See Peters, Freia (4. September 2014). Immer Mehr Asylbewerber Bekommen Geld Vom Staat. DIE WELT. http://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article131919754/Immer-mehr-Asylbewerber-bekommen-Geld-vom-Staat.html, retrieved on: 24. March 2015.

108See Why Germany? (24. February 2015). Personal interview. Illegal workers tend to be in small shops run by other Syrians or Arabs in Bad Godesberg.

23

reputation among Syrian refugees/asylum seekers than do many Europeans. After three

year of continous presidency, Germany offers the refugee the right of unlimited residency.

Despite the diffculties that Syrian refugees/asylum seekers encounter in the new hosting

culture, many Syrians know that they are treated better in Germany than they are

elsewhere in the world. The good treatment from Germany leads to the arrival of more

refugees/asylum seekers from Syria as people establish livlihoods, bring families and

encourage friends and realtives to do the same.

2.3.3 Distribution of Syrian Refugees/Asylum Seekers in Germany

Since Germany has agreed to host Syrian refugees/asylum seekers via its humanitarian

program and the increase of the influx of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, German

government has started to distribute Syrian refugees/asylum seekers all over the country.

Germany hosts permanently Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in the following regions.109

Distribution of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in German regions

109See Ibid., Your Inquiry Federal Office for Migration and Refugees ( 8. January 2015).

24

1462

3265

10647165631093

1048582 2212

4186

1345624455

8301776746

BadenWürttemberg Bayern

Berlin Brandenburg

Bremen Hamburg

Hessen Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Niedersachsen Nordrhein Westfalen

Rheinland Pfalz Saarland

Sachsen Sachsen Anhalt

Schleswig Holstein Thüringen

3 German media landscape

Germany revels among EU's countries in terms of population, technology and economic

strength. It is viewed as one of the most highly efficient industrial nations after the United

States of America (USA), Japan, and China. Moreover, it is the largest and most important

market in the EU,110 and around 82,2 million people live in Germany.111 Recent studies in

2013 stated that 1,97 million people have four or more TV sets at home112, Germany's

media industry looks back at a long history of mass media to Johann Carolus113 who

printed at first the modern newspaper in the autumn of 1605 in the city of Strassburg in the

Alsace.114

During the years of the Nazi era, the media in the country had become the mouthpiece of

the dictatorship, as it was used to facilitate the political propagenda. This era pre-dated

television. Newspapers along with cinemas and radios were used to spread

information.115In 1945, German media observed an Hour Zero116 and started almost

completely afresh. The post-war media landscape was built newly on the principle of press

freedom. The new media was organized and protected as stipulated in the German

constitution of 1949.117 As a consequence of the World War II, Germany was split between

East and West. This period witnessed the emergence of two political states: Federal

Repubic of Germany and German Democratic Republic (GDR). The Media system in the

GDR experienced harsh conditions, as GDR was isolated from the western democratic

countries. The media in GDR was centralised and nationalized by the state and worked

under the control of the ruling political party.118 In Federal Republic of Germany, the media

110See Hintereder, Peter, and Martin Orth (n.d). Strong Economic Hub in the Global Market. In: Facts AboutGermany. http://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/en/economy/main-content-06/strong-economic-hub-in-the-global-market.html, retrieved on: 25. March 2015.

111See Amend, Rita. Population of Germany-Where Live the Most German People? In: Germany In sider Facts. Rita Amend, (2010-201). http://www.germany-insider-facts.com/population-of-germany.html#.VRKQVO6G_0E, retrieved on: 25. March 2015.

112See Das Statistik-Portal. Statisa (n.d). Bevölkerung in Deutschland Nach Anzahl Der Fernsehgeräte Im Haushalt Von 2010 Bis 2014 (Personen in Millionen). http://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/171950/umfrage/anzahl-der-fernseher-im-haushalt/, retrieved on: 25. March 2015.

113Johann Carolus is a German publisher and the father of the first printed newspaper. 114See Weber, Johannes ( 2006). Strassburg, 1605: The Origins of the Newspaper in Europe.In: German

History 24.3. Oxford Journals, pp. 387-412. http://gh.oxfordjournals.org/content/24/3/387.full.pdf, retrieved on: 25. March 2015.

115See Trueman, Chris (April. 2014). Newspapers in Nazi Germany. History Learning Site, http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/newspapers_nazi_germany.htm, retrieved on: 25. March 2015.

116Hour Zero is a term indicates the beginning of Stunde Null operation in Germany, Stunde Null has a particular reference to May 8, 1945, when the capitulation of the Nazi forces commanders came into effect, marking the end of World War 2 in Europe according to Geschichte-Lernen.de.

117See Kleinsteuber, Hans/Barbara Thomass (2007). The German Media Landscape. In: European Media Governance: National and Regional Dimensions. Georgios Terzis (ed.). Bristol: Intellect, p.111.

118See Naughton, Leonie(2002). That Was the Wild East: Film Culture, Unification, and the new Germany. Ann Arbor: U of Michigan, pp. 3-8.

25

landscape was liberal, and it was protected by law, and placed in the hands of the private

sector.119 In 1990, Germany reunited. The media system of the former German Democratic

Republic dissolved concurrent with the unification, but patterns of media usage quiet differ

between West and East. Today, the major media producers are located in the former West

Germany, media producers of the former GDR are ruled by Western companies.120

The current Germany's media landscape has a dual system of public and commercial

broadcasters. The German Federal Constitution regards public broadcasters as part of

cultural sovereignty. Therefore, it is set up as an independent and non-commercial

organization. It is mainly financed by licence fees.121 Commercial broadcasting is known

as private broadcasting; they became legal in the 1980s. The commercial television market

is dominated by the RTL group and ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG.122 The new commercial

programmes generate turnovers by commercial advertisements or charged services. Today,

Germany has around 300 daily papers, 30 weeklies and 10,000 magazines and specialist

journals. In addition to public and private televisions and radios.123 The Internet is a new

source of information that people use in Germany. Germans are increasingly turning to

online media. Newspapers are battling with meeting the need of the market and keeping

the quality of media products. The competition on the market drives traditional media

producers to boost up and have online presence. The goal of this variety in models is to

guarantee political independence for excluding any possibility of dominating the German

media.124

3.1 History, ownership, policy of print media in Germany

The history of German newspapers is a chapter of the German history going back to the

early time of the print industry, and the discovery of mechanical print machine in 1450 by

the German printer Johannes Gutenberg125. The first printed versions of first newspapers

were circulated among the elites, passing along information about several topics of

119See Glatzer, Wolfgang (1992). 13.2 Mass Information. Recent Social Trends in West Germany, 1960-1990. Frankfurt Am Main: Campus Verlag, p. 403.

120See Kleinsteuber, Hans J., and Barbara Thomass (n.d). Media Landscape/Germany. In: European Journalism Centre (EJC). http://ejc.net/media_landscapes/germany, retrieved on: 26. March 2015.

121See Ibid.122See The Media Authorities (n.d.) In: Die Medienanstalten-Profile. Die Medienanstalten. http://www.die-

medienanstalten.de/en/profile.html, retrieved on: 26. March 2015.123See The Media Landscape in Germany (n.d). In: Euro-topics. Bundeszentrale Für Politische Bildung.

http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/medienlandschaft/deutschlandmdn/, retrieved on: 26. March 2015. 124Ibid.125Gutenberg was the first European to use movable type printing machine. Among his many contributions

to printing are: the invention of a process for mass-producing movable type, the use of oil-based ink, and the use of a wooden printing press.

26

different interests to the people. The first copies were in the form of news pamphlets or

broadsides, and appeared occasionally when there is an extra-ordinary event.126 The first

predecessors of all newspapers to appear on 15.01.1609 in Germany, was Aviso, Relation

oder Zeitung127, this newspaper was followed in 1615 by Frankfurter Postzeitung, which

was published regularly each week for 250 years.128 The first true daily newspaper in

German was Einkommenden Zeitungen in Leipzig. For a generation Einkommenden

Zeitungen was the only officially sanctioned newspaper.129 By the end of the century, there

were many periodicals in print. The oldest German newspapers that operate until today

Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung, this newspaper has appeared since 1705.130 Additionally,

Bremer Nachrichten since 1743.131 Press prospered parallel to the blooming of big cities in

Germany. The 19th century newspapers were the lifeblood of the people because of the

increasing demands on news and financial information. The use of innovative technology

in press industry in 1880s, enabled rapid production of print press and facilitated the

spread of newspapers. The new assembly method made newspapers easy to produce as

many as wanted per day at cheaper prices.132 In 1897, 91 newspapers were frequently

avilable as daily newspapers on the market; the top newspaper at that time was

Frankfurter Zeitung. It was available on the three working days during the week, in

addition to a special copy on Sunday. In this year, 12,5 million newspaper copies were sold

per day to 52 million inhabitants in Reich region; almost each four citizens of that time had

a copy of newspaper. By the end of 19th century, newspapers emerged as a trustworthy

source of information for the public.133

During the First World War, German print media played a fundamental role in the affairs

126See Die Geschichte Der Tageszeitungen. In: Deutsche Tageszeitungen.http://www.deutsche-tageszeitungen.de/pressefachartikel/die-geschichte-der-tageszeitungen/, retrieved on: 26. March 2015.

127See Schröder, Thomas (1995). Aviso Und Relation. In: Die Ersten Zeitungen: Textgestaltung Und Nachrichtenauswahl. Tubingen: G. Narr, pp. 26-27.

128See Ber, Rudolf (2005). Das 15. Bis 18. Jahrhundert. In: Deutsche Pressegeschichte: Von Den Anfangen Bis Zur Gegenwart. 2., Uberarb. Aufl. ed. Konstanz: UVK-Verl.-Ges, pp.70-75.

129See Hauff, Else Bogel (n.d). Eine Leipziger Zeitung Vor 1650. In: International Communication Gazette. SAGE Journals. August 1967; vol. 13, 3. pp, 275-279. http://gaz.sagepub.com/content/13/3/275.full.pdf+html, retrieved on: 26. March 2015.

130See Geschichte Der HAZ:Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung-Die älteste Tageszeitung Deutschlands. In: Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung. http://www.hildesheimer-allgemeine.de/ueberuns.html, retrieved on: 26. March 2015.

131See Hagelweide, Gert (2007). Zeitungs-und Zeitschriftentitle-Register. Literatur Zur Deutschsprachigen Presse. Munchen: Saur, p. 52.

132See Rehm, Phil Margarete (n.d). Die Geschichte Der Zeitungen in Deutschland. In: Geschenkzeitung.de, Teil 4/Fortschritte der Drucktechnik im 19. Jahrhundert. http://www.geschenkzeitung.de/popups/geschi4.htm, retrieved on: 28 March. 2015.

133See Dussel, Konrad (2004). Presse Im Kaiserreich: 1871-1918. In: Deutsche Tagespresse Im 19. Und 20.Jahrhundert. Munster: Lit, p. 91.

27

of the wars. Many military officers and politicians used newspapers as platform to

comment on the affairs of the war. “It was widely known that the Kölnische Zeitung was

often 'inspired' by German officials, who either wrote articles under pseudonyms or

provided sensitive information to publicists and journalists.”134

Before the First World War, Germany had around 4000 newspapers. Nevertheless, the

number of newspapers during the war shrank as the press freedom experienced a setback

due to the strict military censorship.135 In the 1920s; German newspapers have been on top

as radio in that time was not that popular among people. The T.V market was so small that

made print press as the most important mass communication model in that period.136 In

1932, Germany had around 7,703 daily newspapers and weekly magazines.137

Nevertheless, During the Second World War, the situation of German press deteriorated.

Newspapers were dominated by the Nazi Party and used for its propagande. In this era,

German newspapers were crucial instruments at the hand of Nazis for sharing and

acquiring information serving their policies and agendas. In October 1933, the Reich Press

Law stated that all journalism had to be racially clean and loyal to the Nazis. Any Jewish

or liberal editor and journalist was arrested. Thus, all remaining journalists and editors had

to be proven clean and loyal by Nazis. Any journalist or editor who failed to prove his/her

pure German origin and loyality to Nazis, the goverment banned the production of his/her

newspaper for a few days that could then become weeks and months. Nazi's media sector

recovered after January 1933. The official newspapers of the Third Reich were Völkischer

Beobachter and Der Angriff. Völkischer Beobachter was produced in the city of Munich

and printed in the morning while Der Angriff was issued in Berlin and appeared in the

afternoon. In this method, the Nazis covered the whole of Germany. Both newspapers were

pro Adolf Hitler and National Socialism and pushed Nazis' ideas.138

The Ownership of German newspapers remains concentrated in just a few large leading

groups. With regard to national newspapers, over 87 percent of national press market is

controlled by just three leading groups mainly: Axel Springer, Süddeutsche Verlag (SV),

134Sass, Erik (2. March 2014). World War I Centennial: German Newspapers Beat the War Drums In: Mental Floss Magazine. http://mentalfloss.com/article/55354/world-war-i-centennial-german-newspapers-beat-war-drums, retrieved on: 28. March 2015.

135See Nner, Andreas (2011). Jazz in Der Weimarer Republik.Zwischen Imitation Und Eigenstandigkeit: Jazz in Der Weimarer Republik. Berlin: Epubli GmbH, p. 51.

136See Ibid.137See Zeitungsgeschichte Von Den Anfängen Bis Heute. In: BADISCHES-TAGBLATT.DE.

http://www.badisches-tagblatt.de/UnternehmenKleineZeitungskunde/00_20120717145002_101957770-Zeitungsgeschichte-von-den-Anfaengen-bis-heute.html, retrieved on: 6. July 2015.

138See Ibid., Trueman. Newspapers in Nazi Germany.

28

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Verlag.139 Axel Springer is considered to be not only the

largest publishing house in Germany, but also in EU. It holds numerous newspapers: Bild,

Die Welt, and Fakt.140

In 2014, Axel Springer shares of the German market for daily newspapers was estimated

15,5 percent.141 This number is relatively large considering that Bild (tabloid-styled

newspaper) is the highest circulation newspaper in Europe with, a daily readership in

excess of 12 million.142 The hause also owns a good number of regional and metropolitan,

giving Axel Springer de facto monopoly in the case.143

Süddeutsche Verlag has been ranked among the top publishers in Germany144 due to its

publishing archives in and outside Germany. Süddeutsche Verlag focuses on newspapers.

Its very large newspaper (Süddeutsche Zeitung) is read by 1,1 million readers daily.145

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Verlag has been ranked for years among the top

publishing houses in Germany146 because it owns a top selling newspaper FAZ with the

widest circulation abroad as it delivers the newspaper to 148 countries everyday.147 The

selling figures of the newspaper kept the owners strong on the market. In January 2013,

FAZ had 338,478 registered subscribers.148

German newspapers enjoy independence, as the state does not participate in making the

internal policy of the press. The content of the newspapers is the decision of editorial

board. German newspapers are battle grounds for public debates. The individual tone and

political bias of daily German newspapers differ from one newspaper to another. There is

139See Albertazzi, Daniele, and Paul Cobley (2013). What Are the Media?.In: The Media an Introduction. 3rd ed. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, p.144.

140FAKT is Polish tabloid-style daily newspaper, and it is one of the best-selling papers in Poland.141See Daily Newspaper Circulation Share of Publishing Groups in Germany in the First Quarters of 2012

and 2014. In: Statista. Statista 2015. http://www.statista.com/statistics/411063/publishers-daily-paper-market-shares-germany/,retrieved on: 31. March 2015.

142See Schultz, Stefan, Vanessa Steinmetz, and Christian Teevs (26. July 2013). Sell-Off: Newspaper Giant Turns Back on Journalism. In: Spiegel Online. http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/axel-springer-sells-off-clutch-of-newspapers-and-magazines-a-913296.html, retrieved on: 31. March 2015.

143See Ibid.144See Süddeutscher Verlag EFLOWTM Sorgt Für Schlagzeilen. Ecm-lounge. Top Image Systems

Deutschland GmbH (8 February. 2012). Case Study. http://www.ecmlounge.com/files/2012/08/case_studies/TIS/eFLOW_SV_German.pdf. retrieved on: 1. April 2015.

145See Magazines in the Reading Room (n.d). Goethe Institute Glasgow. http://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/gla/bib/best/zei/enindex.htm, retrieved on:1. April 2015.

146See Altendorfer, Otto (2001). Tageszeitung. Das Mediensystem Der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Wiesbaden: Westdt. Verl, p. 99.

147See Ibid.148See Malá, Jiřina (2013). Die Zeit Und Frakfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Im Vergleich. Information System

Masaryk. University Masaryk. http://is.muni.cz/th/382736/ff_b/Bakalarska_prace_-_Lucie_Sanderova.txt, retrieved on:1. April 2015.

29

no one-party press; newspapers are not concentrated fully as the German law does not

allow high and complete concentration for assuring variety of opinions. A careful

comparative study of two leading German newspapers (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

and Süddeutsche Zeitung) during the war of Iraq and Kosovo emphasizes the great

differences between the two newspapers in reporting on two events in the world. Both

tended to vary in similar ways from conflict to conflict, in the volume and management of

opinion. The two newspapers shared significant and similar orientations in views on

Kosovo (Positive) and Iraq (Negative) that provides a real test of objectivity in the value

and the direction of German newspapers.“The key finding was that the wars themselves,

and not the political leanings of the papers were the significant factors in the opinion slant

of the coverage.”149 In evaluating both newspapers, it is prominently evident and mainly on

the basis of sampling of political views, that FAZ has a conservative orientation. Yet, the

newspaper has high credibility among German readers for its conservative policy,

meanwhile; its strong competitor Süddeutsche Zeitung is regarded as a liberal centre-left

paper.150

3.2 German national newspapers

The newspaper market in Germany is characterized by a large number of publications and

regional differences alongside the daily newspapers. There are ten national daily

newspapers that regarded as top quality publications and nine newspapers evaluated as top

popular newspapers that focus on common interest matters.151

The first group plays an outstanding role in the German press. To this group belongs the

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Süddeutsche Zeitung. As for the second group of

national newspapers, Bild newspaper could be cited. Both types of newspapers differ in

content. The quality national newspapers focus constantly on the information and the

structure, despite the continued emergence of news coverage and the competition on the

market. National newspapers offer in-depth analysis and background reporting addressing

149Marcinkowski, Frank/ Barbara Pfetsch (2009). Power and the News Media: The Press and Democratic Accountability. In: Politik in Der Mediendemokratie. Sonderhaft 42/2009 ed. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag Fu¨r Sozialwissenschaften /GWV Fachverlage GmbH, Wiesbaden, p. 42.

150See Berkel, Barbara (2006). Entwicklung Europäischer Bewertungsmuster. Konflikt Als Motor Europaischer Offentlichkeit Eine Inhaltsanalyze Von Tageszeitungen in Deutschland, Frankreich, Grossbritannien Und Osterreich. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag Fur Sozialwissenschaften /GWV Fachverlage GmbH, Wiesbaden, p. 189.

151See.The Press (n.d.). A Wide Range of Newspapers. Facts about Germany: The Press, http://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/en/culture-and-media/main-content-09/the-press.html, retrieved on: 3 April 2015.

30

specific topics, and comments on these topics. This type of publications is considered to

have high influence on the public opinion. The second type of national newspapers

Boulevard Press plays an active role in the social discourses of daily social life. Daily

national newspapers of this type are the most popular publications in Germany.152 Despite

the large number of strong local and regional newspapers and various magazines in

Germany, the number of national newspapers in term of circulation figures account for 1,6

million exemplars per day not taking the biggest tabloid (Bild) into consideration.153

3.2.1 Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

The founders of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung were dedicated democratic minded,

whose goal was to institute a politically independent daily paper for Germany after the

World War II. The early policy of the newspaper was mainly determined by its first

business manager Otto Klepper154; during Klepper's exile, he developed with other

Germans a wide political vision for Germany after the war. Klepper was determined to

help in establishing a democratic society. He returned to Germany and participated in

promoting democracy depending on a social market economy. Klepper was indoctrinated

that the success of a new democratic Germany relies seriously on politically independent

media. For that reason, he introduced the idea to publish an independent new daily

newspaper FAZ. The newspaper was founded on 01.12.1949, and Klepper turned to be the

first business manager of the paper.155 Later on, the newspaper's corporate charter

stipulated that the editorial daily work flow must be managed by professional editors. One

of the top competent editors was Erich Welter156. On its cover page, the leading editorial

team cleared that the aim of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung is to be a voice of Germany

in the world, however; in its 16 pages, there was no reference to Germany's past era under

Hitler.157 After less than a year, Klepper disgruntled with direction editorial team; he quit

152See Brocchi, Davide (6. August 2008). Die Presse in Deutschland. In: Magazin Cultura 21. http://magazin.cultura21.de/kultur/wissen/die-presse-in-deutschland.html, retrieved on: 3. April 2015.

153 See Sterling, Christopher H (2009). German Journalism in the Twenty-First Century. In: Encyclopedia of Journalism. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Reference, p. 669.

154 Otto Klepper is a social democrat and a lawyer, he was Prussia's minister of finance during the period of Great Depression. After Hitler's National Socialists came into power in 1933, Klepper left Germany to avoid the Nazis' campaigns against social democrats.

155See Von Pufendorf, Astrid (1997). Nachkriegszeit-die Deutsche Chance. Otto Klepper (1888-1957): Deutscher Patriot Und Weltburger. Munchen: R. Oldenbourg, p. 254.

156Erich Welter is a Journalist, editor, and lecturre; he was a consultant to the Mainz-based regional daily newspaper Allgemeine Zeitung after World War II. Before the war, he was employed for the daily newspaper Frankfurter Zeitung in the Frankfurt am Main, which was closed by the Nazis in 1943.

157See Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH History. In: History of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH – Funding Universe. http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/frankfurter-allgemeine-

31

his job as business manager of the newspaper. Soon, the newspaper drifted into the

mainstream of the German dominant political life influenced strongly by the emerging

political powers. Klepper's dream to establish an independent newspaper for the whole

Germany soon became true.158

FAZ gained quickly high respect among readers; the early years of 1950s were difficult for

the newspaper and quite modest. The editorial team worked out of two flats in Frankfurt

am Main beside other staff from the advertising and administrative departments. In the

night, the offices turned to be bedrooms for the newspaper producers. In October 1950,

FAZ moved to new building in Frankfurt, where the whole staff worked together for the

first time. The print house of the newspaper was also located in Frankfurt, a few blocks

down from its new building. Until the mid of 1950s, the sold newspapers were less than

100,000 copies per day on average. Yet, the revenues of the newspaper increased steadily.

In 1959, an average of more than 200,000 copies per day was sold for the first time. In

1960s, during the German economic miracle, the newspaper bolstered its readership and

distribution, internationally as well as nationally. Nationally, the number of readers

increased by roughly 50,000 each decade. Internationally, the newspaper turned to be

highly reputed and was soon distributed in most countries around the world. In 1988, the

newspaper had achieved a highly regarded creative national print medium.159

While the paper grew in size through advertising, its content changed and expanded

according to the increasing needs of the local market. After the reunification of Germany

in 1990, FAZ experienced a slow in growth; the circulation went south as the advertising

business declined significantly. The down was estimated by 30 percent of its total sold

copies. Above all, the paper prices drove up more than 20 percent. Beginning 1996, the

number of copies sold in average started to recover anew. Two years later, the number of

copies sold per day in average exceeded 400,000 newspapers.160 By 1999, Frankfurter

Allgemine Zeitung's 50th anniversary year; the newspaper seemed to be back in good

financial conditions. Over 1,1 million people read the Frankfurter Allgemeine. The average

number of FAZ's copies sold daily estimated at 408,411. Advertising revenues had

zeitung-gmbh-history/, retrieved on: 6. April 2015.158See bid.159See Mohler, Caroline (2014). Alles über Die Zeitung. Leaflet. 2nd ed. Frankfurt Am Main: Frankfurter

Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH, Die Geschichte, pp. 5-6.http://dynamic.faz.net/fem/kommunikation/2014/alles_ueber_14_Verlag_02_2014_September.pdf, retrieved

on: 8. April 2015.160See Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Dahinter Steckt Immer ein Kluger Kopf (n.d). Agentur: Scholz and

Friends Berlin, p. 90. http://www.gwa.de/images/effie_db/1998/82727_086_FAZ.pdf, retrieved on: 7. April 2015.

32

increased 28 percent within two years. There were 500 editors working for the newspaper

in addition to a network of 40 correspondents all over the world. In the late 1990s, the

newspaper brought a new generation to the editorial management team, after the managing

editors who shaped the history of FAZ retired. The young successors had their own

orientations. The world had changed, new ideological battles emerged. Furthermore, a

major new market had emerged in the mid of the 1990s the Internet forcing the newspaper

to reconsider its old layout and follow up the new trend in the world.161

In 2000, the newspaper implemented an online version and strengthened its internet arm

with information online services and broker. The goal of the creators was reached FAZ has

become a newspaper for Germany as a whole. In 2014, the newspaper through its website

successed in reaching 183,43 million readers per day.162

3.2.2 Süddeutsche Zeitung

Süddeutsche Zeitung is one of Germany's well reputed newspapers for its quality and

credibility. The newspaper was established directly after the Second World War. On the 6th

of October 1945, SZ1 received its license from the administration of the American Army in

Bavaria, since the permission was issued the newspaper started to operate. The first issue

of Süddeutsche Zeitung was issued on the same night the permission was granted.163

The first article of the newspaper included a message to the German readers.

“Zum ersten Mal seit dem Zusammenbruch der braunen Schreckensherrschaft

erscheint in München eine von Deutschen geleitete Zeitung. Sie ist von den

politischen Notwendigkeiten der Gegenwart begrenzt, aber durch keine Zensur

gefesselt, durch keinen Gewissenszwang geknebelt.”164

The founders of the newspaper emphasized from the early beginning the serious attitude of

the publication and the adherence to independent free media far away from any form of

censorship which German media landscape was suffering from during the Nazis' time.

161See Sjurts, Insa (2005). Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Strategien in Der Medienbranche: Grundlagen Und Fallbeispiele. 3., Uberarb. Und Erw. Aufl. Wiesbaden: Gabler, pp.54-55.

162See Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (15. July 2015). Preisliste. MEDIAPORTAl, p. 10. https://filebox.faz.de/public/505F4B6E505D5D56545C54585F/Mediaportal/2015_FAZ-FAS_Media_Solutions-Preisliste_Nr._75, retrieved on: 12. July 2015.

163See Süddeutsche Zeitung (n.d). Deutsche Medien Einfluss Der Deutschen Presse. Medien Einfluss. http://medieneinfluss.com/sdz/md/, retrieved on: 9. April 2015.

164 Flensburg Online (27. January 2008): Erste Ausgabe Der Süddeutschen Zeitung Vom 6. Oktober 1945. Liebe Zur Freiheit. http://www.flensburg-online.de/blog/2008-01/1-ausgabe-der-suddeutschen-zeitung-vom-6-oktober-1945-liebe-zur-freiheit.html, retrieved on: 8. April 2015.

33

Süddeutsche Zeitung was founded by Edmund Goldschagg165, Franz Joseph Schöningh166,

and August Schwingenstein.167 The producers used the damaged press hause and technique

of the pre-war newspaper Münchner Neueste Nachrichten for the production of

Süddeutsche Zeitung. Moreover, the founders of SZ1 found in Münchner Neueste

Nachrichten a good model and a guideline for building up the new newspaper.168 SZ1

thrived and quickly became a national publication for Germany. In 1946, Süddeutsche

Zeitung inaugurated a front-page column Das Streiflicht-the Spotlight-featuring a concise

insight of important events.169

As soon as enough news print was available, SZ1 went to thrice-weekly; in 1949, the daily

publication won popularity among German readers for its accurate presentation of news

and deep analysis of sensitive issues. In the 1950s the newspaper expanded into a

publishing house Süddeutscher Verlag, since that time, the newspaper occupies a good

position in the print industry in West Germany. In the period of 1995-1996 the paper had a

circulation of 407,000 copies.170 In 2001 the circulation reached 436,000 copies that made

SZ1 as one of the top 100 European newspapers.171

Today, Süddeutsche Zeitung is read daily and boasts a relatively high circulation abroad

that makes SZ1 as Germany's largest trans-regional quality newspaper. The newspaper

sells 397,000 copies and a reach of roughly 1,29 million readers per day.172 The editorial

board of the newspaper defines itself as a liberal centre-left newspaper because it

distinguishes itself through its opinionated and independent journalism. It lays values on

critically minded editors and readers. “Die Süddeutsche Zeitung ist nicht das Organ einer

Regierung oder einer bestimmten Partei, sondern ein Sprachrohr für alle Deutschen, die

einig sind in der Liebe zur Freiheit, im Hass gegen den totalen Staat, im Abscheu gegen

165Edmund Goldschagg is a German journalist and publisher. He was also an editor of the Social Democratic press service and the Munich Post in the Weimar period.

166Joseph Schöningh is a German journalist, publishing director and shareholder of the South German publishing house. Since 1935 he was editor and since 1939 until its ban. In 1941, he was the chief editor of the magazine Highlands.

167August Schwingenstein is a German journalist, publisher and Politician.168See Münchener Zeitung (24. October 2012). Historisches Lexikon Bayerns.http://www.historisches-lexikon-bayerns.de/artikel/artikel_45865, retrieved on: 8. April 2015.169See SZ Im Überblick (21. May 2010). Das Streiflicht.Süddeutsche Zeitung.

http://www.sueddeutsche.de/verlag/sz-im-ueberblick-das-streiflicht-1.569223, retrieved on: 8. April 2015.

170See McQuail, Denis (1998). The European Newspaper Market. In: Media Policy Convergence, Concentration, and Commerce. London: Sage Publications, p. 10.

171See SMITH, ADAM (15. November 2002). EUROPEAN NEWSPAPERS. In: EUROPE'S TOP PAPERS. Campaign. http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/news/164161/, retrieved on: 8. April 2015.

172See Süddeutschen Zeitung (n.d).Marken Und Imagewerbung.http://sz-media.sueddeutsche.de/de/sueddeutsche-zeitung/uebersicht-markenwerbung.html, retrieved on: 8.

May 2015.

34

alles, was nationalsozialistisch ist.”173

3.3 German regional newspapers

German regional newspapers are dedicated to the regional and local press coverage. Yet,

regional newspapers are also concerned with the international press coverage providing all

the most interesting news to the reader about Germany and the world. The regional

newspapers are not limited to one geographical area or region; they are concerned with

Germany. Regional newspapers are available in all formats and types for reaching the

demand and the test of the market. Most German readers rely on local or regional

newspapers174 as German regional newspapers brings national and international news on

the first page, and regional and local news inside.175

Figures of circulation show that the local and regional newspapers are very important in

Germany, 97 percent of the subscription press clears to be local which means a circulation

of 14,6 million.176 On first view, the German press appears to be highly diversified and

local, but in fact much content is produced by central offices of the big newsrooms where

local and regional press contents are developed each day. In many cases both national and

regional are only legally independent. Due to concentration and financial issues local and

regional newspapers work closely with large newspapers. Thus, they share regularly the

content and assure news production. The number of German regional newspapers has

reached 313 daily newspapers in 2014.177

Recent studies showed that 55 percent of local and regional newspapers subscribers are

women.178 The sold circulation of all categories of German regional newspapers from 2012

to 2014, by mode of purchase shows the number of readers of regional daily newspapers in

2013, are 26,61 million readers of regional daily newspapers were won via a household

173See Ibid., Erste Ausgabe Der Süddeutschen Zeitung Vom 6. Oktober 1945. Liebe Zur Freiheit.174See Solsten, Eric (1996). The Mass Media. Germany: A Country Study. 3rd ed. Washington, DC: Federal

Research Division, Library of Congress, p. 398. 175See Hall, Christine (2001). German Newspapers and Magazines. Living & Working in Germany: Settle

in Quickly and Get the Most out of Your Stay. 3rd ed. Oxford, p.119. 176See Bundesverband Deutscher Zeitungdverlag (1. January 2014). Die Deutschen Zeitungen in Zahlen

Und Daten 2014 Haus Der Presse, p. 5. http://www.bdzv.de/fileadmin/bdzv_hauptseite/markttrends_daten/wirtschaftliche_lage/2014/assets/ZDF_2014.pdf, retrieved on: 6. March 2015.

177See Ibid.178See Horizontal Online (26. July 2014.). Regionale Tageszeitungen Sind Quelle Nummer 1 Für Lokale

Neuigkeiten. In: HORIZONT. http://www.horizont.net/medien/nachrichten/-Regionale-Tageszeitungen-sind-Quelle-Nummer-1-fuer-lokale-Neuigkeiten-109020, retrieved on: 9. April 2015.

35

subscription.179 Today, regional newspapers reach more readers than ever before in print,

on computers, as well as on smart phones. Some 2,5 million readers180 visit the website of

a regional newspaper at least once a week using smart phones. The advancement in

technology helped the regional newspapers to have more access to readers by launching

online platforms.

3.3.1 Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger

Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger is a daily newspaper; it is one of the old German newspapers. The

roots of KSTA go deeply in the German history of print media. The newspaper appeared

first in 1876 as an equivalent counterpart newspaper of the famous national newspaper

Kölnische Zeitung (a leading newspaper in the 19th century, the newspaper was famous for

its coverage during the First and Second World War). Toward the end of the Second World

War, Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger had to close.181

In October 1949, KSTA started again its first issue. That time was marked by tough

competition in the press market. Under fierce circumstance, the newspaper developed

gradually and gained high respect among German readers for its quality and credibility. In

the late 1950s, the newspaper turned to be a leading newspaper of the region NRW. In

1960, Professor Alfred Neven DuMont182 became the main editor of the newspaper. Kölner

Stadt-Anzeiger sees itself as the voice of people in North Rhine-Westphalia183 in general,

and the city of Cologne in particular. In the fourth quarter 2014, the newspaper subscribers

reached 289,616184. The antecedent number includes the sales of Kölnische Rundschau.185

The newspaper is available as online and as an app with access to all regional editions.

179See Statista (n.d). Number of Readers of Regional Daily Newspapers in Germany from 2012 to 2014, by Mode of Purchase (in Million People). http://www.statista.com/statistics/382230/regional-newspapers-subscription-vs-purchase-germany/, retrieved on: 9. April 2015.

180See Pasquay, Anja (23 November.2012). The Economic Situation of Newspapers in Germany 2012.In: BDZV: Bundesverband Deutscher Zeitungsverleger E.V.http://www.bdzv.de/maerkte-und-daten/wirtschaftliche-lage/artikel/detail/the_economic_situation_of_newspapers_in_germany_2012/, retrieved on: 9. April 2015.

181See Fischer, Heinz Dietrich (1972). Georg Potschka:KÖLNISCHE ZEITUNG (1802-1945).In: Deutsche Zeitungen Des 17. [siebzehnten] Bis 20. [zwanzigsten] Jahrhunderts. Pullach Bei Munchen: Verlag Dokumentation, pp.152-158.

182Alfred Neven DuMont studied Philosophy, History, Literature, and Journalism, He is the son of the founder of M.DuMont publishing house where Kölnischer Stadt-Anzeiger published.

183North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, as well as the fourth largest by area. It was formed in 1946 as a merger of the North Rhineland and Westphalia.

184See Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. http://www.dumont.de/medien-services/medien/tageszeitungen/koelner-stadt-anzeiger.html, retrieved on:10. April 2015.

185 Kölnische Rundschau an independant daily regional newspaper for Cologne and Bonn cities.

36

3.3.2 Sächsische Zeitung

Sächsische Zeitung newspaper was issued by the merge of Sächsische Volksstimme

Newspaper with Volksstimme Newspaper. The roots of the newspaper date back to 1890 as

Sächsische Arbeiterzeitung, the newspaper was popular under that name in that period of

time. Later on, the newspaper appeared under the name Dresdener Volkszeitung. On 13.

April 1946, the newspaper was issued officially under the name Sächsische Zeitung in the

Free State of Saxony.186 Under the umbrella of GDR, SZ2 served as good source of

information for the local people and a good mouth piece for the state. Every press

conference that was held in the city of Dresden was directly published by the newspaper.

In early 1990, the newspaper was marked as a socialist newspaper. In 1991, the newspaper

was privatized as result of the change of the political system in Germany. The geneal

format of the newspaper was changed into a new outlet that fits with the needs of regional

market. The coverage of Sächsische Zeitung includes news, politics, reports and regional

news concern the local people. According to the chief editor of Sächsische Zeitung Uwe

Vetterick187, the target area of the newspaper is just the Free State of Saxony. “Our target

group are all people who are living in the east of Saxon and enjoy reading newspapers,

Why all? Because we are a general interest newspaper.”188 Sächsische Zeitung is regarded

as one of the most important newspaper in Saxony because it has the highest circulation in

its region, the newspapr succeeded in 2014 to reach approximately 300.000 subscribers.189

Above all, Sächsische Zeitung is seen as one of the most reputed newspaper in Dresden.190

4 Media in theory

Media mainstream is a way for all types of information; news seekers are searching in all

media channels for information. Yet, information is contradicting and somehow not

trustworthy. The object of all media channel is to reach the reader, listener, and viewer in

order to shape his/her views and opinions. The twenty-first century media channels print,

radio, television, and the interenet have been associated together under the concept mass

186See Keine Rückmeldung (4. January 2015). Message to the author.E-mail. Dokumentation/Archiv, Sächsische Zeitung, Ostra-Allee, 20, 01067 Dresden.

187Uwe Vetterick is a German journalist and has been assigned as the chief editor of Sächsische Zeitung since 2007.

188See Ibid,. Keine Rückmeldung (4. January 2015).189See Mediadaten (May 2015). Sächsische Zeitung-online. http://www.sz-online.de/anzeigen/mediadate n,

retrieved on: 8. July 2015. 190See DD V Mediengruppe. Sächsische Zeitung.http://www.ddvmediengruppe.de/produkte_dienstleistungen/produkte/tageszeitungen/saechsische_zeitun g,

retrieved on: 8. July 2015.

37

media. The study of mass media developed into media theories. These theories differ

depending on the model that the theory applies too. In their classical use, media theories

are committed to monitoring and explaining the mechanism of the press, and its effect, and

threats on the media message receiver. The study of media theory suggests that only the

content of media is the concern of this field, whereas; alternative media models are

targeted by media theories: people, public opinion, propaganda, agenda setting, and

misinformation.191 In the communication branch, mass media is a very important channel

for reaching people. Thus, mass media manages communication by providing the best

communication means for reaching the target group of the media campaign. Media

Theories are essential, media designer must apply for transferring the message. Certainly a

communication theory involves analyzing: sender, encoder, message, channel, decoder,

and receiver.192 Such theories and models of communication indicate that communication

is about who says what to whom, through what channel and with what effect.. A theory can

be defined as: A system of constructs and variables in which the constructs are connected

to each other by propositions, and the variables are linked to one another by hypotheses.193

It can be further interpreted as an observation of how something works. This gives a clear

understanding of what interest people and what they try to understand. There are several

reasons for the use of theory in media. Theories can be formed to examine the power and

balance of the press in coverage, social effect of media, development of news, integration

of new topics in daily coverage, but a theory aims to understand and to analyze the press

and to explain the way people interact with the media message. Arthur Schopenhauer194

states that truth goes through three phases: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently

opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.195

The role of media relies on making it accepted as fact in order to become as fixed fact in

191See Bennet, Tony (1982). Theories of the Media, Theories of Society. Michael Gurevitch (ed.). In Culture, Society and the Media. Massachusetts Institute of Technology London: Methuen, pp. 31-40.

http://web.mit.edu/21l.432/www/readings/Bennett_TheoriesOfMediaAndSociety.pdf, retrieved on: 15. April 2015.

192According to mother of all models of communication by Shannon–Weaver model of communication.193See Wacker, John (n.d). A Definition of Theory: Research Guidelines for Different Theory-building

Research Methods in Operations Management. In: Journal of Operations Management 16.4,ScienceDirect. Elsevier B.V, pp. 361-85. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272696398000199, retrieved on: 15. April 2015.

194Arthur Schopenhauer is a German philosopher best known for his book, The World as Will and Representation, in which he claimed that our world is driven by a continually dissatisfied will, continually seeking satisfaction.

195 See Mulgan, Geoff. The Process of Social Innovation. http://www.socialinnovationexchange.org/sites/default/files/event/attachments/INNOV0102_p145162_mulgan.pdf, retrieved on: 15. April 2015.

38

the mind of the targeted group, and to develope into a chosen direction as media message

seekers substantially depend on the content of the articles. In other words, media serves to

make up the views of people in general and people with heuristic approach196 in particular.

The stereotype of the heuristic approach makes people stick to the pseudo-knowledge,

which media confirms, and turns people, therefore; into believers in the given information.

All this said, a theory in media is not sufficient. The media message receiver should have a

critical mind, based on the previous argument, he/she has to keep a critical and analytical

view in dealing with the received media message.197 In the case of this research, the

analysis of media coverage regarding the Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, is realized on

important national and regional newspapers, that represnt a significant rate of the German

public opinion.

4.1 Gate keeping and agenda setting

Millions of events occur in the world each day, but only few of them become news and

reach the public. The mechanism behind news filtering and selecting is known as

Gatekeeping theory. The main premise of gatekeeping theory is that the messages are

constructed from information about events that has occurred through a series of gates and

has been changed out in the process. Some information reaches people on a front page of a

newspaper, some in the middle of the newspaper as a small column, and some never makes

it into the news at all. Yet, some news appear in some media while not in other; or

information may be given the most important position in one medium but buried into

another.198

The decision maker decides what information to let through and in which way it should be

passed. Abound decisions are made between the events and its transmission process to the

target. The events are filtered before they turn into news, this filter process is referred to as

the gate, the decision maker is known as the gatekeeper. “Individual differences in the

functioning of these processes should be minimal if they are species-specific processes.

Age, culture, intelligence, educational attainment, and other factors that strongly influence

196Heuristic is an approach to problem solving, learning, or discovery that employs a practical methodology not guaranteed to be optimal or perfect, but sufficient for the immediate goals. Where finding an optimal solution is impossible or impractical, heuristic methods can be used to speed up the process of finding a satisfactory solution. Heuristics can be mental shortcuts that ease the cognitive load of making a decision.

197See Cherry, Kendra (n.d). Availability Heuristic. About Education. http://psychology.about.com/od/aindex/g/availability-heuristic.htm, retrieved on: 8. July 2015.

198See Shoemaker, Pamela J., and Tim P. Vos. (2009). The Gatekeeping Process. Gatekeeping Theory. New York: Routledge, p. 22.

39

consciously controlled processes ought to be unimportant for innate automatic

processes.”199 It is possible for any person who has information to be a gatekeeper and to

decide whether to pass the information to the others or not. In processing and assigning

information to someone else, journalists consciously or unconsciously change its context.

The personality of the journalists influences the production of news content. Journalists are

more likely to have extroverted characters, which helps more often to relate with the

dissemination function of the media; introvert journalists in another hand, take a more

reflective and analytic perspective. The small number of introverts accounts for the small

of reflective or contextual news.200

Journalists in the mass media have influence on the audience. But that does not deny the

fact that journalists do perceive the world differently than others. Therefore, they make

many different decisions about accepting or rejecting information items. Within this

process the media takes control of the information by using gatekeeping and agenda

setting in order to control access to information, entertainment, and news. After

gatekeeping mechanism comes agenda setting. Agenda Setting Theory takes its origin

from Walter201 Lipperman's book Public Opinion (published in 1922). Lippmann observed

the function between the outside and inside worlds. He came up with the opposition

between the outside world and a trustworthy picture inside our heads.202

The agenda setting is applied to remodel events happening in local environment into a

simpler model before it is dealt with. Researcher Marcus Maurer203 pointed out that

agenda-setting has ability to increase or diminish the importance of the event; some topics

create more resonance than others because the social, demographic, and motivational

predispositions play role in the whole procedure.204

The core theoretical idea of agenda-setting is based on the dichotomous opposition of the

media agenda and the public agenda, and the capacity of the first to influence the second.

Agenda Setting is divided into three levels: The relation between the two sets-the media

199Kellogg, Roland T (2003). Fundementals of Cognition. COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY. 2 ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, p. 106.

200See Shoemaker (2209), p. 42.201Walter Lippmann was an American writer, reporter, and political commentator.202See Lippmann, Walter (1997). The World Outside and the Picture in Our Heads. Public Opinion. New

York: Free Paperbacks, p. 18.203Marcus Maurer is a Professor of Communication Studies with a focus on political communication at the

Institute of Journalism in Mainz.204See Maurer, Marcus (2010). Agenda-Setting. 1. Aufl. ed. Baden-Baden: Nomos, p. 74.

40

agenda and the public agenda-follows the logic of stimulus response.205 Throughout this

division the relationship between the media agenda and the public was marked for the

purpose of evaluating the media issues and decide whether these issues are of great

importance. Agenda setting assigns an important role as it decides what parts of the issues

are important in regards to the news and the public. Other factors that play role in agenda

setting are the external influences, plus the combination of managers, editors, and

gatekeepers. These external influences might be from sources not related to media;

government officials and influential individuals. These players shape the agenda setting

process depending on what power each player may have.206

4.1.1 Priming and framing

The main attention in the agenda-setting theory is focused on the concept of priming and

framing. The concept of priming attributes to enhancing the effects of the media by

focusing on the correlations between media coverage and individual character traits of

politicians concerning the ability to evoke sympathy, trustworthiness or honesty. Instead of

paying attention fully to specific issues, public figures often focus on accentuating images.

Media message recipients, in turn, try to interpret extrapolately the media created pictures

on the action agenda of the statesmen by using personalized pictures.207

Media serves to bring the audience standards and reference. Agenda-setting is directed to

the importance of a topic, while; priming directly associates with the information, which

was previously gained by media message receivers. The effect depends here on the

concept of Memory-Based Models of Information Processing.208 This concept refers to the

idea of already given mental frameworks, which are made more receptive under the

influence of certain stimuli. This mechanism enhances the reception, interpretation, and

assessment of the new received information and dictates a specific views; the tool of

205See Huck, Inga (2009). Wahrnehmungen Und Wahrnehmungsphanomene Im Agenda-Setting-Prozess. Baden-Baden: Nomos, Ed. Fischer, p. 16.

206See Littlejohn, Stephen W., and Karen A. Foss (2011). The Media. In: Theories of Human Communication. 10th ed. Long Grove, Ill: Waveland, p. 343.

207See Mendelsohn, Matthew (1996). The Media and Interpersonal Communications: The Priming of Issues, Leaders, and Party Identification.In: The Journal of Politics 58.1: pp. 112-25.

208See Scheufele, Dietram A., and David Tewksbury (2007). Framing, Agenda Setting, and Priming: The Evolution of Three Media Effects Models. In: Journal of Communication 57.021-9916: p, 11. https://www.google.de/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCcQFjAA&url=http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dietram_Scheufele/publication/224818478_Framing_agenda_setting_and_priming_The_evolution_of_three_media_effects_models/links/0fcfd510e9ad484efc000000.pdf&ei=LnE3VdGRJYLmywPWn4GwCQ&usg=AFQjCNERJTg_L0Vxom2uHsXw1xv0jPJg_w, retrieved on: 22 April 2015.

41

priming is often used to form political judgments and to evaluate the performances of key

political powers.209 In contrast to psychological effects of priming, political

communication scientists, have employed priming in nearly different areas popularizing

the priming effects as news media effects on political decision making related directly to

the process of political decision. They aimed from that to evaluate general performance

based on the anticipated pattern.210 By adopting this mechanism, they tend to take into

consideration the aspects which correspond to their prior experience of the issue. Thus, the

message receivers narrow the excessive information framework. “Priming is the process in

which the media attend to some issues and not others and thereby alter the standards by

which people evaluate election candidates”.211

Priming cannot be disassociated from framing, as both concepts interact with each others

on a certain basis. The concept of framing is a broader context; it deals with media's

attention on certain issues and tries to find deep meaning to certain topics. The concept of

framing is related to the process of organizing reality.212 The term framing has to do with

terms of photography, a frame is a lens which through it certain events are viewed and

perceived. Just as dispersion of the lens causes aberration, so does framing theory suggest,

to some extent, which influences the choices people make about processing the received

facts. Every frame is an abstraction that works to organize or structure message.

Nevertheless, it is a necessary per-requisite for having a mental guideline. The concept of

framing is relevant for a variety of disciplines, ranging from news making, psychology and

sociology to linguistics and politics.213 In relationship to media frame is defined: “To frame

is to select some aspects of a perceived reality and to make them more salient in a

communicating text, in such a way as to promote a particular problem definition, casual

interpretation, moral evaluation, and/or treatment recommendation for the item.”214 By

doing so, the scientist alluded to its generalizing capacity and the concept of building

209See Maurer (2010), p. 74.210See Iyengar, Shanto, Mark D. Peters, and Donald R. Kinder (1982). Experimental Demonstrations of the

Not-So-Minimal Consequences of Television News Programs. In: The American Political Science Review76.4, pp. 848-58. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1962976?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents, retrieved on: 22. April 2015.

211Lee, Jenghoon (2006). Computer-mediated Communication as Political Communication:Investigating the Agenda Setting Function. Diss. The Florida State U-College of Communication. The Florida State University. http://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2904&context=etd, retrieved on: 22. April 2015.

212See Kitzinger, Jenny (2007). Framing and Frame Analysis. In: Devereux, Eoin (ed.): Media Studies: KeyIssues and Debates. Thousand Oaks: SAGE, p. 134.

213See Ibid., p.135214Entman, Robert M (7. February 2006). Framing: toward Clarification of a Fractured Paradigm. In:

Journal of Communication 43.4 (1993). pp, 51-58,52.Wiley Online Library. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1993.tb01304.x/pdf, retrieved on: 22. April 2015.

42

opinions. In this case is the concept Synergy Effect215 happens when a certain framework

outbalances the sum of its parts. Framing always depends on interrelation of several

components. Its key driving forces are clusters and patterns.216 These frameworks and the

frames created in daily communication depending greatly on how information is

perceived, processed, and communicated. People are capable consumers of frameworks

whether they know it or not.

4.1.2 Newsworthy and interest group

The criteria journalists and editors use to judge an event or a story are called news values,

or Newsworthiness this term is refereed to just as news criteria or news factors. The

precedent terms are affected by twelve selection criteria: proximity, timeliness, exceptional

quality, prominence, possible future impact, the number of people involved or affected,

consequence, human interest, pathos, conflict, shock value, and titillation component.217

These factors are applied by gatekeepers for decision making about the weight of news.

Galtung218 and Ruge219 brought to attention several controversial ideas concerning the list

of news values. This list was reviewed, revisited and criticized by many experts. The key

factor has no position in Galtung’s list, as he mentions the impact of ideology and its role

in overall news selection process.220

News values determine how prominent a story is, and to what extent the media covers it.

Furthermore, it deals with how the audience receives the media message, and how they

interact with it.

“News journalism has a broadly agreed set of values, often referred to as

'newsworthiness'. The news journalist makes his or her selection from a range of

conventionally accepted source of information, sources that are in effect the

providers of the 'news agenda' and whose regular production of information is

215Synergy Effect is the creation of a whole that is greater than the simple sum of its parts.216See Kitzinger (2007), p.154.217See Nicholson, Matthew (2007).Working the Beat: Sport Media Production. In: Sport and the Media:

Managing the Nexus. Oxford: Elsevier, p. 109. 218Johan Galtung is a Norwegian sociologist, mathematician and the principal founder of the discipline of

peace and conflict studies. 219Mari Holmboe Ruge was one of the founding pioneers at Peace Research Institue Oslo. In late 1967, she

left the institute to finalize her studies in political science at the University of Oslo. 220See Kheirabadi, Reza, and Ferdows Aghagolzadeh (1. May 2012). A Discoursive Review of Galtung and

Ruge's News Factors in Iranian Newspapers. In: Theoryand Practice in Language Studies. Academy Publisher. http://ojs.academypublisher.com/index.php/tpls/article/view/tpls0205989994, retrieved on: 22. April 2015.

43

diarized; selection from them is made according to these and other criteria of

newsworthiness.”221

News values are not international and vary between different communities. In democratic

countires, decisions on the prioritization of news, and selection are taken by editors due to

professional experience and intuition. J. Galtung and M. Ruge cleared that several factors

are applied by a range of news wires. They argue that the more an event accessed the most

likely it will be aired. Three basic hypotheses are presented by them. The additive

hypothesis clears that the more factors an event satisfies, the possibility is high that the

event will become newsworthy; the complementarity hypothesis states that factors will

tend to exclude each others. The exclusion hypothesis clears that events which do not

satisfy none or very few factors will not turn to be news. External and internal pressures

affect journalists decision making regarding stories, how issues are perceived, and the

amount of emphasis given. This amount of pressure can lead sometimes to bias in

reporting.222

In daily coverage, some events gain more attention than others depending on the

significance of the events to the audience; while, others do not get mentioned at all due to

lack of interest group. Understanding the appearance of certain events in news require a

step wise approach toward the role of influential factors related to the target group and the

different areas where media seeks influence. Great range interest groups do exist223, but

three types of interest groups are relevant to news selection process Gate Keeping groups

use the media to get information out about certain interested programs. They try to

persuade gate keepers to include message about their groups and ensure that the messages

are favorable. They assign public relations as tool to reach the target audience for

influencing media gatekeepers, and they can be very successful. Their topics get

significant coverage. The second type of interest group exists for the express purpose of

changing media content. These groups criticize the media and try to affect news selection

process. They exert a double influence on content. Not only their criticism get on the news

agenda by replacing messages that would otherwise have been selected by gate keepers,

but also they may cause revisions of media practice and policy. Their main goal is to

221 Journalism. 21st Century Communication: A Reference Handbook.William F. Eadie (Ed.) (2009). Vol. 2. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, p. 610.

222See Owen Spencer-Thomas ( 31. March 2005). News Values. http://www.owenspencer-thomas.com/journalism/newsvalues, retrieved on: 23. April 2015.

223See Singh, Robert (2013). Pluralism and Its Critique. Governing America: The Politics of a Divided Democracy. Oxford: Oxford UP, p. 232.

44

increase the cost of media practice the group deems offensive or problematic by forcing

the gatekeeper to deal with it. The third type of interest groups use the media to promote a

position and occasionally tries to influence the gatekeeping mechanism by providing

guidelines for covering certain topics of interest to the group.224

Interest groups may direct the attention of editorial boards toward certain arena and

resources, but in the end it is the decision of the press. If journalists or editors do not find a

story newsworthy, than the effort of the interest groups are blown, but that does not deny

the fact that interest groups of high importance.

4.1.3 Honesty and independence of media

Throughout all media forms, the truth is sought and has the highest virtue. Truth seekers

spend hours searching in all media platforms for it. It is expected that media is honest and

telling the truth, even if the truth hurts potentially. Journalists are viewed as the

champions of the truth. Therefore, honesty is a journalistic fundamental ethic, although; it

demands a high cost that journalists have to pay in seeking the truth.

One of the most important values in the media ethic is honesty whether the concern is

news reporting, blogging, advertising, public relations, photography or videography,

documentry filmmaking, or non-fictional memoir publishing. “Media codes of ethics call

for Truth Telling.”225

There is bigotry in the press coverage news; this is an ongoing problem, however, some

media assumes that it is not a big problem. The bias in media argues that there is no

complete truth or no journalist is completely objective. Yet, truth is absolute; it is based on

the reality. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it, as it depends on hard facts which

emerge from the events on the ground. “Truth Mirrors reality.”226 Honesty is a key issue

when it comes to the news, the public has the right to know the truth. Hence, lying is

unacceptable in journalism. The role of independent media is based on providing true

neutral information to truth seekers.

The freedom of journalists to report the truth has largely been taken as a core stone for

democratic societies. New challenges and difficulties are raising new questions about how

independent the press in today’s increasingly complex information, political and

224See Shoemaker (2009), p. 91.225Roberts, Chris (2011). Truth and Deception. In: Doing Ethics in Media. Madison: Routledge, p. 200. 226Ibid., p. 206.

45

technological environments. Such questions have driven tensions between press freedoms,

personal privacy, and the role of the government in balancing competing rights. Media

independence varies from country to country depending on the political landscape and the

type of pressure affecting the media in countries.227 Government regulates media in some

parts of the world, whereas some media operators set self-regulations as internal police for

their daily editorial work. The self-regulatory system domains stronger than others when it

is applied as enforcing codes of ethics. The self-regulatory system promotes high self-

censorship that limits the freedom of journalism in general, and journalists in particular.228

The Independence of the media can be understood in terms of diversity in media content

and policy. It is easy to see these hybrid arrangements as irrevocable compromises in the

pursuit of media independence. These arrangements should be understood to help

independent media to balance the financial and regulatory pressures effectively with the

individual and creative freedom. “Perhaps, then more than anything else media

independence should be understood in the utopian terms as originally proposed by

Thomas, More.229 'a good, but non-existent and therefore impossible society.'”230 Media has

to put series of strong recommendations and best policies that seek to foster media honesty

and independence. These include policies to diversify media content, ensure freedom of

expression and the right to information, support the professionalism and autonomy of

journalists, and explore media literacy initiative.

4.2 Media ethical responsibility

Journalism is concerned with ensuring accurate information that allows media to form

decent impression about social processes and situations in the world. But that does not

deny journalists from having social responsibilities before the people, the law, and the

occupation. The ethical responsibility of journalism requires that a journalist acts in

accordance with ethical standards. The ethics of the profession involves permanent

227See Schmidt, Mogens (2007). Expanding Press Freedom. James, Barry (Ed.). World Press Freedom Committee.World Association Of Newspapers. New Media: The Press Freedom Dimension, pp. 6-9. Paris: UNESCO. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001520/152017e.pd, retrieved on: 6. May 2015.

228See Zlatev, Ognian (2011). Media Accountability Systems (MAS) and Their Applications in South East Europe and Turkey. In: Professional Journalism and Self-Regulation. Paris: UNESCO, pp. 16-19. http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/CI/CI/pdf/media_standards/Professional+Journalism+and+Self-Regulation.pdf, retrieved on: 7. May 2015.

229Thomas More was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was also a councillor to Henry VIII and Lord Chancellor.

230The Utopia of Independent Media (2015): Media Independence In: Working with Freedom or Working for Free? James Bennett and Niki Strange (Ed.). New York: Routledge, p, 9.

46

responsibility of journalists for everything they do in the framework of their professional

obligations, rather than adhering to the rules that adopted once and for all. The ethical and

professional behaviour involves searching, keeping, receiving, distributing and

commenting on information. Ethics in journalism are raped up in code, the code does not

have obligations, yet it formulates moral guidelines or standards against power abuse by

media employees. These standards are listed in the ethical code. The ethical code cannot

be used as an act against media criminally and disciplinarily. Nonetheless, it is just an act

of responsibility in the framework of media self-regulation. To any person who asks what

is media ethics?, many answers are possible, but not all of them are correct or wrong. This

question can be answered on the heartbeat of ethics as it raises the issue of good and bad

when journalists debate over rights and obligations. Psychologically speaking, media

ethics is viewed as. “A set of norms and capacities learned though family life, schools, and

social customs. One's ethical perspective consists largely of learned responses shaped by

enculturation and ethical 'climate' of society.”231 This definition gives media ethic a

framework, but it builds a look at media ethics from psychological perspective. Moreover,

some defintions bear the public significant ethical responsibilities. “Sociologically, ethical

norms have social origins. My ethical values and capacities are natured and exercised

within groups. The subject matter of ethics is the values of social groups. Also, ethics

requires that I adopt a social perspective that looks to the common and transcends selfish

individualism.”232

The success of media ethics depends on the application of a dual mechanism made of

theory and practice, the journalist should not ignore one or the other. Global media ethics

do emerge neither from the theory alone, even if the theory is brilliant philosophical work

nor solely from global emergent problems encountered by journalists. Global media ethics

will not emerge from workshops and discussions among journalists too. Discussions

among practitioners about global norms need to be stimulated and grounded in the best

available theories of global media ethics. As conclusion: without the support of theory,

well-meant declarations of global principles by practitioners will be inadequately grounded

in philosophy and ethical theory.233

231Ward, Stephen J. A (2010). The Ethical Sphere. In: Global Journalism Ethics. Montreal & Kingston: McGill-Queen's UP, p. 14.

232 Ibid., pp.14-18.233See Global Media Ethics (2013). Justice and Indian Journalism. Problems and Perspectives. Stephen J.

A. Ward (Ed.). Chichester: Blackwell, p. 44.

47

4.2.1 Impartiality and fairness in media

Impartial media means not being prejudiced toward or against any particular groups in its

press coverage. Journalists are normal people with different opinions, social backgrounds,

and experience. Though, media coverage must be freed from any partiality for achieving

daily comprehensive coverage. To ensure that, journalists must rise above any personal

perspectives and free themselves from any personal experience or perspectives that can

affect the diversity of opinion and the accuracy of media coverage for reporting on reality.

“There is no fundamentally non-ideological, a political, non-partisan news gathering and

reporting system.”234 According to George Gerbner235. News coverage is all about

delivering information that have been proven correct. Impartiality is essential for the

quality of the news coverage. It's not about good and bad news. As good and bad are

relative truth. It's about stripping out of the personal judgment for allowing the truth

seekers to draw their own opinion, free from any pressure inserted by the journalist.

Newspapers have a code of professional ethics applied into editorial policy. “Presenting

information on daily basis that is truthful, complete, interesting, current and of high quality

in order to help readers understand reality and form their own opinion.”236

Due to the increase number of unlimited sources, people have become increasingly

concerned with unfair and fair reporting by the mainstream media. The purpose of the

ethical code of Media is not to censor or condemn journalists, but to encourage them to

adhere to the professional standards of reporting and providing balanced news. The

concept for fairness evolved due to frequent cases that did rise in the political coverage.

Not all interested parties must be granted the right to speak on the air; but that does not

mean the journalist has the right to prevent particular viewpoints from being aired even if

the journalist does not like or agree with the topic. Here we talk about blocking

information simply by avoiding coverage on such unflavoured topics. “The political

editorial rules require that the broadcaster let its listeners hear other candidates with

conflicting views. Thus, the political editorial obligation directly further the fairness

doctrine goal of preventing powerful broadcasters from unfairly using their influence.”237

234 Nicholas, Joe, and John Price (1998). NEWS:PRESENTATION AND EFFECTS. Advanced Studies in Media. Walton-on-Thames: Nelson, p. 104.

235George Gerbner was a professor of communication and the founder of cultivation theory. Born, Budapest, he emigrated to the United States in late 1939.

236Lamrani, Salim, and Larry R Oberg (2014). The Ideology Shift of El Pasis. Cuba, the Media, and the Challenge of Impartiality. New York: Library of Congress Cataloging. In: Publication Data, p. 11.

237Simmons, Steven J (1978). The FFC's Personal Attack and Political Editorial Rules Reconsidered. The Fairness Doctrine and the Media. Berkeley: U of California, p. 90.

48

4.2.2 Respect for human dignity in media

The journalistic profession has long subscribed to ethical statements developed primarily

for the benefit of the dignity of the people. Journalists must recognize responsibility to

readers at first and at foremost, as well as to interviewees. The principles of human dignity

adopted by the journalists are not laws, but standards of conduct define the essentials of

honorable behavior for the media. Journalists shall be dedicated to the ethical norms of

human dignity. These norms may be identified in several cultural, religious, and

philosophical frameworks around the world, but they should be interpreted within local

context in order to bring norms guidance for journalistic acts.238

The debate about human dignity is still open. It raises the following question: Is human

dignity for press freedom? Or is press freedom for human dignity?

“If the media professes to be guided by the principles of freedom and human dignity,

it should be held accountable to those principles. A normative counter-perspective is

a need that would foreground the failure of global modernity to bring about freedom

and human dignity on an equal basis, and appeal to the media's moral responsibility

to contribute to process where these values could be reached.”239

Critics fear that the increase in prosecutions of human dignity could lead to the limitation

of media freedom. Traditionally, the concept of human dignity has been used by many

editorial boards and government as an excuse to erratic attempts to censor the press.

4.2.3 Effect of media on the society

The influence of media on society is growing and becoming stronger and stronger. Thanks

to the competition among media producers, as competitors wish to catch attentions of

people through newspapers, magazines, movies, shows, and commercials. The speed at

which news moves around the world has turned faster with the advancement of internet

technology. Journalists certainly can influence people in many ways, but the question

remains: What effects does the media have on society?

Media shapes the values of people and defines what is good and what is bad, what is pretty

and what is ugly. Though, media itself influences highly not only young media message

238See Stephen J. A. Ward and Herman Wasserman (eds.) (2010). Human Dignity between the Global and the Local. In: Media Ethics beyond Borders: A Global Perspective. New York: Routledge, p.79.

239Ibid., p. 77.

49

receivers children, teens, and youngsters, but also adults with sound education likewise.

“The degree of influence depends on the availability and pervasiveness of media. All of

the traditional mass media still have great influence over our lives.”240

Reading news and stories in newspapers takes readers away into different spheres. There

are parts where readers feel that they are the ones in the story, consistently; they feel what

the protagonist of the story has experienced. Readers here are caught in the emotional

excitement. The effect of media does not stop here with the story. The effect of the

reported news and narrated stories could lead to behavioral changes toward certain topics

as media has cognitive effect on the message receiver and often behavioral responses.

“Cognitive effects are those that concern the acquisition of information-what people

learn, how beliefs are structured (or restructured) in the mind, how needs for

information are satisfied or not. These effects include concerns about what is learned

as well as how much is learned.”241

There are some newspapers and books that attempt to create atmospheres for changing

opinions regarding some issues. In case of reporting on Syrian refugees/asylum seekers,

some media brings the sufferings of refugees under focus and raises sympathy toward

them; or ignores the refugees and keeps silent on their situations. Media can also provokes

criticism with purpose of misshaping the reality. The effect of media can be for the better,

or sometimes for the worse. These can lead to misunderstanding, oppositional

misbehavior, and judgemental opinions, which can create a vicious cycle among

individuals against other people, or communities.

4.3 Random sampling and findings

Given the large number of listed articles about Syrian war and Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers in the ME and the limited amount of articles about Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

in Germany in particular commitments an empirical approach to the research. The number

of articles is huge, but not all articles could be considered for further analysis while they

are not related directly to the focus of the research. The data on Syrian refugees/asylum

240Curtis, Anthony (1. January 2012). Mass Media Influence on Society. University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Mass Communication Dept. http://www2.uncp.edu/home/acurtis/Courses/ResourcesForCourses/Media&Society/MassMediaInfluenceOnSociety.html, retrieved on: 19. April 2015.

241Perse, Elizabeth M (2001). Introduction. Media Effects and Society. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates, p. 3.

50

seekers in Germany were used to determine the final sample of the study. All articles were

categorized in two different groups depending on the type of the newspapers national

newspaper or regional newspaper; both the significance and the interest of the articles

have been classified according to the importance into levels: high, middle, low, or no

interest. The articles from national newspapers are divided in (17) articles from FAZ and

(22) articles from SZ1. The articles from regional newspapers are divided into (49) articles

from KSTA and (17) articles from SZ2. For the distribution of the selected articles into

four different groups, a sampling procedure that takes this imbalance into consideration

has been chosen. Hence, each of the four groups was assigned a different selection quota

ensuring a representative, as well as feasible scope of the sample. All concerned articles

with a high importance were selected, whereas, only (13) articles of low or no interest to

the selection criteria were not chosen.

The following diagram shows the numbers of articles due to the level of importance

in regard to Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany.

Articles of high importance are related directly to Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in

Germany, whereas; articles of middle importance deal with the issues of Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers in context of stories dedicated to refugees in Germany. Articles of

low importance are assigned to Syrian refugees/asylum seekers outside Germany, but they

shed light on the German initiative and effort toward Syrian refugees/asylum seekers.

Articles of no importance are articles where the word of Syrian refugee/asylum seeker is

mentioned in context of small local stories, and which focus on issues not directly related

to refugees or asylum seekers.

51

High Importance Middle Importance Low Importance No Importance0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35 33

27

32

13

31,43

25,71

30,47

12,39

Articles in Numbers Articles in Percentage

As a result of the sampling procedure, a small sample of articles are used for an early

preview for the full analysis of all selected articles. While analyzing the selected articles a

mechanism of content analysis for decoding the randomly chosen articles was applied. The

decoding process of the articles during the random sample procedures included: (12)

articles from the total articles (105), (3) articles from each single newspaper fell under

deep consideration of the applied codebook. The findings are presented in descriptive way

depending on the exposure and decoding of the selected article. In this random sampling a

sample size of (3) articles is believed to be effective and efficient for an analysis of the

four models. As delineated in FAZ, one of the articles during the third quarter of 2012

during the Syrian war focused on the issue of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in

neighboring countries of Syria and in the EU and the debate in this regard. “Angesichts

eines stetig zunehmenden Flüchtlingsstroms aus Syrien haben sich Außen Politiker aller

Bundestagsfraktionen für die Aufnahme syrischer Flüchtlinge ausgesprochen.”242 The

article reported on the debate between German politicians concerning Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers and the German official plan for hosting some of them. The

voices that call for more humanitarian support for the refugees were brought along the

article too. “In Syrien gibt es eine humanitäre Katastrophe. Deutschland sollte Flüchtlinge

aufnehmen.”243 As shown in an other article in FAZ, but in different period in the fourth

quarter of 2013, FAZ reported on the arrival of the Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in

Germany via the official German initiative.“Sie erhalten eine auf zwei Jahre befristete

Aufenthaltsgenehmigung, dürfen in Deutschland arbeiten, erhalten Sozialleistungen.”244 In

further paragraph in the same article, the newspaper criticized the attitude of the German

church in a satiric tone.

“Am Rande ihres Weges steht ein Mann. Große Brille, hellblaues Hemd, Krawatte.

Vor ihm ein Klapptisch voller Bücher. Die Bibel. Auf Deutsch, Russisch und

Arabisch. 'Jesus gibt Leben, unvergängliches Leben. Das wünsche ich Ihnen', sagt

der Mann. Er will der Familie eine Bibel schenken. Sie lehnt höflich ab.

Deutschland, müssen die syrischen Flüchtlinge wohl denken, ist ein sehr religiöses

Land.”245

In the fourth quarter of 2014, FAZ oriented to the problem of Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers in general, yet it discusses the amount of sympathy the German government gives

242Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) (25. August 2012): Debatte Über Syrische Flüchtlinge, p. 5.243Ibid.244Staib, Julian (1. October 2013): Die Ersten Schritte. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), p.4. 245Ibid.

52

to Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. The article emphasizes the moral responsibility of

Germany.

“Die Sprecherin des Auswärtigen Amtes hatte am Montag die Bedeutung der

Veranstaltung so beschrieben: 'Es handelt sich konkret nicht um eine

Geberkonferenzen; es gibt zahlreiche Geberkonferenz. Natürlich wird Deutschland

seiner Verantwortung gerecht werden und Worten auch Taten folgen lassen.'”246

In comparison to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Süddeutsche Zeitung tackled the issue

of Syrian refugees earlier. In the fourth quarter of 2011, SZ1 reported on the suffering of

Syrian people in Syria due to the harsh political situations there.

“Ali kann ruhig darüber reden, nun, da er im Park einer deutschen Großstadt sitzt-

weit weg vom syrischen Geheimdienst, weit weg vom syrischen Geheimdienst, weit

weg von den Folterknästen. Ali zählt zu den Hunderten Syrern, die jetzt jeden Monat

nach Deutschland kommen, auf der Flucht vor einem der gnadenlosesten Diktatoren

unserer Zeit, vor Bashar al-Assad und seinen Helfern.”247

In the third quarter of 2012, Süddeutsche Zeitung called on the German government to

show more support for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. “Aber natürlich sollte man auch

Flüchtlingen in Europa Schutz und Lebenschancen ermöglichen.”248 In one of the article in

the third quarter of 2014, SZ1 called for more hospitality for Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers not only in Germany, but also in Europe as the newspaper called on European

countires to take Germany as an example for supporting Syrian refugees/asylum seekers.

“Das ist noch Luft nach oben Möglich, und die sollten wir nutzen, um auch Vorbild für

andere Länder Europas zu sein”.249

In comparison to the national newspapers, regional newspapers coverage is broader than

national newspapers. The regional coverage is concerned with the daily issues and, or

problems of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers and with the German effort in this direction.

In the fourth quarter of 2012, Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reported on the effort of the regional

authorities of NRW in facilitating the procedures for new arriving Syrian refugees/asylum

246Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) (29. October 2014): Wir Lassen Die Flüchtlinge Aus Syrien Nicht Allein, p. 5.

247Ibid., Weit Weg Vom Folterknast.248Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) (22. August 2012): Grüne Fordern Aufnahme Von Syrischen Flüchtlingen, p.

1. 249Bielicki, Jan (21. June 2014): Mehr Gastlichkeit Für Syrer. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), p. 6.

53

seekers. “Syrische Flüchtlinge könnten im kommenden Jahr einfacher in Deutschland

aufgenommen werden.”250

In the fourth quarter of 2013, KSTA focused on Syrian refugees in Aachen city. Kölner

Stadt-Anzeiger compared between the life of a family in Syria and the new life they are

living in Germany. “Sie weiß aus Telefonaten und Mails, was die Verwandten in Syrien

durchgemacht haben. Die Mails klangen immer verzweifelter: Das leben hier ist die Hölle,

bitte holt uns raus! Heiligabend in Düsseldorf endet die Odyssee für drei Frauen und neuen

Kinder”.251

In the fourth quarter 2014, KSTA discussed the relationship between Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers and German neighbors. Furthermore, the newspaper allocated the

generous German individuals who are willing to welcome and help Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers as examples for others. The articles showed further the positive

effect of the presence of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in the low inhabited German

regions. The newspaper interviewed Germans asking them about their opinion concerning

the presence of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in their towns. “Er sieht in der Aufnahme

von Flüchtlingen einen doppelten Vorteil für Döfer wie Oberveischede: 'Wir haben im

Sauerland generell ein Demograieproblem. Die jungen Leute ziehen weg, inzwischen

stehen viele Häuser leer. Gleich Zeitig haben wir flüchtlinge, die dringend eine Unterkunft

brauchen.'”252 Similarly to Kölner Stadr-Anzeiger, Sächsische Zeitung's coverage tackles

the issues of Syrian refugees in the Free State of Saxony. In the third quarter of 2012,

Sächsische Zeitung covered Syrian war and the arrival of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

in Germany as a Syrian family arrived with a fake Spanish Visa.“Eine Flüchtlingsfamilie

aus Syrien ist am Dresdner Flughafen mit falschen Visa gefasst worden.”253

In the fourth quarter of 2013, SZ2 writes about the small number of Syrian refugees in the

Free State of Saxony and criticizes the local policy toward refugees in general and Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers in particular. The newspaper interviewed an activist regarding

these numbers and brought her voice to the reader. “Die Aufnahmequote für Sachsen liegt

bei rund fünf Prozent. Bei mehr als sechs Millionen Menschen, die etwa vor dem

Bürgerkrieg aus Syrien fliehen, finde ich die Anzahl von 765 neuen Zuweisungen sowieso

250 Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA) (16. November 2012): Regierung Will Einfacheres Asyl Für Syrer, p. 6. 251Keller, Thorsten (27. December 2013): Von Aleppo Nach Achen. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA), p.

16.252Pluwatsch, Petra (20. December 2014): Zuflucht Im Fachwerkhaus. In:Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA), p.

8.253 Sächsische Zeitung (SZ) (21. August 2012): Flüchtlingsfamilie Aus Syrien Reist Mit Falschen Visa Ein,

p. 6.

54

beschämend.”254 In the fourth quarter of 2014, Sächsische Zeitung reported about the

social problems, which Syrian refugees/asylum seekers face in the region due to the

existing Xenophobia there. “Die Gewalt gegen Ausländer in Dresden hat einen neuen

Tiefpunkt erreicht. Unbekannte Täter haben in Gorbitz einer syrischen Familie eine

Morddrohung in den Briefkasten geworfen.”255

Generalizing the results to the total number of the whole random sampling articles need

appropriate attention due of the enormous variations in the timeline of the Syrian crisis and

the arrival of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany. This simple sample focused on

each selected article singly without considering the preceding and proceeding articles from

the same selected model. The results of these articles cannot be fully applicable to the

whole selected articles (105) for the analysis. Although, the sample size of (12) articles is

not only effective, it is efficient for predicting in advance the newspapers content and

attitude toward Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany.

5 Study analysis of national newspapers

5.1 Content scrutiny

The analysis of national newspapers examined (39) articles from the original data for

exploring the ways that German national newspapers use to depict Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers in Germany. The analysis hypothesizes that a pattern of familiar storylines would

emerge in both national newspapers due to the weight of news events. Yet, that does not

contradict the fact that particular narratives and coverages are more visible than others in

one of the two newspapers. The analysis audits different articles in divergent coverages

along the Syrian conflict in both newspapers. These selected articles materialized the

suffering of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers and raised sympathy for them, There are good

amount of articles about Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in the Middle East in general and

Germany in particular. Yet, this visibility in coverage differs along the analyzed years of

this research due to the news related to the Syrian war on the ground at first, and problems

created by Syrian refugees/asylum seekrs in Germany at second. Most articles in national

newspapers appeared between 2013 and 2014 as the situation deteriorated on the ground in

the Middle East, these findings have important implications about how national

newspapers developed news reporting about Syrian refugees/asylum seekers.

254Ibid., Das Ist Beschämend. 255Sächsische Zeitung (SZ) (27. December 2014): Syrische Familie Erhält Morddrohung, p. 15.

55

The analysis aims to detect biases in news coverage and reporting on Syrians

refugees/asylum seekers in Germany, to deconstruct the stereotypes and problematic

conventional beliefs that determine national newspapers strategies, and to reveal the

dominant narratives in national newspapers. The analysis coded all types of articles. The

core unit of analysis is the entire article. In presenting the results of content analysis of

FAZ and SZ1, this section presents certain topics that were presented frequently in the

actual coverage of the above mentioned newspapers. Key similarities and differences

among both newspapers in different articles were taken into consideration. The bylines of

the articles are important indicators of the importance of the articles and news origins. FAZ

and SZ1 enjoy a good porition of staff written articles and reports on Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers in Germany. Nevertheless, the newspapers have proportion

articles in form of small reports precisely in the first two years of the Syrian conflict.

The reports are in form of reporting on Syrian refugees in general and raising sympathy

and awareness for them in particular. Of the two analyzed national models, SZ1 relied

more on news generated reports than staff generated articles. Whereas, FAZ signalized a

lower level of interest in Syrian refugees/asylum seekers as it relied more on articles in

form of small news formats. The byline sources difference in the coverage between the

two newspapers based on statistics and figures; these figures are of great significance

about how German national newspapers deal with this topic.

Numbers of national articles according to bylines.

56

Journalist/reporterAgency Source

Staff/AgencyNo Source

Whole Articles

0

5

10

15

20

25

6

0 0

11

17

20

0 02

22

FAZ SZ1

In FAZ (35,30) percent of the analyzed articles are submitted by journalists and reporters

in the byline. There is no article among FAZ's articles from agency source or written by

both staff and agency. The rest of the articles (64,70) percent in FAZ is listed without a

source; these articles are in form of small news format. In SZ1 a total of (90,90) percent of

articles is listed by journalists or reporters. Yet, The rest of the articles (9,10) percent is

listed without a source, and likewise in a small news format. In total, (66,66) percent of the

national coverage depended on staff generated articles, but the rest (33,34) percent of the

articles is without source in news format. The topics of the articles can be previewed as a

measure of what national newspapers tend to emphasize and what editors regard as

important or not relevant to news coverage regarding Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. This

analysis found out that is (66,66) percent of the selected articles are with primary topics,

and (33,34) appeared with non-primary topics. This research shows that both newspapers

do not differ significantly in reporting on Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. Nonetheless, the

differences emerged more in the coverage of FAZ, as the newspaper focused more on the

German government and Germany. FAZ included a heavy array of articles based on

German government and its effort in supporting Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. Whereas,

SZ1 showed more interest in Syrian refugees/asylum seekers and the humanitarian side of

their suffering. SZ1 is more positive in reporting on Syrian refugees/asylum seekers.

Süddeutsche Zeitung is more committed toward them in comparison to FAZ. But that does

not oppose the fact that national newspapers highlight both the negative and positive effort

of German policy in this regard, and call for more support for Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers. This tendency is visible in both models. Yet, SZ1 focused more on Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers and highlighted the hardship that Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

experience eachday. On the other hand, FAZ focused more on news of the later in

international coverage as conflict news. FAZ's coverage was more in form of international

news coverage.

5.2 German government and Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

Beyond measuring the amount of coverage allotted to the German government's effort

toward Syrian refugees/asylum seekers by FAZ and SZ1; it must be confessed that the

German effort were treated and discussed unbiasedly. But the articles were more favorable

toward Syrian refugees/asylum seekers even if the articles did not cite Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers directly, but they treated topics related to their situation

57

frequently. On topic covered in this regard, SZ1 is desirably to report on gusting Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers in Germany. Süddeutsche Zeitung shed the light on German

supportive effort for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in the ME, at the same time; SZ1

focused on offering Syrian refugees shelter in Germany, and incremented the debate

between German politicians due to an initiative supporting Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers. The newspaper reported on all voices regarding this initiative. “Auch der

Vorsitzende des Bundestagsausschusses für Menschenrechte, Tom Koenig (Grüne),

plädierte für ein Nachdenken darüber, ob syrische Flüchtlinge nicht auch in Deutschland

aufgenommen werden sollten.”256

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung highlighted the attempts of the German government in

dealing with Syrian refugees/asylum seeker neutrally. Additionally, FAZ shed more light

on the arguments in the German parliament about and against Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers.

“Angesichts eines stetig zunehmenden Flüchtlingsstroms aus Syrien haben sich

Außenpolitiker aller Bundestagsfraktionen für die Aufnahme syrischer Flüchtlinge

ausgesprochen. Der Unions-Fraktionsvorsitzende Volker Kauder kündigte an, er

wolle darüber in den kommenden Tagen mit Bundesinnenminister Hans-Peter

Friedrich (CSU) und den Innenministern der Länder sprechen.”257

Germany agreed officially to host Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. Many Syrians have

started to submit applications in the neighboring countries of Syria. Due to enormous

numbers of applications, German's jurisdiction boards were under pressure particularly in

the German embassies in the Middle East. In one article, FAZ reported about the pressure

on the German embassy in Beirut and how the embassy does not respond quickly to Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers' applications. “Zurzeit werden Flüchtlinge, welche sich etwa in

der deutschen Botschaft in Beirut um ein Visum bemühten, abgelehnt, weil die

Konsularabteilung ihnen umständehalber keine Rückkehrwilligkeit attestieren kann.”258

German Government adheres to its pledges to support vulnerable Syrians into actions.

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers arrive in Germany by the official German humanitarian

initiative. FAZ reported.

256Ibid., Grüne Fordern Aufnahme Von Syrischen Flüchtlingen.257Ibid., Debatte Über Syrische Flüchtlinge.258 Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) (30. January 2013): Bericht über weiters Massaker in Syrien, p. 2.

58

“Deutschland hat unterdessen erstmals eine größere Gruppe von im syrischen

Bürgerkrieg verletzten Personen aufgenommen 36 Schwerverletzte wurden am

Montag von der Bundeswehr aus Jordanien ausgeflogen, wo sie bisher behandelt

worden waren. Das Flugzeug landete in Stuttgart, von dort aus wurden die Verletzten

in Bundeswehrkrankenhäuser nach Ulm, Hamburg, Berlin und Westerstede in

Niedersachsen gebracht.”259

Since the conflict in Syria has turned into a sectarian war, the situation has become

difficult for the ethnic minorities. The number of Syrians asking for right of asylum in

Germany turned to be higher than expected. Therefore, some official voices called upon

limiting the support to Syrian refugees only to the minorities in the country. These voices

were met with rejection by German politicians. FAZ featured these voices in an article:

“Hilfe für Flüchtlinge unabhängig von der Frage der Religionszugehörigkeit,”260 Germany

cannot hold responsibility for all Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in the world. The German

government has set official standards for the selection process due to the size of

vulnerability of refugee/asylum applicant. SZ1 focused on Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

in Germany and who has the priority to come to Germany via the official program.

“Wer nach Deutschland wolle, habe meist schon Familie hier, berichtet Norbert

Trosien, der beim UNHCR Deutschland für Aufnahmeprogramme zuständig ist und

der Bundesregierung Vorschläge zur Auswahl der 5000 Flüchtlinge gemacht hat. In

aufwendigen Einzelgesprächen hat das Hilfswerk 'besonders schutzbedürftige

Personen' ermittelt, alleinerziehende Mütter, Waisenkinder oder Menschen, die

spezielle medizinische Behandlung brauchen, sind darunter. Außerdem Menschen,

die später einmal für den Wiederaufbau des Landes wichtig sein könnten.”261

Not all Syrian refugees/asylum seekers could settle in Germany, because the official

German program is limited to certain quota of (5000) refugees. Some Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers have reached Germany in independent illegal ways. SZ1

disclosed this issue and shed light about their daily life. “Wir lebten dort im Heim, unsere

Erlaubnis wurde immer nur für wenige Monate verlängert, keiner durfte arbeiten. Es war

schlimm.”262

259Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) (16. April 2013): Arabi: Waffenruhe in Syrien Wichtiger Als Verhandlungen, p. 5.

260Sattar, Majid (25. April 2013): Wir Müssen Uns Auf Massenevakuierungen Vorbereiten. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), p. 6.

261Theile, Charlotte (12. August 2013): 5000 Mal Hoffnung. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), p. 6. 262Becker, Björn (27. December 2013): Sicherheit Auf Zeit. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), p. 5.

59

In 2014, the Middle East witnessed harsh political crises due to the strong presence of

ISIS. The number of Syrian refugees in the EU has increased particularly in Germany.

Thousands of Syrians have come to Germany legally, and illegally applying for the right of

asylum. In an article FAZ reported about the increasing numbers of refugees in Germany

and listed Syria among the top refugees exporting countries. “Die Zahl der Asylbewerber

in Deutschland ist in den ersten sechs Monaten dieses Jahres weiter stark gestiegen […]

Die meisten Bewerber kamen aus dem Bürgerkriegsland Syrien.”263

The development in the news coverage of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers is influenced by

the political situation in the Middle East in general, and Syrian conflict in particular. This

development has immediate after-effects on news discourse and the representation of both

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, and the German government in this regard. Various issues

of Syrian refugees seem to be among major relevant news, along daily coverage tackling

the region of the Middle East. Frankfurter Allgemene Zeitung and Süddeutsche Zeitung

showed profound interest in Syrian refugees/asylum seekers and the relationship that they

have with German citizens. FAZ reported in addition to the later on the effort of the

German government in providing support to Syrian refugees/asylum seekers along the

different steps of the asylum process. All articles are associated with the potential news

from the Middle East and the circumstances of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in the

neighboring countries of Syria and in Germany.

5.3 Reporting disaster and displaying sympathy

The analysis revealed that Syrian war is one of the significant news in national

newspapers. Both newspapers during the Syrian conflict imported news on Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers all over the world. The analyzed articles grant to detect how

Syrian humanitarian crisis is reported to the reader, not only that they bid insight about the

editorial approach toward Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. The selected articles include

news, information, and stories upon the Syrian humanitarian disaster. But, Süddeutsche

Zeitung is arguably the earliest to promote the reader with detailed press coverage of the

Syrian war. In an article during the early days of Syrian conflict SZ1 reported. “Allein die

Türkei hat bereits mehr als 70000 Flüchtlinge aufgenommen. Zehntausende andere sind

vor den Kämpfen in Syrien in Nachbarstaaten wie Jordanien und Libanon geflohen.”264

263Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) (19. July 2014): Zahl Der Asylbewerber Steigt Um 60 Prozent., p. 4.

264Ibid., Grüne Fordern Aufnahme Von Syrischen Flüchtlingen.

60

Likewise, FAZ published several reports and articles in this regard along international

news coverage and stories about Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in the ME. The

newspaper explained in an article shortly the nature of Syrian conflict and the battle of

Damascus between Aassad and the rebells showing symapthy for vulnerable Syrian

refugees/asylum Senkers. “Nach schweren kampfen in südlichen Stadtteilen der Syrischen

Hauptstadt Damaskus flohen am Wochenende Tausende in den Benachbarten Libanon.”265

Just as the humanitarian situation in Syria deteriorated on the field, SZ1 reported about the

regular skirmishes and the consequences of war on civilians. The newspaper scaled the

disaster in order to relieve the Syrians by informing the reader about agonising situations

of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. “Der Bürgerkrieg in Syrien hat im August mehr

Menschen zur Flucht gezwungen als in jedem anderen Monat zuvor. Im August hätten

mehr als 100000 syrische Männer, Frauen und Kinder in den Nachbarländern Türkei,

Libanon, Jordanien und Irak Zuflucht gesucht,”266 Similarly to SZ1, the wave of Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers in the Middle East was viewed by FAZ as a hardship. FAZ paid

closer attention to the Syrian catastrophe and the numbers of fleeing Syrians in the regions.

“Wir müssen also damit rechnen, dass zum Jahresende 3,5 Millionen Syrer ihr Heimatland

verlassen haben. Rechnen wir die Binnenflüchtlinge in Syrien dazu, deren Zahl bis

Jahresende auf sechs Millionen anzusteigen droht, dann hätte bis dahin die Hälfte der

syrischen Bevölkerung ihr Zuhause verlassen müssen.”267 Later on, the newspaper reported

about the explosive situation of Syrian refugees/Syrian asylum seekers in coincidence with

the use of food as a weapon in Syria from the fighting parties. FAZ reported about Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers who are affected by the new tactics of the war, reflected on the

survivors and explained to the reader the reasons behind fleeing homes.

“Die jüngsten Berichte der Flüchtlinge aus Homs, Hama, Aleppo und Damaskus

bezeichnet Springer als das Schlimmste, was er bislang gehört habe. Aus den

Erzählungen gehe hervor, dass das Assad-Regime das Aushungern von Zivilisten

gezielt als Kriegstaktik einsetze.”268

The same issue is further discussed in SZ1. The newspaper dedicated a considerable space

for covering this issue. Nevertheless, Süddeutsche Zeitung brought the issue often along

other humanitarian stories.“Drei Viertel der Syrer leben in Armut, viele hungern, ja der

265Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) (28. August 2012): Hollande: Wir würden Regierung der syrischen Opposition anerkennen, p.2.

266Brössler, Daniel (5. September 2012): Aufruf Zu Mehr Einigkeit. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), p. 9. 267Ibid., Wir Müssen Uns Auf Massenevakuierungen Vorbereiten.268Bickel, Markus (12. November 2013): Hunger Als Waffe. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), p. 6.

61

Hunger ist gerade zu eine Waffe des Regimes geworden [...] Mehr noch: 6,5 Millionen

Syrer sind vertrieben, 2,8 Millionen ins Ausland geflohen.”269 Fighting forces in Syria

launched offensive attacks to overrun a string of Christian towns in north eastern Syria, the

settings of violent clashes exacted Syrians to leave. This matter appeared in FAZ. The

newspaper featured it, not only because it is newsworthy, but as it leads to the huge

disaster in the Middle East in general and Syria in particular. “Seit dem Beginn der Krise

ist mehr als jeder zweite syrisch-orthodoxe Christ abgewandert, meist nach Europa,”270

Apart from reporting on the Syrian disaster, national newspapers show a sympathetic

representation of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, and attempt to raise sympathy among

readers for them. This sympathy in coverage emerged from a blend of different news and

events. Both newspapers have given huge sympathetic account for Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers. Both newspapers articles are general article about Syrian refugees/asylum seekers.

Though, they expressed explicitly or implicitly sympathy for Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers. This solidarity is visible via German quotes about the plight of Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers. FAZ reported by quoting a German politician talking about

Syrian refugees/asylum seeker and showing sympathy. “Nach Angaben von

Regierungssprecher Steffen Seibert hatte am Freitag im Mittelpunkt des Gesprächs

gestanden, dass alles getan werden müsse, um die humanitäre Lage in Syrien zu

verbessern und 'das Elend der syrischen Flüchtlinge zu lindern'.”271 Correspondingly, SZ1

quoted German politician showing sympathy for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. “'Es

muss ein Zeichen der Humanität vonseiten der Bundesrepublik geben', sagte Roth in

Celle.”272 Other articles in SZ1 revealed that sympathy for Syrian refugees in an extended

mechanism, but only applying to certain cases. Sympathy is conspicuous betwixt German

humanitarian organizations. In an article, SZ1 reported the effort of German Non

Govermental Organisations toward Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. SZ1 reflected on the

sympathy among German NGOs, and the issue of reunification between Syrian refugees/

asylum seekers and their family members. The sympathy is explicitly portrayed. “Bisher

ist es keinem der beiden gelungen, ihre Familie nachzuholen.”273 Many Germans express

sympathy for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in all access of life, when Germans are

269Zerki, Sonja (31. May 2014): Die Große Assad-Show. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), p. 7.270Hermann, Rainer (24. November 2014): Mehr Grund, Zu Beten, Als Früher. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine

Zeitung (FAZ), p.9. 271Ibid., Hollande: Wir Würden Regierung Der Syrischen Opposition Anerkennen.272Ibid., Aufruf Zu Mehr Einigkeit.273Ibid., 5000 Mal Hoffnung.

62

called into a help, they show great readiness. SZ1 addressed this readiness and shed light

upon always standing Germans for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers.

“Da kommt eine Schwetzingerin, eine ältere Frau, ins Lager, guckt sich Garo aus

und sagt, an einem solchen Tag sei doch mal ein schönes Geschenk fällig, und ob er

vielleicht ein Fahrrad haben möchte. Garo, der Glückliche: Er besitzt jetzt ein

ziemlich gutes Fahrrad, dazu eine Luftpumpe und als Dreingabe ein Radio.”274

It is arguable that there is a good coverage on disaster reporting and about displaying

sympathy for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany among the selected articles.

However, the concerned articles in this direction appeared in discursive timelines

depending again on the news of Syrian conflict in general, and Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers in particular. SZ1 is more sensational than FAZ in this regard. Süddeutsche

Zeitung used clearly graphic description of the Syrian disaster within vivid sympathetic

language. On the other hand, FAZ is influenced by the size of news events coming from

the Middle East. FAZ referred to these issues more in form of international news formats.

It is remarkable that both newspapers are sympathetic and drawing bravely Syrian

reufugees/asylum seekers as innocent victims of the Syrian war and sectarian conflict in

the Middle East. This strategy is used within normal reporting through the use of proper

names, affiliations, and quotations.

5.4 Critique of German effort

Despite the fact that various articles in national press portrayed the diverse effort by

German government and citizens toward Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, national

newspapers criticized these effort and described them as being cramped. The newspapers

put more burden on Germany by minimizing the official effort toward Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers. Across the chosen articles, FAZ revolved over some political

appeals for restricting Syrian asylum applications only to Syrian ethnic minorities in

general, and Syrian Christians in particular. FAZ reported on the official arguments in this

regard and focused more on voices that call on helping Syrians regardless of the religious

and ethnic conviction. “Meine Position war es stets, Hilfe für Flüchtlinge unabhängig von

der Frage der Religionszugehörigkeit zu gewähren,”275 In another concern, SZ1 evaluated

the German official program for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers stating that this program

274Klein, Stefan (25. February 2014):Willkommen. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), p. 3. 275Ibid., Wir Müssen Uns Auf Massenevakuierungen Vorbereiten.

63

does not fit to the size of Syrian crisis. The newspaper reported on the huge number of

homeless Syrians across the Middle East, and the small German quota for Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers. “Fast zwei Millionen Syrer sind auf der Flucht, allein in Libanon

gibt es jeden Tag durchschnittlich 6000 Notregistrierungen. Bringt es da überhaupt etwas,

wenn die Bundesrepublik Deutschland Charterflüge für 5000 Menschen organisiert?”.276

This issue is further acknowledged by FAZ, but in deeper analysis, as the newspaper

explored the German official program at some length and criticized it. “Die

Bundesregierung will das Kontingent jedoch nicht erhöhen. Der Schwerpunkt der

deutschen Hilfe sei vor Ort, sagte der Menschenrechtsbeauftragte der Bundesregierung,

Markus Löning (FDP)”.277

In addition, SZ1 referred to the small quota of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers castigating

the German humanitarian program. “Diese Zahl ist allerdings sehr gering im Vergleich zur

Gesamtzahl der Syrer, die auf der Flucht sind.”278

FAZ continues reporting in favour of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. Regardless of the

fact, the official newly arrived Syrian refugees settled in the country. The newspaper

covered their circumstances, and emboldened more support for Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers with concern of the genuine public interest concerns. “Auch Sami ging es nicht

gut. 'Ich muss etwas tun', sagte er schon am zweiten Tag. Wie ein müder Tiger strich er

durch das Haus seines Schwagers, half auf der Baustelle des Neubaus hier und dort aus.”279

One article of this selection extensively reports on issues of racism based on former social

disturbances and socio-cultural conflicts between few racist groups and former Syrian

immigrant in Germany. This article appeared in SZ1 as it criticized racism; this called on

protecting new coming Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in the Free State of Saxony.

“Gerade hat einer seine gefunden. Sachsen-Anhalt, ruft er und möchte wissen, wie es

dort ist. Soll man ihm sagen, dass dort vor zwei Jahren eine syrische Familie von

drei Schlägern halb tot geprügelt wurde? Oder Thüringen: Soll man sagen, dass dies

das Bundesland ist, in dem sich einst die mörderische Bande des NSU gebildet

hat?”280

276Ibid., 5000 Mal Hoffnung.277Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) (12. September 2013): Vorläufig Angekommen, p. 6. 278Preuss, Roland (15. May 2014): Deutsche Hilfe Für Syrer. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), p. 8. 279Jaeger, Mona (14. July 2014): Frieden Auf 50 Dreckigen Quadratmetern. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine

Zeitung (FAZ), p. 3. 280Ibid.,Willkommen.

64

Critique is in the interest of both newspapers by reason of reporting on the effort of

German politicians and non-governmental organizations, and reflecting on the German

effort on the Syrian disaster. The national press in this regard keeps the government and

the power of the German society under the loop. This analysis shows that Süddeutsche

Zeitung's coverage is more critical of German effort than Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung,

but both presented their critique in general news coverage, reports, or in features. This

critique must be acknowledged for the positive, disruptive potential as it flagged the

problems that Syrian refugees/asylum seekers face every day in Germany. Yet, these

articles do not move beyond stating the fact that Germany is very generous to Syrian

refugees in comparison to other countries. The potency of this critique is contained by the

journalists' decision to focus on one specific effort.

5.5 Further support for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

As Germany guaranteed support for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, and after the frequent

critics of the German effort, voices for further supports were heared over the national

newspapers. These voices aimed to support Syrian refugees/asylum seekers and the

hosting communities in Germany. Accordingly, The selected articles underlined the

German commitment toward Syrian refugees, aiming to ease their burdens. Moreover,

national newspapers blame the international community for disillusioning Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers in the Middle East. FAZ described the bearing of vulnerable

Syrians in the neighboring countries of Syria shedding light on the Syrian crisis. FAZ at an

early stage called upon Germany for delivering a proper resettlement program for Syrian

refugees who soon will be knocking on the German doors. “Wir müssen uns natürlich auf

alle Eventualitäten vorbereiten. Wir müssen einkalkulieren, dass sich die Situation noch

weiter verschlechtert [...] Das würde eine beherztere Antwort der Staatengemeinschaft

verlangen.”281

Since Syrian refugees/asylum seekers wait too long at the German embassies all over the

world for receiving a visa (some of them are lucky enough to have a visa, while others are

not), they come to Germany illegally taking dangerous roads and putting their lives and

their families in danger. Some Syrians are caught on the way by the police and put in

prison, others are attacked by criminal gangs, others even are drown in the Mediterranean.

SZ1 documented the adversity of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers referring to the German

281Ibid., Wir müssen uns auf Massenevakuierungen vorbereiten.

65

official quota for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. Süddeutsche Zeitung signalled to

German state to support Syrian refugees/asylum seekers further, and to make the official

procedures reachable for them.

“Diese 5000 Menschen sind nicht viel mehr als ein Zeichen. 'Genau wie die

deutschlandweite Vertretung Pro Asyl fordert sie die Bundesregierung auf, deutlich

mehr syrische Flüchtlinge aufzunehmen.' Wer nicht zu diesen 5000 Auserwählten

gehört, hat im Prinzip nur die Möglichkeit, illegal einzureisen und einfach hier

aufzutauchen', sagt Siegert [Valeska Siegert vom Bayerischen Flüchtlingsrat].”282

Even with the official suppor, German NGOs run up various initiatives for them to

reenforce this support. FAZ reported on the non-official effort toward Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers inserting loud voices calling for assisting them further. The first

officially hosted group of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers arrived in the country.

Nevertheless, FAZ asserted the importance of such a humanitarian initiative, but tried to

convince the reader that German effort are not the greatest in comparison to the size of the

Syrian humanitarian crisis. “Menschenrechtsorganisationen und Opposition forderten die

Bundesregierung auf, mehr als die bisher zugesagten 5000 Syrer aufzunehmen.

Gleichzeitig mahnte der Städtetag, die Kommunen nicht mit den Kosten allein zu

lassen.”283

As different voices did call upon increasing the humanitarian resettlement quota for

Syrians in order to facilitate safe and legal routes, the same voices advocated making

Germany accessible for Syrians families in particular. FAZ articled these voices.

“Der Nachzug von Verwandten müsse vereinfacht werden, fordert Karl Kopp von

der Menschenrechtsorganisation Pro Asyl. 'Deutschland kann und muss mehr tun.'

Momentan müssten die Verwandten nachweisen, dass sie für alle Kosten ihrer

Familienmitglieder aufkämen, inklusive Krankenversicherung und Unterkunft,

kritisiert Kopp.”284

Most Syrian refugees/asylum seekers recently residing in Germany have not adhered to the

quota of the German official program; they have come illegally to Germany. The illegal

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers have left heavy burden on Germany. As result, the German

state suspended the official contingent. The German decision was encountered by NGOs

282Ibid., 5000 Mal Hoffnung.283Ibid., Vorläufig Angekommen.284Ibid., Die Ersten Schritte.

66

that called for extra-support for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. SZ1 brought this issue in

focus.“Dennoch sieht die Regierung keine Notwendigkeit, das Kontingent des

Hilfsprogramms zu erhöhen. Derzeit habe das beschlossene Programm noch

Restkapazitäten.”285

Parallel to the German politicians effort, these frequent calls upon improving the situation

of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers were found on the central list of decision makers in

Germany. German governement responded to these calls quickly. Notably, SZ1 informed

the reader and Syrian refugees/asylum seekers upon the new decisions in this regard by

quoting a German politician from Social Democratic Party (SPD). “Das

Aufnahmekontingent für Menschen aus dem Bürgerkriegsland zu verdoppeln.”286 Other

articles revealing calls upon more support for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers were

extended to specific cases. Calls upon further support among humanitarian organizations

were hearable. SZ1 reported about German NGOs and the activities that they do for

supporting Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. SZ1 reflected upon this effort talking about

humanitarian issues of huge concern for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in general and the

issues of family reunification in particular. The newspaper underlined explicitly the family

reunification procedure, and the need for making it easier and quicker. In an article, SZ1

talked about the difficulties that hurdle the family reunification procedure: “Auch in den

Flüchtlingsvertretungen von Pro Asyl rufen täglich verzweifelte Syrer an, deren

Angehörige sich im Bürgerkrieg oder in einem Flüchtlingslager an der Grenze zu Syrien

befinden.”287 Germans were addressed to help Syrian refugees/asylum seekers officially;

the German president showed solidarity for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers by stating that

Germany should offer Syrian refugees/asylums seekers further support and by viewing

them as guests in Germany. Süddeutsche Zeitung underlined Joachim Gauck's German

president nobel calls and shed ligh upon this official readiness. “Eine Geste an die

Gastgeber sollte es sein […] 'Wir dürfen die Hände nicht in den Schoß legen, wir können

auch mehr tun', sagt Gauck.”288

All this said, there are frequent calls upon extra-support and enhancing the humanitarian

conditions for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers among the selected articles. But these

articles depended on the news coverage of Syrian conflict and the suffering of Syrian

285Hollenstein, Oliver (27. November 2013): Bürokratische Hürden Für Flüchtlinge Aus Syrien. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), p. 6.

286Ibid., Mehr Gastlichkeit Für Syrer.287Ibid., 5000 Mal Hoffnung.288Schöltzer, Christiane (28. April 2014): Endstation Stacheldraht. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), p. 3.

67

refugees/asylum seekers in the world. It is remarkable that Süddeutsche Zeitung reported

more upon extra-support for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in comparison to Frankfurter

Allgemeine Zeiutng. SZ1 relied on direct quotations and official statements while listing

all the critics of the German effort. Similarly, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung expressed

sympathy and called out in several attempts for further support, yet FAZ's coverage comes

in form of news reports. The central point for both SZ1 and FAZ was to keep the reder

informed about their situations frequently, and by doing so, encouraging for more support

and easing their suffering.

5.6 Voices of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

German national newspapers' responsibility was not only limited to informing about issues

concerning Syrian refugees/asylum seekers from a theoretical perspective. They have

taken over other initiatives offering platforms for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers to bring

their voices, wishes, and views to the reader. The voices of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

in the selected articles have obvious implications for how important the personal stories of

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers can be in the news coverage. The content analysis of

national newspapers revealed that both newspapers have quoted Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers in different occasions and periods. SZ1 has drawn the attention of the reader on the

views of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers regarding the German effort toward them. The

newspaper quoted a Syrian asylum seeker who was waiting in the Middle East to come to

Germany. “Er findet, die 5000er-Quote sei noch viel zu gering-und zu exklusiv.

Schließlich richtet sie sich vor allem an Menschen, die in den Flüchtlingslagern des

UNHCR in Libanon registriert sind.”289 Syrian refugees/asylum seekers' voices are cited to

highlight their experience in Germany. As portrayed in an article by SZ1, Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers were given a room to narrate their stories, and to experience their

gratitude toward Germany for helping them in general and supporting a solution for Syria

in particular. “Sie versuchen, beide Parteien an einen Tisch zu holen für eine friedliche

Lösung. Sie wissen, wie Krieg ist und wie schlimm es für ein Land ist, getrennt zu

werden.”290 In one of the selected articles, FAZ referred directly to Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers by qouting a Syrian refugee/asylum seeker expressing his hope for a better future

for Syrian refugees' children who moved to Germany. “Wir hoffen, dass die Kinder eine

289Ibid., 5000 Mal Hoffnung.290Theile, Charlotte (21. September 2013): Im Land Der Teuren Führerschein. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung

(SZ), p. 11.

68

gute Zukunft in Deutschland haben werden”.291 In another article, FAZ quoted a Syrian

refugee/asylum seeker expressing his nostalgia for Damascus. It is important to note that

FAZ drew the attention of the reader on the social isolation that Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers experience in the new hosting culture, and the new language. “Deutschland blieb

ihm noch lange fremd. Wie ein Reiter ohne Pferd saß er in der Wohnung und wusste nicht

weiter. Und träumte noch immer von Damaskus,”292

The most revealing article in this regard among the selected articles is from SZ1. It comes

in this sample as a large feature covering Syrian children, who are given the right of

asylum in Germany. The article questions on a Syrian activist for exposing the Syrian point

of view concerning the German official program for rescuing Syrian children.

“Was die Leute in Syrien sagen würden, wenn es die Kindertransporthilfe wirklich

gäbe? 'Sie sagen: Rettet so viele wie ihr könnt. Aber es gibt auch Skepsis wegen der

verschiedenen Kulturen-und die Sorge, dass die Kinder ihre Eltern nicht

wiedererkennen, wenn sie zurückkommen.' Ruch sieht das nichtanders.”293

In another article, SZ1 discussed the bureaucratic procedures, which Syrians living in

Germany experience if they want to sponsor a Syrian refugee/asylum seeker to live in

Germany. The article covered the story of the oldest Syrian refugee in the world, whose

children live in Germany and tried continuously to bring her legally to Germany, but with

no success in doing so. Therefore, she tried absurdly to come illegally to Germany. After

SZ1 brought the story under light, German politicians adopted the case and facilitated the

asylum procedure for her.

“Sharuan Ali, der Sohn aus dem niedersächsischen Vechta, ist in der vergangenen

Woche sogar nach Athen gekommen […] Deutschland hat sich zwar bereit erklärt,

mehr als 10000 Syrer aufzunehmen. Aber auch vor einer möglichen

'Familienzusammenführung' steht eine Grenzmauer aus bürokratischem

Stacheldraht.”294

Thousand of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers have come to Germany on boats. A boat

travelling between Africa and Europe crashed in front of the Italian shore, SZ1 interviewed

a Syrian survivor, who shared the details of the illegal trip with the reader telling the plight

291Ibid., Die ersten Schritte.292Ibid., Frieden Auf 50 Dreckigen Quadratmetern.293Hildebrand, Kathleen (19. May 2014): Aggressiv Umarmen. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), p. 9. 294Moursela, Maria, and Christiane Schlötzer (1. March 2014): Ihre Letzte Reise. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung

(SZ), p. 11.

69

of desperate refugees forced to pay exorbitant money for reaching the Europe Union in

general and Germany in particular.

“Es war der reine Terror. Immer wenn sich das Schiff der Küstenwache wieder

aufgelöst hatte in der Schwärze der Nacht und die Flüchtlinge dachten, jetzt sei es

überstanden, kam es zurück […] Das Boot hatte jetzt Löcher. Einschüsse auf der

Backbordseite. Das libysche Schiff drehte ab, nach den Schüssen kam es nicht

wieder, das Flüchtlingsboot setzte seine Fahrt fort,”295

For Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, the arrival in Germany is a momentous occasion for

marking the beginning of a new life, and a new path toward the unknow. Though, they

look for future with anxiety and uncertainty. SZ1 covered this issue besides other issues

concerning the future of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany.

“Aber manchmal rührt sich bei Garo so ein kleines, nagendes Gefühl, er werde am

Ende vielleicht nicht akzeptiert werden in Deutschland, er könnte womöglich als

Bedrohung wahrgenommen werden für den Job eines anderen. Diese Furcht begleitet

ihn, und manchmal, selten, spricht er darüber.”296

It appears that SZ1 offers more space for Syrian refugees to express their voices than FAZ.

SZ1 presents the sufferings and negative experiences in Germany and outside Germany as

reported by them. Whereas, FAZ rarely consults a Syrian refugees/asylum seekers about

their circumstances in Germany. FAZ is more concerned with Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers in direction of the German effort toward them.

5.7 Overall language of the articles

It is not difficult to recognize that the language of the selected articles is not only covering

reflection and expression, but also highlights by editorial practices the supporting of

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. The use of postive favorable language contributes to the

presentation of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers to the reader. It can be said that both

newspapers exercised an ultimate power to bring the stories of Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers to the reader neutrally and to integrate Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in the

German daily coverage. Both newspapers in General, and Süddeutsche Zeitung in

particular, have drawn the attention to several aspects concerning Syrian refugees/asylum

295Klein, Stefan (25. July 2014): Der Schiffbruch. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), p.3. 296Ibid., Willkommen.

70

seekers such as the size of the German humanitarian support, the Syrian crisis, insited on

calling out for more effort, integration, and sharing the voices of Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers. In conclusion, both question on the represented Syrian refugees/asylum seekers as

neutrally as possible, but stayed positive which reflects sympathy for them and provide an

overview of the political and humanitarian dimension of the Syrian crisis, and the amount

of the urgent humanitarian support for the vulnerable Syrians. Both newspapers used

extensivisation in describing the situation of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, and the

supportive actions for them in details, adding subsidiary information concerning the

political and humanitarian situations in Syria, and the life of Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers in the Middle East and in Germany. The newspapers focused in the same way on

the German effort in neutral methods, where various aspects for Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers are counted for. This is pursued in both newspapers in different varying degrees

and qualities depending on the importance of the event and the news in the Middle East.

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers are constantly described as being: vulnerable, exhausted,

victims, hopeless and hopeful in poor life conditions, in skirmishes, victims of conflicts,

and in new life.

Negative predications were further present, but not against Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers. The negative predications were addressed at German effort as both newspapers

questioned the nature and the size of the German support. There is a process of direct use

of quotations employed by both newspapers for quoting with detailed qualities German

politicians and Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. This strategy aims to keep the information

in perspective aligning the reader to the side of the Syrian refugees/asylum seekers by the

use of mechanism that depends on factual sympathetic reporting and direct quotations.

If the story has a humanitarian touch: refusal of asylum request, desperate refugees,

refugees reunited with their families in Germany, and Germans supporting Syrian

refugees, it carries a strong appeal to Germany for a huge humanitarian operation to help

Syrian fleeing to Germany from the atrocities. Within the structure of the articles regarding

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, there are explicit negative referential and predication

strategies used against Syrian regime along with its general negative actions against

civilians. This trend is more prominent in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung than

Süddeutsche Zeitung. It reflects the differences in journalistic and editorial practices. FAZ

bases its press coverage more on news. In the meanwhile, SZ1 reports depending on

stories and features focusing on the humanitarian side of the stories. There is also a

71

remarkably high frquency of using irony. “Er hat so ein Fenster noch nie gesehen. Dann

der erste Ausflug von Friedland nach Göttingen, und noch mehr Wunder. Wasser und Seife

in der Zugtoilette auf Knopfdruck. Fußgänger, die bei Rot warten. Frauen, die Fahrrad

fahren.”297

In this analysis, the socio-cultural and political context of the event of Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers in this period constitutes a different conclusion rule for the

interpretation of this ironic language. The use of the irony is not necessarily a negative

presentation of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, rather adding understanding toward the

challenges they are going through, even by being safe living in Germany. It calls on more

humanitarian supports for them on the social, cultural, and political level.

6 Study analysis of regional newspapers

6.1 Content scrutiny

The analysis of regional newspapers examined (66) articles from the original data to

explore the regional press coverage regarding Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. The

conducted research hypothesizes that different story-lines in quantity and quality would

emerge in both newspapers due to the huge difference in numbers of Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers in both regions, and the different news and events in the two

completly contrasting regions (in terms of political landscapes and the presence of early

immigration from the Middle East). Particular narratives and coverages are more visible

than others, as the two regional models divers in editorial orientation. The selected articles

materialized adequately the issues of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, and the German

regions where Syrian refugees/asylum seekers are localized due to the huge pressure that is

made by the growing numbers of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in the different regions.

The extent of coverage and visibility differs depending on the timeline and the arrival of

new Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in the target regions. Equivalently to national

newspapers, articles in regional newspapers appeared in the first months of the Syrian

conflict in form of small news reports, but most articles appeared in 2013 and 2014, as the

conflict expansed in the Middle East in general, and Syria in particular. These findings

implicate how regional press coverage developed Syrian refugees/asylum seekers matters

in daily editorial work.

297Ibid., Willkommen.

72

This analysis exposes the differences between two different regional newspapers, uncovers

the biases, deconstructs the stereotypes and problematic conventional beliefs that

determine regional newspapers in representation of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, and

shed light on the applied editorial narrative techniques in regional newspapers.

The analysis coded all types of articles. The unit of analysis is the entire article. In

presenting the results of content analysis of Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger and Sächsische

Zeitung, this section presents certain topics that were dominant in the above mentioned

newspapers.

The key similarities and differences of the articles were taken into consideration. The

bylines of the articles are important indicators of the news origin and the importance of the

articles. Both newspapers have a good portion of staff-written articles and reports. But the

number of articles in KSTA is bigger than in SZ2 due to the strong presence of Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers in North Rhine-Westphalia in comparison with the number of

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in the Free State of Saxony. Both newspapers of the early

two years of Syrian war articles in form of small general news reports informing the reader

on Syrian war in general, and the new coming Syrian asylum seekers to the regions of the

newspapers in particular. Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger offered profound insight about Syrian war

and Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in shape of staff-written articles and news reports,

while Sächsische Zeitung signalized a greater level of interest in form of features and long

reports. But regional newspapers' byline source is staistically differ in the coverage

between the two newspapers with great significance.

Numbers of regional articles according to bylines.

73

Journalist/reporterAgency Source

Staff/AgencyNo Source

Whole Articles

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

30

106

3

49

14

1 0 2

17 KSTA SZ2

The analysis of Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger shows that (61,22) percent of the analyzed articles

are contributed by journalists/reporters, (20,40) percent of the articles are taken from news

agencies, (12,25) percent are given by Staff writer and agencies, in addition to (6,13)

percent of the articles without sources. The unsourced articles are in from of news

columns. In Sächsische Zeitung, the analysis reveals that (82,36) percent of the articles are

listed by journalists/reporters, (5,88) percent of the articles are from news agencies, and

(11.76) percent of the articles are in forms of small news reprots and not sourced. The

topics of the articles measure what newspapers and editors emphasize as important, this

trend is a major consideration in analysing the output of the regional newspapers. (66,68)

percent of the selected regional articles are with primary topics, while the rest of the

articles (24,29) percent non-primary topics. It is clear that both newspapers share the same

attitude toward the overall topic of the study, but with slight differences in regards to the

coverage and the way the newspapers tackle the topics. KSTA focuses more on the issue of

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, and the issues this problematic brings along with North

Rhine-Westphalia, and how regional authorities deal with. Whereas, SZ2 focuses more on

the humanitarian aspects of the adversity of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, and the effort

the German regional authorities put in order to support them in the State of Free Saxony.

6.2 German metropolises and Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

This coverage in both regional newspapers introduced frequently issues of concern for

Syrian refugee/asylum seeker, and for Germans. That reflects the amount of interest that

regional newspapers dedicated to domestic and social problems in their related regions.

Regional newspapers responded to important related news and events by increasing the

number of articles regarding Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in their regions, which clearly

states that regional coverage is responsive to regional political and social events.

In the first year of the Syrian conflict 2011, among regional newspapers, SZ2 was linked

to the discussion of an unexpected illegal arrival of Syrians in the Free State of Saxony.

SZ2 reported on illegal arrival of Syrian family in Dresden, informing the reader with

details of the global context, and bringing clarity about the reasons behind the illegal

forced immigration of Syrians toward Germany

“Die Familie habe wegen des Bürgerkrieges in Syrien Asyl beantragt und wurde zur

Zentralen Ausländerbehörde Chemnitz gebracht. Nach Angaben des Bundesamtes

74

für Migration und Flüchtlinge haben in diesem Jahr bis Juli 62 Flüchtlinge aus

Syrien in Sachsen Asyl beantragt. Bundesweit zählte das Amt 2 246 Asylanträge-

Syrien stehe inzwischen auf Platz 3 der Hauptherkunftsländer.”298

The big numbers of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in NRW have brought challenges to

the region. Regardless of the various challenges, the metropolises were overloaded with

asylum procedures and proceed slowly the submitted asylum applications. KSTA shed

light on the perceptions and interactions between Syrian refugees/asylum seekers and the

hosting authorities. The newspaper made a connection between local issues and the

political context by providing the reader with good background information concerning

Syrian refuges/asylum seekers and their daily issues. “Wegen des Ansturms klappt dieses

Verfahren aber nicht. Asboe fordert vom Bundesamt, mehr Entscheider zu entsenden,

damit die Fälle schneller bearbeitet werden können.”299 The hosting cities have

encountered huge challenges by the increasing number of Syrian refuges/asylum seekers.

KSTA reported about the over dose of Syrians in NRW, and the complications they have

challenged the region with. The newspaper implicitly questioned the increasing number,

and argued that the city of Cologne has exceeded its assigned quote and cannot stand more

arrivals of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. “Die Kölner Aufnahmequote wird derzeit nur

zu 95,5 Prozent erfüllt. Da aktuell in Deutschland 5000 syrische Flüchtlinge sowie weitere

300 aus dem Irak und Libyen aufgenommen werden, steht die Stadt vor erneuten

Herausforderungen.”300

In the first days of the German official program for Syrian refuges/asylum seekers, the

German concerned central authorities had distributed Syrian refugees among regions. The

Free State of Saxony received Syrian refugees with high social and political readiness. SZ2

featured the offered applicability to Syrian refugees/asylum seekers.

“Die Staatsregierung bestätigte jetzt gleich mehrere Hilfsangebote von sächsischen

Bürgern, die die Flüchtlingsfamilien bei ihrem Aufenthalt im Freistaat unterstützen

wollen. In den vergangenen Tagen hätte man entsprechende Briefe und Mails

erhalten-unter anderem aus Görlitz. Innenminister Markus Ulbig (CDU) freut sich

über die Offerten und hofft, dass möglichst viele syrische Familien davon profitieren

werden.” 301

298Ibid., Flüchtlingsfamilie Aus Syrien Reist Mit Falschen Visa Ein. 299Tutt, Heinz (29. August 2012): Zu Wenig Platz Für Asylbewerber. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA), p.

8. 300Ibid., Zu Wenig Platz Für Flüchtlinge.301Saft, Gunna (11. September 2013): Ankunft Aus Dem Kriegsgebiet.In: Sächsische Zeitung (SZ), p. 6.

75

As the regional authorities in NRW were exhausted by the numbers of Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers, the authorities started to face social problems with Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers as they are not happy to settle down in group housing units. These

issues and the opposing reactions to the official plans were brought in consideration by

KSTA. “JAZMATI: Das kam für uns nicht infrage. Das hätte bedeutet, dass meine 90-

jährige Oma in Deutschland in ein Flüchtlingsheim muss.”302

A range of different views on the impact of the refugee arrival in general and Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers in particular on the economy and the service sector in Germany

were positively expressed. KSTA evaluated Syrian refugees/asylum seekers and introduced

them to the reader as professional migrants who may contribute to the German future and

economy. “Zuwanderung kann ein wichtiger Beitrag zur sozialen und wirtschaftlichen

Entwicklung sein”303 Regional measures toward Syrian refugees/asylum seekers are

adopted to respond to the increasing demands of the uprising number of Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers. German authorities opened several discussions concerning more

effort to meet up with the needs of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. KSTA focused on the

given effort reporting different point of views regarding these issues. “Die Stadtverwaltung

reagiert auf die dramatisch steigenden Flüchtlingszahlen mit der Einrichtung einer Task

Force sowie einer Erweiterung der Notunterkünfte.”304

The German asylum law does not allow asylum seekers to work. Though, asylum seekers

are forced to wait for a long time until their status is approved, a work permission is

assured. During this period, the lives of asylum seekers come to a standstill, specifically

during the first months of the asylum procedure. This waiting period differs from region to

region. In some states, the residency limitation is less strict, but even then the asylum-

seeker is only allowed to work and move within the state and under certain regulations.

With regard to this, SZ2 published an article commenting on these issues, and the new

steps for easing the circumstances for refugees/asylum seekers. “Nach einem weiteren

Praktikum am Diakonissenkrankenhaus hofft er nun, dass es dort für ihn weitergeht,

wenigstens als Praktikant. Eigentlich gilt seit Juli eine neue Regelung für Flüchtlinge mit

seinem Status, die ihm das Arbeiten erlauben würde.”305

302Gajevic, Mira (11. September 2013): Ständig Werden Neue Hürden Aufgestellt. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA), p. 3. 303Gajevic, Mira (13. September 2013): Christen Werden Nicht Bevorzugt. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA), p. 6. 304Attenberger, Tim (14. September 2013): Die Massenunterkunft Zurück. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA), p. 33.305Mundus, Jana (19. September 2013): Mit Dem Kopf in Syrien. In: Sächsische Zeitung (SZ), p. 17.

76

Good number of Syrians applied for asylum through the German embassies in the Middle

East, yet just few of them had the chance to receive a visa regardless the official program

for Syrian refugees/asylum seeker. As results, Syrians who could not make it legally to

Germany, made the chance of making it illegally. The increasing number of illegal Syrians

have led to stuggle with these unexpected arrivals. German metropolises had faced

hardship in dealing with these numbers, and KSTA reflected on illegal Syrians in NRW

and what circumstances they have. “Diese Gruppe wird oft vergessen obwohl sie am

härtesten getroffen ist. Diese Menschen haben im Gegensatz zu den

Kontingentflüchtlingen weder Arbeits-noch Aufenthaltserlaubnis.”306 In addition to this,

hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Saxony against the arrival of new Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers in the region, and the regional politics that support and welcome

more refugees and asylum seekers. SZ2 highlighted the voices against Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers in the region and the building of new refugee camps for

refugees/asylum seekers. “Nach den Protesten gegen das Asylbewerberheim verteidigte

der Regierungschef die Stadt jedoch gegen den Vorwurf der Ausländerfeindlichkeit. Es sei

die NPD, welche dort die Bürger für ihre braune Ideologie missbrauche, sagte Tillich.”307

Stanislaw Tillich, the Minister-President of the Free State of Saxony.

In spite of the local demonstrations against the German refugee's policy and the support

for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, the Free State of Saxony announced its new initiative

for hosting more Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. The policy makers stated likewise that

they are willing to adopt new measures to guarantee peace and safety for Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers escaping the conflict. SZ2 brought this decision under lights. “Die

Zahl der Bürgerkriegsflüchtlinge aus Syrien, die künftig in Sachsen untergebracht werden,

wird sich deutlich erhöhen. Statt der eingeplanten 257 Flüchtlinge wird der Freistaat

insgesamt 514 aufnehmen.”308

The war in Syria and the hard illegal trip to Germany have affected many Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers with mental instabilities. The hosting regions have tackled these

serious psychological issues, and initiated preparation of infrastructures to cope up with

refugees in need of psychological assistance, but these issues led to tensions among local

communities as some Germans expressed their fear from this psychological instabilities,

and their eventual effect on their lives and security as shed by KSTA.

306Attenberger, Tim (25. September 2013): Köln Hat Kein Geeignetes Unterbringungskonzept. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA), p. 7.

307Sächsische Zeitung (SZ) (11. November 2013): Tillich Gibt Fehler Bei Asylpolitik in Sachsen Zu, p. 1. 308Sächsische Zeitung (SZ) (10. December 2013): Sachsen Nimmt Mehr Syrische Kriegsflüchtlinge, p. 1.

77

“Die Angst vor den gefährlichen Patienten sorgt an jederm potenziellen Standort für

großen Widerstand [...] Proteste konnte das nicht verhindern. Auch in Köln hatte es

seinerzeit große Ängste der Anwohner gegeben, als im Süden die Forensik entstand.

Inzwischen sind die Anwohner-dank intensiver Aufklärung-entspannt.”309

The Dublin Regulation started being applied as the number of arrival grew bigger than

expected. Many Syrian nationals who have come to Germany illegally and submitted

precedently an application in European Union country before were deported in an effort to

deter others from following the same path. The Free State of Saxony has officially

deported Syrians after finding out that they have been granted the right of asylum in

another European Union country. SZ2 cleared to the reader these issues by interviewing

Tillich.

“Wir wissen, dass, wenn Menschen in Not sind, wir ihnen auch helfen müssen. Aber

wer zur Unrecht versucht, vom Asylrecht Gebrauch zu machen, der muss auch

konsequent wieder dahin zurückgebracht werden, wo er letztendlich hergekommen

ist. Sonst würden wir denen Unrecht tun, die zu Recht hier Asyl suchen.”310

Since Germany began granting Syrians the right of asylum, the number of Syiran refugees

coming to Germany has risen dramatically in NRW. Fears of social disorder became a hot

issue to discuss in Colonge. KSTA reported about the later. “Die Zahl der in Köln lebenden

Flüchtlinge nimmt seit Jahresanfang rasant zu [...] Insbesonder der Anteil der zuziehenden

Syrer haben in der vergangenen Monaten deutlich zugenommen,”311

The huge numbers of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers have caused debate between German

politicians and governors. New voices among metropolises started playing against the

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. Furthermore, they have started to call upon German

policy makers to stop welcoming refugees in general, and Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

in particular. KSTA brought these voices to the reader.

“Eine genaue Aufschlüsselung kann die Stadt nicht vorlegen, da jeden Tag neue

Flüchtlinge hinzukommen und andere die Stadt wieder verlassen, weil sie in ihre

309A. Cepielik, Barbara, and Fabian Klask (9 January. 2014): Ungliebte Herbergen. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA), p. 8.

310Richter, Frank (20 August. 2014): Wie Viele Asylbewerber Können Wir Aufnehmen?. In: Sächsische Zeitung (SZ), p. 4.

311 Attenberger, Tim (27. August 2014): Die Unterkünfte in Köln sind voll belegt. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA), p. 3.

78

Heimatländer zurückkehren müssen oder einer anderen Kommune in Nordrhein-

Westfalen zugewiesen werden.”312

The analyzed articles revealed that German metropolises have extended its power to cope

up with the massive numbers of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. The effort do differ

depending on the numbers of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, and the regional assigned

quotas. The articles discussed problems of huge concern for German citizens and Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers alike. These articles are detailed. Yet, both newspapers tackle the

issues of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers and German metropolises and cities from the

same perspectives by looking at the measurements of the metropolises and the needs of the

vulnerable Syrians.

6.3 Integration of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

The integration of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in the hosting German societies is a

dynamic process for leading them to normal productive life, so that they can fulfil an equal

membership in Germany. Regional newspapers contributed a range of different articles

about the arrival of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany and discussed the needs

of social integration. The collection of regional articles discussed the freedom of

movements, access to education and jobs, access to public relief, the possibility of

acquiring property, and the possibility of obtaining in the future the German citizenship.

Most German regions have considered several procedures for integrating Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers. The first steps that the German metropolises offer on the way to

integration after qualifying the refugee is a job. KSTA reflected at an early stage on a

Syrian woman who has a successful job in Germany and respected by her colleagues. The

newspaper introduced the woman to the reader in a positive description as a successful

Syrian female who is willing to be a productive person in the German society. “In

Rheine/Münsterland gibt es den Januz-Korczakkindergarten [...] In diesem Kidergarten

arbeitet Aisha, eine syrische Frau mit vier eigenen Kinder. Sie wird geliebt und geachtet.313

For some years refugees/asylum seekers were isolated in refugee camps around the cities.

German authorities noticed the huge integration difficulties that refugees experienced due

to this isolation. New measures to move toward the integration process were adopted, and

312Attenberger, Tim (6. November 2014): Roters Will Keine Weiteren Flüchtlinge. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA), p. 27.

313Neudeck, Rupert (9. October 2012): Eine Quote Für Syrische Flüchtlinge!. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA), p. 4.

79

to make Syrian refugees/asylum seekers part of the hosting communities. KSTA illustrated

these issues.

“Da es in etlichen Wohnheimen Familien gibt, die seit Jahren dort Leben [...] sollen

die Hürden gesenkt werden, damit diese gut integrierten Familien ausziehen können

in freie Wohnungen. Für ihre Beratung und Betreuung sei seitens der Hilfsverbände

auch mehr Personal nötig, ist sich der Runde Tisch einig. Mehr Hilfe benötigte auch

die zunehmende Zahl traumatisierter Flüchtlinge aus den Kriegsgebieten in

Syrien,”314

The Syrian refugees/asylum seekers who arrived via the official program profited from a

quick orientation course. This course introduces briefly the Syrian refugee/asylum seeker

to the German political System, culture, and above all the language. It means to ease the

barriers between the refugees and the hosting communities, and by so to integrate them in

the German society. SZ2 featured the offical effort on the integration process. “Wenn

Walid und seine Familie eines der Aufnahmelager im niedersächsischen Friendland und

Bramsche-samt erstem Orientierungskurs und medizinischer Versorgung-durchlaufen

haben, werden sie im Landkreis Nordsachsen leben.”315

The German authorities offer Syrian refugees/asylum seekers the right to obtain

professional qualifications and to work for making them in the future economically

independent, and as result, to productive individual and participate in the German

economy. These measures were addressed in KSTA. “Sie sollen nicht auf staatliche Hilfe

angewiesen sein.”316 The financial costs of integration courses are covered by the German

state. These costs were materialized and viewed positively by Germans; as such courses

facilitate the mutual relationship between Syrian refugees/asylum seekers and the hosting

societies. SZ2 analyzed in an article the social and economic integration of Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers and the future benefit that Germany will have from its new

qualified citizens.

“Diese Kosten fallen Jahr pro Jahr an, wenn wir Asylsuchende zum Nichtstun

verurteilen. Wenn wir sie dagegen auf dem Weg zu einem eigenständigen Leben

unterstützen würden durch Spracherwerb, Integration, Akkulturation an unsere

314Boldt, Kirsten (12. September 2012): Zwei Neubauten Für Flüchtlinge. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA), p. 26.

315Ibid., Ankunft aus dem Kriegsgebiet.316Ibid., Crashkurs Deutschland.

80

Werte, Qualifizierung und Berufsausbildung, würden für eine Übergangszeit

erhebliche Kosten verursacht. Lohnt sich diese Geldausgabe?”317

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers know that integration is not a one-way process, it means

that the guests have to give effort and introduce themselves to the hosting societies. SZ2

focused solely on the effort that Syrian refugees/asylum seekers put together for their

social integration, and the friendly relationship between them and German neighbours.

“Das Kennenlernen der Nachbarn haben die Kloshos gleich am ersten Tag selbst in die

Hand genommen, geklingelt und sich vorgestellt [...] so der Syrer. Etwas mehr Kontakt zu

den Dresdnern wünscht er sich schon”318

Likewise KSTA reported on the personal effort given by Syrian refugees/asylum seekrs in

order to integrate in the hosting culture. The newspaper focuses on the effort invested in

learning the language.“Wobei Jasmin schon 300 Stunden Sprachkurs hinter sich hat und

viel versteht.”319

The process of integration is positively predicted in context of the German support for

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. Both newspapers, and more visibly in Sächsische Zeitung,

emphasized the German role in the integration mechanism. The issue of the language

barrier was additionally dominant in both newspapers. The language barrier was a focus

point by Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger in an earlier stage though. The social dimension of the

integration process between Syrian refugees/asylum seekers and the Germans is a daily

present issue. Both newspapers spoke about the relationship between Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers and German citizens, reflecting on the German readiness for

welcoming new neighbors, specifically in Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. Sächsische Zeitung

reported frequently on the negative attitude of some citizen toward foreigners in general

and Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in particular in the Free State of Saxony.

6.4 Dispersal of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers and housing problems

The controversial topic of dispersal of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers among the regions,

have delivered good amount of materials for regional press coverage. This topic is

carefully been paid attention to in both newspapers. Along the early appearance of Syrian

317Gillo, Martin (18. October 2013): Flüchtlinge Einbeziehen!. In: Sächsische Zeitung (SZ), p. 5. 318Weller, Andreas (17. January 2014): Neue Heimat Dresden. In: Sächsische Zeitung (SZ), p. 17. 319Kreikebaum, Uli (11. February 2014): Elfjährige Als Dolmetscherin. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA),

p. 27.

81

refugees/asylum seekers KSTA exposed the reader to the mechanism of distributing Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers among German metropolises. “Die Asylsuchenden bleiben

normalerweise maximal drei Monate in Hemmer, ehe sie einer Stadt oder Kommune in

NRW zugeteilt werden.”320 Later on, Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger provided the reader with more

details concerning the dispersal process as the number of Syrians as NRW's proportion of

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers exceeded the expectations. “Von den 5000 syrsichen

Flüchtlinge, die in den nächsten Wochen nach Deutschland kommen, werden rund 1060 in

Nordrhein-Westfalen leben.”321 Not all Syrian applications for the right of asylum in

Germany have been approved. Therefore, Syrian refugees/asylum seekers have different

status. The status determines the city of destination. Hence, German regions face potential

problems as thousands of illegal uncoordinated arrivals randomly affect the cities. As

result, the regional policy of dispersal was differed among the regions. This issue was

brought by KSTA in focus.

“Das hängt davon ab, welchen rechtlichen Status Sie haben. Gehören Sie zu den 5000

Flüchtlingen, sollen sie nach Möglichkeit in privaten Wohnungen untergebracht werden.

Haben sie Asyl beantragt, müssen sie wie alle Asylbewerber für die ersten sechs bis zwölf

Wochen in eine Gemeinschafsunterkunft.”322 Sächsische Zeitung discussed how Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers are dispersed nation-wide. The newspaper brought voices of

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers complaining that they have no say in the destination that

German authorities assign for them. SZ2 interviewed a Syrian refugee/asylum seeker who

was about leaving Deresden, after he dwelt in the city for few weeks, the newspaper

argued that the refugee/asylum seeker should have the right to determine where to stay.

“bekommt einen Platz in einem Heim in der Trachauer Straße und stellt einen Asylantrag

[...] Im Sommer 2012 muss er umziehen-nach Chemnitz. Obwohl er schon einige Monate

in Dresden gelebt hat, kommt er dort ins zentrale Heim für die Erstaufnahme von

Asylbewerbern. Sie werden von dort aus in die sächsischen Kommunen verteilt.”323

As conferred, it is engaging to give attention in the regional newspapers to the problematic

housing issues. Germany metropolises have experienced with the unexpected arrival of

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers increasing demands on residences. The regional

newspapers do not imply directly that Syrian refugees/asylum seekers are the reason

320Pluwatsch, Petra (19. October 2012): Von Homs Nach Hemer. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA), p.8. 321Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA) (24. August 2013): Generation Flüchtling, p. 2. 322Ibid., Christen werden nicht bevorzugt.323Ibid., Mit dem Kopf in Syrien.

82

behind the limitation. Yet, the capacity for refugees/asylum seekers in general and Syrians

in particular is not planned for huge numbers.

Upon embarking on this analysis, several articles dealing with the housing issues have

been analyzed. All in all, regional newspapers focused frequently on such issues. K ٍSTA

published issues relating to Syrian refugees/asylum seekers' accommodation in terms of

humanitarian crisis and conflicts. The newspaper stated that the upsurge in number of

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers has created an unprecedented crisis suggesting, that it is

entirely Syrian refugees/asylum seekers behind the housing problems in the region.

“In Dortmund mietet die Stadt sogar schon Hotelzimmer an, damit die Bewerber die

drei bisfünftägige Aufnahmeprozedur vom Bundesamt für Flüchtlinge absolvieren

können, berichtet die dort erscheinende 'Westfälische Rundschau'. Hintergrund:

Immer mehr Flüchtlinge aus Krisengebieten wie Irak, Iran oder aktuell Syrien

beantragen in NRW Asyl.”324

In another article, KSTA brought up the appearing housing problems looming about Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers and the shortage in certain metropolises. The newspaper implied

imminently that Syrian refugees/asylum seekers are behinde the housing problems in the

region. “Das Dortmunder Aufnahmehaus hatte am Dienstag angekündigt, keine

Neuankömmlinge mehr aufzunehmen. Der Grund: Windpocken. Zudem sei die Zahl der

Asylbewerber in den vergangenen Tagen explosionsartig gestiegen.”325

One further method of dealing with the issues of housing is observed in KSTA. The

newspaper provided the reader with figures regarding the demand on housing units by

refugees in general and Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in particular. The article informed

effectively upon the urban problems and the strain on the service sectors in the cities. “Die

Stadt fehlen aktuell 300 bis 400 Plätze zur Unterbringung. Ein seit Jahren bestehender

Mangel.”326

KSTA reported very often about the big number of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, and

the shortage in housing sector. To fill such a gape, the German government has taken new

procedures. One of these steps was the evacuation of governmental buildings, schools, and

churches. Once the regional authorities, evacuated playground for using it as a housing

units for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. KSTA informed the readers that their children

324Ibid., Zu wenig Platz für Asylbewerber.325Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA) (11. October 2012): Zusatzheim in Neuss Für Flüchtlinge, p. 8. 326Ibid., Zwei Neubauten Für Flüchtlinge.

83

have to find a new playground. “Zwei Tage nachdem sie als Notunterkunft hergerichtet

worden war, haben bereitss mehr als 50 Flüchtlinge die Turnhalle im Schulzentrum

Weiden bezogen.”327

No wonder why many stories have been narrated upon housing problems in Kölner Stadt-

Anzeiger, as the region has the biggest number of Syrian refugees and asylum seekers in

Germany. Yet, the interesting fact is that Sächsische Zeitung on the basis of the selected

articles has not contributed any article in this direction. Nevertheless, the newspaper put an

argument that Syrian refugees/asylum seekers are good for the demographic development

of the Free State of Saxony.

6.5 Solidarity for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

Overt expressions of solidarity for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers were found in regional

newspapers. Yet, it must be cleared that there is no single article directly related to

solidarity. Many of the articles covered Syrian refugees/asylum seekers from different

perspectives with regard to the Syrian war. The feeling of solidarity is presented mainly

implicitly, occasionally; it is spelt explicitly out particularly when the newspaper tries to

convince the reader to stand with the humanitarian crisis of Syrians. Regional articles in

general offered Syrian refugees/asylum seekers the deserved solidarity as it is overtly

expressed in sympathetic articles. This solidarity can be found in both newspapers, but

SZ2 illustrated solidarity by calling upon the community in the Free State of Saxony to be

open to Syrian refugees/asylum seekers and supportive throughtout the daily life. “Gefragt

seien Alltagshilfen–die Begleitung bei Behördenterminen, Übersetzungen von

Schriftstücken oder Schülerbetreuung [...] Geklappt hatte das schon einmal [...] wo viele

verschiedene Unterstützer dies alles gemeinsam organisierten.”328 Likewise, KSTA brought

solidarity to Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. The solidarity is included in reporting on

German church's several charities for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in the Middle East

and Germany. KSTA explained to the reader the amount of sufferings of Syrians and what

must be done for facilitating the procedures for new Syrian asylum seekers.

“SCHNEIDER: Die Bundeslander sollten prüfen, wie sie in Deutschland lebenden Syrern

die vorübergehende Aufnahme von Angehörigen und Freunden erleichtern und so die

327Damm, Andreas, and Tim Attenberger (15/16. November 213): Konzernzentrale Als Notunterkunft. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA), p. 27.

328Ibid., Ankunft aus dem Kriegsgebiet.

84

Selbsthilfekräfte stärken können. Da errichten die deutschen Gesetze bislang sehr hohe

Hürden,”329

In addition, solidarity was expressed enormously by German politicians. It has important

implications, as it indicates how politicians deal with international humanitarian crisis.

Solidarity for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers is not limited only to the later in Germany,

but to all Syrians. SZ2 assigned sympathetic articles to vulnerable Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers in the Middle East explaining the circumstances and commenting on the German

official quota. “Wenn Länder wie Jordanien Millionen Flüchtlinge aus Syrien aufnehmen

müsste auch Deutschland seien Beitrag leisten.”330

One of the top interesting articles among the analyzed articles is one by SZ2 on Syrian

asylum seekers, whose asylum applications were rejected. Sächsische Zeitung reported

with very great impression of solidarity by criticizing the German policy toward

refugees/asylum seekers in general, and Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in particular, as

authorities refused some Syrian applications and decided to transfer the refused Syrian

asylum seeker outside Germany posing them to danger.

“Einer von ihnen ist seit sieben Tagen Ghada Ammars Ehemann. Sie hat keinen Kontakt zu

ihm und Angst, dass sie ihn nicht wiedersieht-und dass sie nach Bulgarien zurückmuss.

'Wir können nicht zurück, wir haben kein Geld mehr', sagt sie. 'Wir müssen mit den

Kindern auf der Straße leben.' Wieder bricht die 35-Jährige in Tränen aus. Sie wollte doch

nur Sicherheit für sich und ihre Kinder, sagt sie leise.”331

Once more, Sächsische Zeitung commented on the German quota for Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers signing that the current numbers in the Free State of Saxony are

not enough. The newspapes called on raising the capcity for Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers in the region. “Die Zahl der Bürgerkriegsflüchtlinge aus Syrien, die künftig in

Sachsen untergebracht werden, wird sich deutlich erhöhen. Statt der eingeplanten 257

Flüchtlinge wird der Freistaat insgesamt 514 aufnehmen.”332

Strings of aggression were registered in NRW region against refugees in general and

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in particular. In an article, KSTA featured the perpetrating

actions emphasizing the existing need to actualize people, and insert the values of

329Frank, Joachim (4. November 2013): In Den Familien Herrscht Die Pure Depression. In: Köner Stadt Amzeiger (KSTA), p. 5.

330Ibid., Tillich gibt Fehler bei Asylpolitik in Sachsen zu.331Schwar, Andreas (14. November 2013): Endstation Abschiebung. In: Sächsische Zeitung (SZ), p. 3. 332Ibid., Sachsen Nimmt Mehr Syrische Kriegsflüchtlinge.

85

tolerance for future coexistence. The solidarity for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers was

encouraged by quoting German president criticizing the racism that Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers may face in the hosting societies.

“Auch heute sind Menschen an vielen Orten der Welt auf der Flucht. Wir denken an

das schreckliche Schicksal der Familien aus Syrien, wir denken an die Verzweifelten,

die den gefährlichen Weg nach Europa über das Wasser wagen. Wir danken auch an

die Menschen, die kommen, weil Sie bei uns die Freiheit, das Recht und die

Sicherheit finden, die Ihnen in Ihrem Ländern verwehrt werden.”333

How Syrian refugees/asylum seekers reach Germany and the difficulties they experience

on the way is of great interest for the reader. KSTA explained in an article on the illegal

ways that refugees/asylum seekers in general and Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in

particular inviting the reader to sympathize with them; to use the cinema of the mind, and

to imagine themselves in such dreadful situations.

“Doch der gefährlichste Teil der Reise liegt hinter ihnen. In Syrien wird der Bus, in

dem die Familie unterwegs ist, an unzähligen Checkpoints angehalten [...] Aus

Beirut erreichen sie später Anrufe einer Schwägerin die freudig erzählt, nun habe sie

schon einen ganzen Tag lang keinen Gefechtslärm gehört.”334

One local newspaper in the Free State of Saxony published an article against

refugees/asylum seekers and the building of new refugee camps in the region. This article

caused outrage among refugees/asylum seekers and the Germans. The article claimed that

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers are ruining Germany and making the hosting communities

chaotic. Sächsische Zeitung responded sympathetically to these claims.

“Das ist menschenverachtender Zynismus! Es ging in dem Artikel darum, dass

Dresdner Hotels Plattenwohnungen mit Tischen, Betten und Stühlen versorgen,

damit dort Asylbewerber einziehen können. Sind sich die Journalisten dieser Zeitung

bewusst, was sie mit solchen Schlagzeilen anrichten? Sie bestätigen Vorurteile und

verschweigen Zusammenhänge.”335

Due to the huge numbers of asylum applications by Syrians, the decision making process

over the submitted application takes a long time. Syrian refugees/asylum seekers have to

wait like others for long period of time. KSTA reported on these issue of time showing

333Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA) (24. December 2013): Deutsche Zu Mehr Hilfe Aufgefordert, p. 8. 334Ibid., Von Aleppo nach Aachen.335Ibid., Das Ist Beschämend.

86

solidarity and calling out for making asylum procedures easier particularly for Syrians.

“Die Verfahren für Syrer, die inzwischen mit Priorität behandelt werden.”336

All this said, the analysis showed that there is great solidarity in the regional newspapers,

but the level of solidarity differes from period to period due to the conflict on the ground.

The analysis revealed too that solidarity is not directly stated for Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers, it is expressed implicitly. Both newspapers show solidarity, but not in a similar

way as Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger accentuated its solidarity more than Sächsische Zeitung.

6.6 Germany versus Syria

Injustice is freuqently experienced by Syrian refugees/asylum seekers as they were

persecuted by the fighting parties in Syria; or due to the difficult circumstances in the

neighborhoods of Syria. The illegal trip to Germany is featured as a death trip to the

unknown. The analysis of regional newspapers found out several articles referring to the

precedent life of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers and the new life in Germany. Both

newspapers represented Syria as perilous to its own people, while Germany is associated

wirh new peaceful shelter. How this peril is portrayed differs qualitatively along the years

of Syrian conflict. Regional newspapers highlighted the life of Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers in the country of origin outlining greater details in comparison with the new life.

SZ2 highlighted the war that Syrian refugees/asylum seekers have had to experience

before arriving peacefully in Germany. The newspaper reported on Syrians sharing sad

stories about life in Syria and showing happiness and gratitude to Germany for being able

to live in peace in the country. “Ein bisschen vom Krieg ist in Pirna eingezogen. Der Krieg

ist eigentlich in Syrien, aber jetzt ist er auch ein bisschen hier, auf dem Sonnenstein, in

diesem Wohnturm,”337

Once more, SZ2 shed light on the brutality of Syrian war, and what Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers experienced in the Middle East. The newspaper compared the life

of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany to their previous life in Syria. The

comparison is depicted in details by contrasting the former life of a protagonist in Syria

and the new life in Germany.

336Karasu, Kristina, and Silke Offergeldb (5. April 2014): Warten Auf Zukunft. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA), p.1.

337Stock, Jörg (6. August 2013): Zwischen Hölle Und Paradies. In: Sächsische Zeitung (SZ), p. 6.

87

“Vor dem Anruf in seinem Elternhaus hat Paul H. jedes Mal Angst. Er fürchtet sich

vor denen, die es vielleicht im Geheimen mit anhören. Dann könnte seine Familie zu

Hause womöglich Probleme bekommen-wegen ihm. Sie lebt in Syrien, er in Dresden

[..] In Dresden lebt er nun in Frieden,”338

Similarly, KSTA referred to the specificity of Syrian war and the persecution that Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers experience at home. The newspaper confirmed the barbarity of

the Syrian regime and the suffering of Syrians, and how these incongruous problems

influence them psychologically even when they are in Germany. The newspaper suggested

that Syrian refugees/asylum seekers have in mind cruel and preserve thoughts. Therefore,

they believe that they are tantamount to the death sentence. Although that Syrian culture

resonates as culturally distant from Germany where there is no death penalty. “In seinem

neuen Leben muss Farhan Mustafa erst einmal verdauen, dass es in Deutschland keine

Todesstrafe gibt.”339

In another article, KSTA informed the reader on the psychological turmoil that Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers' children suffer from, even though; they are in peace in Germany.

The analogy between what they have experienced in Syrian war and the German peaceful

supportive effort is visible through the explanation why children suffering from

psychological problems and what effort are given to support.

“Wenn Fatimat heute Hubschrauber über ihrem neuen Wohnort in der Nähe von

Schkeuditz hört, zuckt die 15-Jährige zusammen und zittert. Aus Hubschraubern,

erzählt sie, wurde in die Wohnviertel Aleppos geschossen. Ihr kleiner Bruder

Abdullah hat nachts oft geschrien und geweint und tagsüber mit Soldaten Krieg

gespielt. Das wurde erst besser, seit der Junge das Bürgerkriegsland unter dem

Despoten Baschar al-Assad verlassen hat und sich wieder mit Autos und anderen

Spielsachen beschäftigt.”340

Ironic comparison is presented in KSTA as a myopic portrayal of a Syrian refugee/asylum

seeker in Germany in contrast to Syria. The paradox is evident when a Syrian

refugee/asylum seeker feels wistfulness and experience nostalgia despite of the hostility in

Syria and peace in Germany. “Die heillose Situation in ihrer Heimat schlägt den

Verwandten aber nach wie vor aufs Gemüt, erzählt Ahmad., Wir haben sehr viel Spaß

338Ibid., Mit dem Kopf in Syrien.339Ibid., Crashkurs Deutschland.340Ibid.,Von Aleppo nach Schkeuditz.

88

miteinander, aber wir haben auch Abend, da heulen alle und haben furchtbares

Heimweh.”341

The difference in comparison between Germany and Syria reveals a gradation of barbarity

that Syrian refugees/asylum seekers experienced in Syria before arriving safely in

Germany. Syria is tainted in implicit or explicit comparison with Germany. As the

newspapers focused on the dark side of Syria and the bright side of Germany. It is to admit

that no Syrian refugee/asylum seeker is stigmatized in Germany, whereas; they have no

right in Syria. Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany experience for the first time the

social system that stands for equality and justice. Not a sectarian society where

discrimination is practiced. There are no reinforcing culturally racist paradigms in the

regional newspapers against Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. The articles tackle the

brutality of Syrian war tending to inform the reader about Syrian war and why Syrians

have come to Germany. Furthermore, the newspapers aimed to inform the reader on how

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers feel in the new hosting societies. By glorifying the

German values and merits, both newspapers confirmed German superiority through the act

of accepting Syrians as refugees/asylum seekers demonstrating the generous German

cultural practice of inclusiveness and tolerance in contrast to the cultural practice of Syrian

regime.

6.7 Overall language of the articles

The analysis of the selected articles from regional newspapers viewed as mentioned ahead

that the articles of both newspapers are not only reflecting on the Syrian war and the

problematic situation of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, but also provide a profound

description of the editorial board in regional newspapers. The editorial boards in both

newspapers were supportive throughout the Syrian humanitarian crisis by reflecting on the

daily life of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, and the relationship with the Germans. The

overall language of the articles contributes to the way the topics of Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers were presented to the reader in the regional press coverage. They put ultimate

power to cover the topic of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. Both newspapers were neutral

in tackling the topics from humanitarian and journalistic perspectives. The coverage of

Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger is wider than in Sächsische Zeitung, and attributed to the huge

341Keller, Thorsten (22. March 2014): Viel Spaß, viel Lernen-und Abends Großes Heimweh. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA), p. 8.

89

differences in numbers of refugees/asylum seekers in both regions. KSTA focused on

several aspects regarding Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany, pointing to the size

of Syrian humanitarian crisis and the German support. Yet, Sächsische Zeitung was

associated more with German regional events and was directly concerned with Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers only when the case had important news value for the reader, or

was directly associated with the region of the Free State of Saxony.

Regional newspapers tried to present Syrian refugees/asylum seekers neutrally, but could

not avoid the positive tone by expressing solidarity for them. Both newspapers depended

on extended description with details. Therefore, the used a language employed subsidiary

information to be more positive toward Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. This trend is

visible throughout the analyzed articles of this study, but it varies depending on the

importance of the news of Syrian war and Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. Both

newspapers introduced Syrian refugees/asylum seeker to the reader as: vulnerable,

exhausted, victims, hopeless, hopeful, new citizens, and in bad circumstances. Whereas,

Germans as: open, generous, and friendly. Negative prediction was present similarly, not

toward Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, but toward Germans who expressed racism. This

trend is visible in regional coverage, but it varies in degree and quality depending on the

region, and the news concerning Syria and Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in the Middle

East in general and Germany in particular.

Regional newspapers tried to align the reader to the side of Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers; by depending on factual sympathetic stories with humanitarian touches: refusal of

asylum request, desperate refugees, refugees reunited with their families, and Germans

helping Syrian refugees/asylum seekers through such a change in their lives. Moreover,

they carried strong appeals for helping Syrian refugees/asylum seekers not only in

Germany, but also in the Middle East.

Within the structure of the articles, there are explicit referential and predication strategies

for reflecting on Syrian refugees/asylum seekers along with the problems and negative

impact they have left on service section. This trend is prominent in Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger,

whereas; it does not appear, as such on the Sächsische Zeitung.

The difference in journalistic and editorial orientation of newspapers is visible. Kölner

Stadt-Anzeiger based its coverage more on news reports. Yet, Sächsische Zeitung focused

on issues of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in concern with citizens in the Free State of

Saxony. There is high frequency of uses of depictive language in both newspapers as a

90

trend. But it is more visible in Kölner Stadt Anzeiger. “Ein junger Tuareg aus der

Westsahara: 29 Jahre alt, türkisfarbene Pumphose, abgelatschte Flip-Flops, um den Kopf

ein lindgrünes Tuch geschlungen. Sein Englisch ist gewöhnungsbedürftig, sein Lächeln

voller Hoffnung.”342

The socio-cultural and political context of the events upon Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

along the four years of the analysis constitutes a different conclusion rule for the

interpretation of this language. The use of the deep descriptive language is toward

visualizing the situation for the German reader. This technique is adopted for raising

solidarity for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers among readers. Regional newspapers like

national newspapers argue for more humanitarian supports for Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers, but in different social, cultural, and political aspects.

342Ibid.,Von Hmos nach Hemer.

91

7. Conclusion

The results of this research shows that German press bucks the trend. The national

newspapers focused mainly on string of stories that have official concerns and

perspectives, but that does not deny the fact that both newspapers-Frankfurter Allgemeine

Zeitung and Süddeutsche Zeitung-reported neutrally and favorably on Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers in the direction of supporting them. Both precedent newspapers

quoted and paraphrased German government's officials, while focusing less on news about

Syrian refugees in Germany. This suggests that national newspapers contribute more to

German government's concern and the making of national level of widely applied

regulations in this matter. In spite of reporting about negative news and presenting more

issues of concern to German government, the national newspapers did report about Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers positively. On the other hand, the regional newspapers closely

reported on issues of interest to the local hosting communities and Syrian refugees/asylum

seekers alike. Both newspapers-Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger and Sächsische Zeitung-were

concerned with the interaction between Syrian refugees/asylum seekers and hosting

people. The regional newspaper discussed policies in the context of regional concern.

Regional newspapers are judged to represent good practice in reporting as they have

handled this topic sensitively, but in a positive tone taking in consideration the

humanitarian dimension of the Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, and the challenges they

have brought with to the hosting regions. The following diagram list the findings obtained

from the codebook in direction of favorability of newspapers toward Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers by giving an insight of how both national newspapers and

regional newspapers represented Syrian refugees/asylum seekers to the reader during the

interval of this analysis.

92

Favorable Unfavorable Neutral0

10

20

30

40

50

60

7058,97

2,56

33,33

42,5

1,5

56

National Newspapers

Regional Newspaper

The following numbers are obtained from the codebook in direction of the research by

giving an insight of how favorable both national newspapers and regional newspapers in

presenting Syrian refugees/asylum seekers to the reader. (58,97) percent of national

articles were found favorable toward Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, but that does not

deny the fact that national newspapers were slightly unfavorable toward Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers by explicitly or implicitly criticizing and commenting on them.

(2,56) percent of the coded articles were considered negative toward Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers in national newspapers based on the standards of the applied

codebook. Similarly to national newspapers, regional newspapers were positive and

negative toward Syrian reugees/asylum seekers. The coded articles from regional

newspapers showed that (42,5) percent from regional articles were in favor of Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers. Yet, (1,5) percent of regional articles were not in favor of Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers. The rest of the articles from both models of newspapers were

coded and listed either, as neutral or unrecognized by the researcher.

From these results, can be cleared that different views are given the same space on the

platform for helping to promote different sources and views. There is no urge expressed by

national or regional newspapers to generically link Syrian refugees/asylum seekers to

crimes, social problems, and economic problems. Support and Sympathetic reporting on

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers is outweighed by belief in their contribution to Germany's

economy and culture. Inflammatory, extreme and fear including language is avoided by

national and regional newspapers and articles are well-sourced with many photographs of

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in the articles. (48,7) percent of national articles and

(33,33) percent from regional articles were supported with several photos in different sizes

in order to support Syrian refugees/asylum seekers.

Considering the first research question of the study: “How Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

are presented in the German print media?” based on the selected four newspapers

definitely represented Syrian refugees/asylum seekers positively by including sympathy,

solidarity, shedding light on their life, reporting about their disasters, criticizing the limited

supports, and calling upon extra-support. Beside these main trends, shorter news articles

and reports with corresponding topics of concern for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers are

very present. Yet, with the interval of analysis, a strong dependency toward supporting

Syrian refugees/asylum seekers is discernible in the German print. This tendency can be

93

defined as a common phenomenon among the editorial boards of the newspapers, because

it reflects the daily sympathetic editorial practice of the four newspapers.

This research reveals that German print media is balanced and accurate in reporting

positively on Syrian refugees/asylum seekers. Any claim that German print is biased or

negative in reporting on Syrian refugees/asylum seekers has not been proven. German

newspapers employed good and various forms of coverage to inform the reader on the

Syrian crisis at first and then the newspapers follow up with details regarding Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers in neighboring countries of Syria before moving to the issues of

Syrian refugees in Germany. This technique is present in each article of the four

newspapers.

The news reporting of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers was not limited to extraordinary

news, as the coverage appeared frequently even when the news of minimum importance

about the Syrian conflict and the humanitarian crisis of Syrian refugees, but the appearance

of news differs along the years of the Syrian humanitarian crisis.

(2,56) percent from national articles appeared in 2011, (20,51) percent appeared in 2012,

(35,89) percent appeared in 2013, and (41) percent appeared in 2014. Whereas, (13,63)

percent of regional articles concerning Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany

appeared in 2012, (35,89) percent appeared in 2013, and (37,87) percent appeared in 2014.

But that does not contradict the fact that all the analyzed articles stick to events of news of

value to the reader at first, and the Syrian refugee/asylum seeker at last. The language of

the newspapers is very neutral and positive in general, but tiny number of articles carry

negative implication particularly when the newspapers focused on the German effort and

94

2011 2012 2013 20140

10

20

30

40

50

60

2,56

20,51

35,8941

13,63

48,48

37,87Regional Newspapers

National Newspapers

the German generosity, or when the newspaper in ironic tone commented on Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers in Germany. This is visible more in national newspapers; (5,12)

percent from the selected articles from national newspapers had negative implication. Yet,

this number is smaller in regional newspapers (1,51) percent from the selected regional

newspapers.

The overall differences between the four newspapers lies in the various ideologies at

editorial work flow of the newspaper. There are certain discursive discrepancies due to the

format of the newspaper. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung employed more referential and

predicational strategies rather than argumentative ones in reporting about Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers. On the other hand, Süddeutsche Zeitung employed

argumentation techniques followed by predication and discussions. This trend is very

blatant in Süddeutsche Zeitugn as the newspaper is more in favor of Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers in comparison to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

In the regional newspapers, there is little generalization, categorization and labeling

process. This is visible in Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger's categories. Sächsische Zeitung is more

simple and explicit in its categorization and strategies in reporting about Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers. The approach of Sächsische Zeitung is more sophisticated than

Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger and more populist.

This research applied a pragmatic process of qualitative content analysis as a method of

analyzing the selected data collected from the four newspapers. The coded articles

illustrated how national and regional newspapers dealt with the topic of Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers in Germany. The applied codebook demonstrated that German

newspapers are positive toward Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, but there is a level of

contrasts and contradictions in covering Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany

between national newspapers and regional newspapers. These contradictions are both

complex, and sophisticated, incorporating negative and positive notions relating to Syrian

refugees/asylum seekers in Germany, and the social, political, economical consequences,

which they have created in the hosting communities. National newspapers seem to have

more reservation in reporting on Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, but they do not create,

nor do they introduce common negative attitudes to the reader. Yet, regional newspapers

are more reflective on issues concerning Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, but on regional

level.

95

Biblography

A. Cepielik, Barbara, and Fabian Klask (9. January 2014): Ungliebte Herbergen.In: KölnerStadt-Anzeiger, Land/Region:p.8.

A. Cepielik, Barbara, and Fabian Klask (9. January 2014,):Ungliebte Herbergen.In: KölnerStadt-Anzeiger Land/Region:p.8.

Aktuelle Zahlen Zu Asyl(February. 2015.). Rep. Bundesamt Für Migration ZuFlüchtlinge,<https://www.bamf.de/SharedDocs/Anlagen/DE/Downloads/Infothek/Statistik/statistik-anlage-teil-4 aktuelle-zahlen-zu-asyl.pdf?__blob=publicationFile>.p: 7, retrievedon: 21 March. 2015.

Albertazzi, Daniele, and Paul Cobley. What Are the Media?.In: The Media an Introduction.3rd ed. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2013.p.144.

Altendorfer, Otto. Tageszeitung.Das Mediensystem Der Bundesrepublik Deutschland.Wiesbaden: Westdt. Verl., 2001.p. 99.

Amend, Rita. Population of Germany - Where Live the Most German People?In:GermanyInsiderFacts. Rita Amend, 2010-2015,http://www.germany-insider-facts.com/population-of-germany.html#.VRKQVO6G_0E, retrieved on:25 March. 2015.

Amnesty International USA. News(06 Augst. 2012. ). Satellite Images from EscalatingSyrian Conflict Are Reason for Concern.Amnesty InternationalUSA,http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/press-releases/satellite-images-from-escalating-syrian-conflict-are-reason-for-concern, retrieved on: 19 March. 2015

As Syrian Death Toll Tops 5,000, UN Human Rights Chief Warns about Key City.UN NewsCenter. UN, 12 December. 2011.http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40708#.VQqwwlWG_0E, retrieved on:19 March. 2015.

Attenberger, Tim (14. September 2013):Die Massenunterkunft Zurück.In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, Land/Region p.33.

Attenberger, Tim (25. September 2013):Köln Hat Kein GeeignetesUnterbringungskonzept.In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, Reportage:p. 7.

Attenberger, Tim (6. November 2014):Roters Will Keine Weiteren Flüchtlinge.In: KölnerStadt-Anzeiger, Köln:p. 27.

Attenberger, Tim (27. August 2014): Die Unterkünfte in Köln sind voll belegt. In: KölnerStadt-Anzeiger (KSTA), p. 3.

Asylum-Seekers.In: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c137.html,retrieved on:11.March.2015.

Bamber, Gascoigne. HISTORY OF SYRIA.In: History World. Political. From 2001,ongoing.http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=nns01,retrieved on:16 March. 2015.

96

Becker, Benedikt, Katharina Gelhaus, and Kathrin Wiewe(15. August.2013). Schwarz IstDie Hoffnung. ifp Dossier Asyl. Asyl Journal,http://asyl.journalistenschule-ifp.de/schwarz-ist-die-hoffnung/, retrieved on: 24 March. 2015.

Becker, Björn (27. December 2013): Sicherheit Auf Zeit.In: Süddeutsche Zeitung ,Politik:p.5.

Bell, Roland, Dr. Entscheiderbrief/ Informations-Schnelldienst(2014). Rep. no. 21Jahrgang. Vol. 3. Nürnberg: Informationszentrum Asyl Und Migration,http://www.bamf.de/SharedDocs/Anlagen/DE/Publikationen/Entscheiderbrief/2014/entscheiderbrief-03-2014.pdf?__blob=publicationFile,retrieved on:24 March. 2015.

Bennet, Tony (1982). Theories of the Media, Theories of Society.Ed. Michael Gurevitch.'Theories of the Media, Theories of Society'In Culture, Society and the Media. London:Methuen, 31-40. 'Theories of the Media, Theories of Society'In Culture, Society and theMedia. Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology,http://web.mit.edu/21l.432/www/readings/Bennett_TheoriesOfMediaAndSociety.pdf>retrieved on:15 April. 2015.

Ber, Rudolf. Das 15. Bis 18. Jahrhundert.In: Deutsche Pressegeschichte: Von DenAnfangen Bis Zur Gegenwart. 2., Uberarb. Aufl. ed. Konstanz: UVK-Verl.-Ges,2005.pp.70-75.

Berkel, Barbara. Entwicklung Europäischer Bewertungsmuster. Konflikt Als MotorEuropaischer Offentlichkeit Eine Inhaltsanalyze Von Tageszeitungen in Deutschland,Frankreich, Grossbritannien Und Osterreich. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag FurSozialwissenschaften / GWV Fachverlage GmbH, Wiesbaden, 2006.p.189.

Bevölkerung in Deutschland Nach Anzahl Der Fernsehgeräte Im Haushalt Von 2010 Bis2014 (Personen in Millionen). Das Statistik-Portal. Statisa, n.d,http://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/171950/umfrage/anzahl-der-fernseher-im-haushalt/, retrieved on:25 Mar.ch 2015.

Bickel, Markus (12. November 2013):Hunger Als Waffe.In: Frankfurter AllgemeineZeitung (FAZ), p.6.

Bielicki, Jan (21 June.2014): Mehr Gastlichkeit Für Syrer.In: Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ): p.6

Boldt, Kirsten (12. September 2012):Zwei Neubauten Für Flüchtlinge.In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA), Köln:p. 26.

Boldt, Kirsten (12 November.2012):Zwei Neubauten Für Flüchtlinge.In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA):p. 26.

Brewerton, Paul, and Lynne Millward (2001). Applying Social Science to the Real World.In: Organizational Research Methods: A Guide for Students and Researchers. London:SAGE, 2001. p.12.

97

Borshchevskaya, Anna (17. May 2010). Sponsored Corruption and Neglected Reform inSyria. Middle East Forum.In: The National,http://www.meforum.org/meq/pdfs/2760.pdf.:pp.42~46, retrieved on:17 March. 2015.

Brocchi, Davide(06 August. 2008). Die Presse in Deutschland.In:Magazin Cultura21,http://magazin.cultura21.de/kultur/wissen/die-presse-in-deutschland.html,retrieved on: 3April. 2015

Brössler, Daniel (5 September 2012):Aufruf Zu Mehr Einigkeit.In: Süddeutsche Zeitung(SZ):p.9.

Cherry, Kendra (n.d) Availability Heuristic. About Education.http://psychology.about.com/od/aindex/g/availability-heuristic.htm, retrieved on: 8. July 2015.

Curtis, Dr. Anthony (1 January.2012). Mass Media Influence on Society. University ofNorth Carolina at Pembroke. Mass Communication Dept., University of North Carolina atPembroke,http://www2.uncp.edu/home/acurtis/Courses/ResourcesForCourses/Media&Society/MassMediaInfluenceOnSociety.html,retrieved on: 19 April. 2015.

Communication,http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1993.tb01304.x/pdf,retrievedon;22 April. 2015.

Das Ist Beschämend (30 December 2013).In:Sächsische Zeitung (SZ),p. 20

Daily Newspaper Circulation Share of Publishing Groups in Germany in the FirstQuarters of 2012 and 2014.In: Statista. Statista 2015.<http://www.statista.com/statistics/411063/publishers-daily-paper-market-shares-germany/>,retrievedon:31 March. 2015.

Damm, Andreas, and Tim Attenberger (15-16 November 213):Konzernzentrale AlsNotunterkunft.In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, Köln:p. 27.

DD V Mediengruppe. Sächsische Zeitung. http://www.ddv-mediengruppe.de/produkte_dienstleistungen/produkte/tageszeitungen/saechsische_zeitung/, retrieved on:8 July 2015.

Debatte Über Syrische Flüchtlinge (25 August.2012).In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung,p.5.

Der Fall Der Familie Darwisch ( 09 May 2009).Bayerischer Flüchtlingsrat. BayerischerFlüchtlingsrat,.http://www.fluechtlingsrat-bayern.de/abschiebungen-nach-syrien.html, retrieved on: 21March. 2015.

Deutsche Welle (9 September.2013): Syrian Refugees Heading forGermany.http ://www.dw.com/en/syrian-refugees-heading-for-germany/a-17075719,retreieved on: 7 March. 2015.

98

Deutschland/Syrien: Debatte Um Flüchtlinge (11 September.2012). Bundeszentrale FürPolitische Bildung.Http ://www.bpb.de/gesellschaft/migration/newsletter/144213/debatte-um-fluechtlinge,retrieved on: 5 July 2015.

Die Deutschen Zeitungen in Zahlen Und Daten 2014. (2014).Bundesverband DeutscherZeitungdverlag. Haus DerPresse,http://www.bdzv.de/fileadmin/bdzv_hauptseite/markttrends_daten/wirtschaftliche_lage/2014/assets/ZDF_2014.pdf. P.5-14, retrieved on:06 March. 2015.

Die Deutschen Zeitungen in Zahlen Und Daten 2014.In: Bundesverband DeutscherZeitungdverlag. Haus Der Presse, 1 Jan. 2014.<http://www.bdzv.de/fileadmin/bdzv_hauptseite/markttrends_daten/wirtschaftliche_lage/2014/assets/ZDF_2014.pdf>. P.5,retrieved on:06 March. 2015.

Die Geschichte Der Tageszeitungen.In: Deutsche Tageszeitungen.http://www.deutsche-tageszeitungen.de/pressefachartikel/die-geschichte-der-tageszeitungen/.retrieved on:26March. 2015.

Dijk van, Teun. (2001). Critical discourse analysis. In Deborah Tannen, Deborah Schiffrin& Heidi Hamilton (Eds.), Handbook of discourse analysis.In:Oxford:Blackwell,pp. 352-371.

Do, What Europe Can, To Ensure Protection, and And Solidarity (2014). SYRIANRefugees in EUROPE. Rep. N.p.: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,http://www.unhcr.de/uploads/tx_n4mteaserobjects/UNHCR_Report_on_Syrian_Refugees_in_Europe.pdf, retrieved on: 20 March. 2015.

Dublin III Regulation (17 December.2014).Citizens Information Board. The Office of theRefugeeApplicationsCommissioner(ORAC),http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving_country

/asylum_seekers_and_refugees/the_asylum_process_in_ireland/dublin_convention.html,retrieved on:11 March. 2015.

Dussel, Konrad. Presse Im Kaiserreich: 1871-1918.In:Deutsche Tagespresse Im 19. Und20. Jahrhundert. Munster: Lit, 2004.p. 91.

Ehrenstein, Claudia, and Eva Marie Kogel (28 October. 2014). 70.000 Syrische Kinder AlsFlüchtlinge Geboren. DIE WELT. WeltN24 GmbH2015,http://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article133729925/70-000-syrische-Kinder-als-Fluechtlinge-geboren.html, retrieved on: 21 March. 2015.

Entman, Robert M(7 February 2006). Framing: toward Clarification of a FracturedParadigm.In: Journal of Communication 43.4 (1993): 51-58,52.Wiley Online Library.Journal of

Entwicklungen Im Asyl- Und Flüchtlingsrecht (10th ed.) (2014):10.Bericht DerBeauftragten Der Bundesregierung Fur Migration, Fluchtlinge Und Integration Uber DieLage Der Auslanderinnen Und Auslander in Deutschland. Berlin: Beauftragte DerBundesregierung Fur Migration, Fluchtlinge Und Integration, p.510.

99

Erste Ausgabe Der Süddeutschen Zeitung Vom 6. Oktober 1945. Liebe Zur Freiheit.In:Flensburg Online. Flensburg Online, 27 Jan. 2008. http://www.flensburg-online.de/blog/2008-01/1-ausgabe-der-suddeutschen-zeitung-vom-6-oktober-1945-liebe-zur-freiheit.html. Editorial Board,retrieved on:08 April. 2015

Femia, Francesco, and Caitlin Werrell. Syria: Climate Change, Drought and SocialUnrest.In:The Center for Climate and Security.http://climateandsecurity.org/2012/02/29/syria-climate-change-drought-and-social-unrest/,retrieved on:17 March. 2015.

Fischer, Heinz Dietrich (1972). Georg Potschka:KÖLNISCHE ZEITUNG (1802-1945).In:Deutsche Zeitungen Des 17. [siebzehnten] Bis 20. [zwanzigsten] Jahrhunderts. Pullach BeiMunchen: Verlag Dokumentation, pp.152-158.

Flüchtlinge: Deutschland Hauptziel Für Asylbewerber.In: FAZ.NET. N.p.Web. 21 Mar.2015. http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/asylbewerber-wollen-vor-allem-nach-deutschland-12857022.html,retrieved on: 23 March.2015.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH History.In: History of Frankfurter AllgemeineZeitung GmbH – FundingUniverse. Funding Universe,http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/frankfurter-allgemeine-zeitung-gmbh-history/,retrieved on:06 April. 2015.

Frank, Joachim ( 2013):In Den Familien Herrscht Die Pure Depression.In: Köner StadtAmzeiger, Politik:p. 5

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Dahinter Steckt Immer ein KlugerKopf(n.d),http://www.gwa.de/images/effie_db/1998/82727_086_FAZ.pdf. P.90,Agentur:Scholz & Friends Berlin, Berlin,retrieved on:07 April. 2015.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) (3 January. 2013):Bericht über weiters Massaker inSyrien..Politik:p.2.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) (16 April 2013):Arabi: Waffenruhe in SyrienWichtiger Als Verhandlungen. Politik:p. 5.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) (19 July 2014): Zahl Der Asylbewerber Steigt Um60 Prozent., Politik:p.4.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) (28 August. 2012):Hollande:Wir würden Regierungder syrischen Opposition anerkennen.. Politik:p.2.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) (28 August. 2012):Hollande: Wir WürdenRegierung Der Syrischen Opposition Anerkennen.,Cover Page:p.1.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) (12 September. 2013):Vorläufig Angekommen.",Politik:p. 6.

100

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (15. July 2015). Preisliste. MEDIAPORTAl.https://filebox.faz.de/public/505F4B6E505D5D56545C54585F/Mediaportal/2015_FAZ-FAS_Media_Solutions-Preisliste_Nr._75, retrieved on: 12. July 2015.

Freedman, Andrew(3 March.2015). Drought: Trigger For Syria’s Civil War?.In: WaterPolitics. Ed. Amanda Wills. http://www.waterpolitics.com/2015/03/03/drought-trigger-for-syrias-civil-war/, retrieved on:17 March. 2015. Gill, Guy S., and Jane McADAM (2007). Protection under Human Rights and GeneralInternational Law.The Refugee in International Law.In: Third ed. Oxford.Oxfordshire:OXFORD UP,p. 340.

Gagne, Tammy(2015). The Situation in Syria." Preserving Human Rights around theWorld. Hockessin, DE 19707: Mitchell Lane, pp. 41-43

Gajevic, Mira (11. September 2013):Ständig Werden Neue Hürden Aufgestellt.In: KölnerStadt-Anzeiger, Blick/Themen Des Tages:p. 3.

Gajevic, Mira (13 September. 2013):Christen Werden Nicht Bevorzugt. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA), p.6.

George Gerbner was a professor of communication and the founder of cultivation theory.Born, Budapest, he emigrated to the United States in late 1939.

Ger, Ludwig (2010). Rumor-More or Less at Home: On Theories of News Value in the20th Century. Media, Culture, and Mediality: New Insights into the Current State ofResearch. Bielefeld [Germany: Transcript,p. 102.

Geschichte Der HAZ:Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung - Die älteste TageszeitungDeutschlands.In:Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung, http://www.hildesheimer-allgemeine.de/ueberuns.html, retrieved on:26 March. 2015.

Ghattas, Kamal, Hamdi Alkhshali, and Eve Bower (6 January. 2011). "Syrian Official:'There Is No Crackdown'" CNN InternationalEdition.2,http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/06/25/syria.unrest/. , retrieved on:19March. 2015.

Gillo, Martin(18 Oct. 2013):Flüchtlinge Einbeziehen!.In: Sächsische Zeitung (SZ),Perspektiven:p. 5.

Glatzer, Wolfgang(1992). 13.2 Mass Information. Recent Social Trends in West Germany,1960-1990. Frankfurt Am Main.Germany: Campus Verlag ;p. 403.

Global Media Ethics (2013), Justice and Indian Journalism: Problems and Perspectives.Ed. Stephen J. A. Ward. Chichester: Blackwell,p. 44.

Grüne Fordern Aufnahme Von Syrischen Flüchtlingen (22 August.2012).In: SüddeutscheZeitung, Politik:p.1.

Hagelweide, Gert. Zeitungs-und Zeitschriftentitle-Register. Literatur ZurDeutschsprachigen Presse. Munchen: Saur, 2007.p.52.

101

Hall, Christine (2001). German Newspapers and Magazines.Living & Working inGermany: Settle in Quickly and Get the Most out of Your Stay. 3rd ed. Oxford: HowTo,p.119.

Hauff, Else Bogel (n.d). Eine Leipziger Zeitung Vor 1650.In:International CommunicationGazette. SAGE Journals, n.d..http://gaz.sagepub.com/content/13/3/275.full.pdf+html.August 1967; vol. 13, 3: pp.275~279,retrieved on:26 March. 2015.

Hermann, Rainer (24 November.2014):Mehr Grund, Zu Beten, Als Früher.In: FrankfurterAllgemeine Zeitung, Deutschland Und Die Welt:p.9.

Hildebrand, Kathleen (19. May 2014):Aggressiv Umarmen.In: Süddeutsche Zeitung,Feuilleton:p. 9.

Hintereder, Peter, and Martin Orth (n.d). Strong Economic Hub in the Global Market.In:Facts About Germany, http://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/en/economy/main-content-06/strong-economic-hub-in-the-global-market.html, retrieved on:25 March. 2015.

Hollenstein, Oliver (27 November.2013):Bürokratische Hürden Für Flüchtlinge AusSyrien.In: Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) ,p. 6

Horizontal Online (26 July 2014.). Regionale Tageszeitungen Sind Quelle Nummer 1 FürLokale Neuigkeiten.In: HORIZONT,http://www.horizont.net/medien/nachrichten/-Regionale-Tageszeitungen-sind-Quelle-Nummer-1-fuer-lokale-Neuigkeiten-109020,retrieved on: 9 April. 2015.

Huck, Inga. Wahrnehmungen Und Wahrnehmungsphanomene Im Agenda-Setting-Prozess.Baden-Baden (2009): Nomos, Ed. Fischer,p. 16.

Human Dignity between the Global and the Local.In: Media Ethics beyond Borders: AGlobal Perspective. Ed. Stephen J. A. Ward and Herman Wasserman (2010). New York:Routledge,p. 79.

Human Rights Watch. MIDDLE EAST/N. AFRICA(01 June 2011). We’ve Never SeenSuch Horror Human Rights Watch.http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/syria0611webwcover.pdf2015.p.1, retrievedon:18 March. 2015.

Inquiry Federal Office for Migration and Refugees(27. February 2015).Message to theauthor.E-mail.Büro des Präsidenten Presse/Öffentlichkeitsarbeit Bundesamt für Migrationund Flüchtlinge Frankenstraße 210, 90461 Nürnberg.

Interview with Hélène Flautre, Member of the European Parliament (n.d)." SyrianRefugees, http://syrianrefugees.eu//?page_id=311, retrieved on: 20 March. 2015.

Interview With Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad (31 January.2011).In: The Wall StreetJournal. The Wall StreetJournal

102

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703833204576114712441122894,retrieved on:18March. 2015.

Jaeger, Mona (14 July 2014): Frieden Auf 50 Dreckigen Quadratmetern.In: FrankfurterAllgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), p. 3. Jefferson, Thomas(n.d).Letter XL V III To John Norvel. Memoir, Correspondence, andMiscellanies from the Papers of T. Jefferson. Vol. 3-4. Charlottesville: F. Carr, 1829. P.81. Journalism. 21st Century Communication: A Reference Handbook. Ed. William F.Eadie(2009). Vol. 2. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications,p. 610.

Karasu, Kristina, and Silke Offergeldb (5 April. 2014):Warten Auf Zukunft.In: KölnerStadt-Anzeiger, Flüchtlinge:p. 1.

Keller, Thorsten (27 December.2013).Von Aleppo Nach Achen.In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger,Reportage:p. 16.

Kellogg, Roland T.(2003).Fundementals of Cognition.COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY.Second ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2003.p. 106.

Kheirabadi, Reza, and Ferdows Aghagolzadeh. A Discoursive Review of Galtung andRuge‟s News Factors in Iranian Newspapers | Kheirabadi |Theory and Practice inLanguage Studies. Theoryand Practice in Language Studies. Academy Publisher, 1 May2012, http://ojs.academypublisher.com/index.php/tpls/article/view/tpls0205989994>.,retrieved on: 22 April. 2015.

Kitzinger, Jenny (2007).Framing and Frame Analysis. In: Devereux, Eoin (ed): MediaStudies: Key Issues and Debates. Thousand Oaks: SAGE,p. 134. Klein, Stefan (25 February.2014):Willkommen.In: Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) ,:p. 3.

Klein, Stefan (25 July.2014):Der Schiffbruch.In: Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), Die SeiteDrei:p.3.

Kleinsteuber, Hans J(2007), and Barbara Thomass. The German Media Landscape.In:European Media Governance: National and Regional Dimensions. Ed. Georgios Terzis.Bristol: Intellect, p.111.

Kleinsteuber, Hans J., and Barbara Thomass(n.d). "Media Landscape/ Germany."European Journalism Centre (EJC). http://ejc.net/media_landscapes/germany,retrieved on:26 March. 2015.

Keller, Thorsten (22 March 2014):Viel Spaß,viel Lernen-und Abends GroßesHeimweh.In:Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger,Land/Region:p.8.

Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger.. http://www.dumont.de/medien-services/medien/tageszeitungen/koelner-stadt-anzeiger.html, retrieved on:10 April. 2015.

Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (16 November. 2012).Regierung Will Einfacheres Asyl Für Syrer.,Politik:p.6.

103

Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA) (24 December. 2013):Deutsche Zu Mehr HilfeAufgefordert.In:Politik:p. 8.

Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA) (24 August.2013):Generation Flüchtling , Blick/ThemenDes Tages:p. 2.

Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA) (11 Oct. 2012):Zusatzheim in Neuss Für Flüchtlinge.Region:p. 8.

Kreikebaum, Uli (11 February.2014): Elfjährige Als Dolmetscherin.In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA) , Köln.: p.27.

Krieger, Andrea (9 March.2015). Information about SZ.Message to the author. E-mail.Teamleiter Marktforschung/Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Lamrani, Salim, and Larry R Oberg( 2014). The Ideology Shift of El Pasis. Cuba, theMedia, and the Challenge of Impartiality. New York: Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data, p. 11.

Lee, Jenghoon(2006). Computer-mediated Communication as PoliticalCommunication:Investigating the Agenda Setting Function. Diss. The Florida State U-College of Communication. The Florida State University.http://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2904&context=etd. AccessibilityBias.43,retrieved on:22 April. 2015.

Lesch, David W (2012). Syria: The Fall of the House of Assad. New Haven, Conn.: YaleUP, p. 94.

Leukefeld, Karin(1 May.2011). Syria: A Historical Perspective on the Current Crisis.In:Global Research/ Center for Research on Globalization.http://www.globalresearch.ca/syria-a-historical-perspective-on-the-current-crisis/24568,retrieved on:12 March. 2015.

Lippmann, Walter(1997). The World Outside and the Picture in Our Heads.Public Opinion.New York: Free Paperbacks, p.18.

Littlejohn, Stephen W., and Karen A. Foss (2011). The Media. Theories of HumanCommunication. 10th ed. Long Grove, Ill.: Waveland,p. 343.

Iyengar, Shanto, Mark D. Peters, and Donald R. Kinder (1982). ExperimentalDemonstrations of the "Not-So-Minimal Consequences of Television News Programs.In:The American Political Science Review 76.4: 848-58. Http://www.jstor.org/. TheAmerican Political Science Review,http://www.jstor.org/stable/1962976?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents,retrieved on: 22 April. 2015.

Machin, David, and Sarah Niblock (2006). Humanitarian Reporting. News Production:Theory and Practice. London: Routledge,p.120.

Magazines in the Reading Room (n.d).Goethe Institute Glasgow,http://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/gla/bib/best/zei/enindex.htm,retrieved on:01 April. 2015.

104

Malá, PhDr. Jiřina.Die Zeit Und Frakfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Im Vergleich.InformationSystem Masaryk-University. Masaryk-University,2013,http://is.muni.cz/th/382736/ff_b/Bakalarska_prace_-_Lucie_Sanderova.txt., retrievedon:01 April. 2015.

Marcinkowski, Frank, and Barbara Pfetsch. Power and the News Media: The Press andDemocratic Accountability. In:Politik in Der Mediendemokratie. Sonderhaft 42/2009 ed.Wiesbaden: VS Verlag Fu¨r Sozialwissenschaften / GWV Fachverlage GmbH, Wiesbaden,2009.p.42.

Maurer, Marcus. Agenda-Setting(2010). 1. Aufl. ed. Baden-Baden: Nomos,p. 74.

McQuail, Denis (1998). The European Newspaper Market. In: Media Policy Convergence,Concentration, and Commerce. London: Sage Publications,p. 10.

Mediadaten (May 2015). Sächsische Zeitung-online. http://www.sz-online.de/anzeigen/mediadate n, retrieved on: 8. July 2015.

Mehr Syrische Asylbewerber (17.October 2012).In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung(FAZ), Politik:p. 4.

Mendelsohn, Matthew (1996). The Media and Interpersonal Communications: ThePriming of Issues, Leaders, and Party Identification.In: The Journal of Politics 58.1:pp.112-25.

Mercycorps.org (2015):Quick Facts: What You Need to Know about the SyriaCrisis.https://www.mercycorps.org/articles/turkey-iraq-jordan-lebanon-syria/quick-facts-what-you-need-know-about-syria-crisis,retrieved on:05.March. 2015.

Moursela, Maria, and Christiane Schlötzer (01 March.2014): Ihre LetzteReise.In:Süddeutsche Zeitung, Panorama:p.11.

Mulgan, Geoff. The Process of SocialInnovation.http://www.socialinnovationexchange.org/sites/default/files/event/attachments/INNOV0102_p145162_mulgan.pdf, retrieved on:15 April. 2015.

Münchener Zeitung (24 October. 2012).Historisches Lexikon Bayerns,http://www.historisches-lexikon-bayerns.de/artikel/artikel_45865,retrieved on:08 April.2015.

Mundus, Jana (19 September. 2013):Mit Dem Kopf in Syrien.In: Sächsische Zeitung (SZ),Lokales sec:p. 17.

Naughton, Leonie(2002). That Was the Wild East: Film Culture, Unification, and the newGermany. Ann Arbor: U of Michigan, pp.3-8.

Naylor, Hugh (12 November. 2014. ). Some Alawites Are Beginning to Question TheirSupport for Syria's Assad.In: Washington Post. The Washington Post, retrieved on:22March. 2015. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/some-alawites-are-beginning-to-

105

question-their-support-for-syrias-assad/2014/11/11/ee302b0c-aac0-4f17-a220-cddcd49b52db_story.html,retrieved on: 22 March.2015.

Nearly 93,000 People Killed in 'vicious' Syria Conflict (13 June,2013) – UN HumanRights Chief." UN News Center. UN, http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=45162#.VQsKD1WG_0E, retrieved on:19 March. 2015.Neudeck, Rupert (9 October.2012):Eine Quote Für Syrische Flüchtlinge!.In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, Meinung:p. 4. News Values. - Owen Spencer-Thomas. Owen Spencer-Thomas(31 March.2005),http://www.owenspencer-thomas.com/journalism/newsvalues,retrieved on: 23 April. 2015.

Nicholson, Matthew (2007).Working the Beat: Sport Media Production.In: Sport and theMedia: Managing the Nexus.Oxford: Elsevier, p.109.

Nicholas, Joe, and John Price (1998). NEWS:PRESENTATION AND EFFECTS.Advanced Studies in Media. Walton-on-Thames: Nelson, p. 104

Nner, Andreas. Jazz in Der Weimarer Republik..Zwischen Imitation Und Eigenstandigkeit:Jazz in Der Weimarer Republik. Berlin: Epubli GmbH, 2011.p.51.

Number of Readers of Regional Daily Newspapers in Germany from 2012 to 2014, byMode of Purchase (in Million People).In: Statista. Statista,( n.d.)http://www.statista.com/statistics/382230/regional-newspapers-subscription-vs-purchase-germany/,retrieved on:09 April. 2015.

Nazhmidinova, Rukhshona (18 September.2012): English Language Newspapers inGermany. In: European Journalism Observatory.http://en.ejo.ch/media-economics/handelsblatt-global-english-language-newspapers-germany, retrieved on 7 July2015.

Number of Syrian Refugees in Neighbouring Countries Has Tripled in Three Months –UN.United Nations News Center. United Nations, n.d. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=43187#.VYWjtEYY2a8, retrieved on:19 March. 2015.

Orbach, Benjamin, and David Schenker (5 Mar. 1999). The Rise of Bashar Al-Asad.In:POLICY ANALYSIS. The Washington Institute for Near EastPolicy,http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/the-rise-of-bashar-al-asad,retrieved on:05 March. 2015.

Pasquay, Anja(23 Nov. 2012.). The Economic Situation of Newspapers in Germany2012.In: BDZV: Bundesverband Deutscher Zeitungsverleger E.V, http://www.bdzv.de/maerkte-und-daten/ wirtschaftliche-lage /artikel/detail/the_economic_situation_of_newspapers_in_germany_2012/,retrieved on:09 April.2015.

Perse, Elizabeth M (2001). Introduction. Media Effects and Society. Mahwah, NJ: L.Erlbaum Associates, p. 3.

Personal interviews with Syrian Alawites in Friedland. December. 2014.

106

Peters, Freia (4 September. 2014.). Immer Mehr Asylbewerber Bekommen Geld VomStaat. DIE WELT. Die Welt, http://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article131919754/Immer-mehr-Asylbewerber-bekommen-Geld-vom-Staat.html, retrieved on:24 March. 2015.

Pluwatsch, Peter (29.May 2014):Träume Sind Stärker Als Tyrannen.In:Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, Kultur (KSTA):p.24.

Pluwatsch, Petra (20 December.2014).Zuflucht Im Fachwerkhaus.In:Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger(KSTA) , Region:p. 8.

Pluwatsch, Petra (19 October.2012): Von Homs Nach Hemer.In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger(KSTA), Reportage:p.8

POLK, WILLIAM R(10 December.2013 ).Understanding Syria: From Pre-Civil War toPost-Assad.In: The Atlantic. http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/12/understanding-syria-from-pre-civil-war-to-post-assad/281989/, retrieved on:17 March.2015.

Presidency:2000-Present (2012). Syria Country Study Guide Strategic Information andDevelopments. Vol. 1. Intl Business Pubns USA,p 48.

Preuss, Roland (15 May 2014):Deutsche Hilfe Für Syrer.In: Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ),Politik:p. 8.

Preuß, Roland (26.October 2011). Weit Weg Vom Folterknast:In:Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ),Politik: p.6.

Price, Megan, Anita Gohdes, and Patrick Ball. Updated Statistical Analysis ofDocumentation of Killings in the Syrian Arab Republic. Rep. no. Third.: UN, n.d. HumanRights Data Analysis Group.http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/SY/HRDAGUpdatedReportAug2014.pdf,retrieved on:19 March. 2015.

Refugees.In:The United Nations Human RightsCouncil,http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c125.html,retrieved on:11 March. 2015.

Rehm, Dr. Phil Margarete(n.d). Die Geschichte Der Zeitungen in Deutschland.In:Geschenkzeitung.de,Teil 4/Fortschritte der Drucktechnik im 19.Jahrhundert,http://www.geschenkzeitung.de/popups/geschi4.htm.retrieved on:28 March.2015.

Reichweite: Wie Viele Personen Lesen Täglich Die F.A.Z.? Frankfurter AllgemeineMEDIAPORTAL. F.A.Z, 1 Aug.ust 2012.http://verlag.faz.net/mediaportal/f-a-z/auflagen-reichweiten/reichweite-wie-viele-personen-lesen-taeglich-die-f-a-z-11862931.html..retrieved on:06 April. 2015.

107

Resettlement. European Council on Refugees and Exiles. http://www.ecre.org/topics/areas-of-work/resettlement.html, retrieved on:11 March.2015.

Repression of Kurdish Political and Cultural Rights in Syria.In: Group Denial (2009): 14.Human RightsWatch.HumanRightsWatch..http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/syria1109webwcover_0.pdf,retrieved on:17 March.2015.

Richter, Frank (20 August. 2014):Wie Viele Asylbewerber Können Wir Aufnehmen?.Sächsische Zeitung (SZ) , Dresden Politik:p. 4.

Rodgers, Lucy, David Gritten, James Offer, and Patrick Asare(12 March. 2015). Syria:The Story of the Conflict. BBC News/ Middle East. BBC,http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26116868, retrieved on:11 February. 2015.

Rubin, Barry M(2007). Surviving the 1990s.In: The Truth about Syria. New York, N.Y.:Palgrave Macmillan, p.102.

Rum, Emma(2014). Political Developments in Post-independence Syria.In:Beyond Syria'sBorders: A History of Territorial Disputes in the Middle East. New York: I.B. Tauris & Co,pp 28-29.

Roberts, Chris(2011). Truth and Deception.Doing Ethics in Media. Madison: Routledge,p.200.

Sächsische Zeitung (SZ) (21 August. 2012):Flüchtlingsfamilie Aus Syrien Reist MitFalschen Visa Ein. Politik:p. 6.

Sächsische Zeitung (SZ) (27 December. 2014):Syrische Familie Erhält Morddrohung,Lokal:p. 15.

Sächsische Zeitung (SZ) (11 November. 2013):Tillich Gibt Fehler Bei Asylpolitik inSachsen Zu.,p.1.

Sächsische Zeitung (SZ) (10 December. 2013):Sachsen Nimmt Mehr SyrischeKriegsflüchtlinge, p.1.

Saft, Gunna (11 September. 2013):Ankunft Aus Dem Kriegsgebiet.In: Sächsische Zeitung(SZ).:p. 6.

Sands, Phil, Justin Vela, and Suha Maayeh (17. March 2014). The Man Who Ignited theSyrian Revolution. In:The National.,http://www.thenational.ae/world/syria/the-man-who-ignited-the-syrian-revolution, retrieved on:18 March. 2015.

Sattar, Majid (25 April.2013):Wir Müssen Uns Auf Massenevakuierungen Vorbereiten.In:Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Politik:p.6.

Sass, Erik (02 March.2014). World War I Centennial: German Newspapers Beat the WarDrums.In:Mental Floss Magazine,http://mentalfloss.com/article/55354/world-war-i-centennial-german-newspapers-beat-war-drums,retrieved on: 28 March. 2015.

108

Schröder, Thomas. Aviso Und Relation. Die Ersten Zeitungen: Textgestaltung UndNachrichtenauswahl. Tubingen: G. Narr, 1995.pp. 26-27.

Schöltzer, Christiane (28 April.2014):''Endstation Stacheldraht.'' Süddeutsche Zeitung:p.3.Schultz, Stefan, Vanessa Steinmetz, and Christian Teevs(26 July.2013). Sell-Off:Newspaper Giant Turns Back on Journalism.(n.d).Spiegel Online,http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/axel-springer-sells-off-clutch-of-newspapers-and-magazines-a-913296.html,retrieved on:31 March. 2015.

Shoemaker, Pamela J., and Tim P. Vos. (2009).The Gatekeeping Process.GatekeepingTheory. New York: Routledge,p. 22.

Scheufele, Dietram A., and David Tewksbury(2007). Framing, Agenda Setting, andPriming: The Evolution of Three Media Effects Models.In: Journal of Communication57.021-9916: 11. https://www.google.de/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCcQFjAA&url=http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dietram_Scheufele/publication/224818478_Framing_agenda_setting_and_priming_The_evolution_of_three_media_effects_models/links/0fcfd510e9ad484efc000000.pdf&ei=LnE3VdGRJYLmywPWn4GwCQ&usg=AFQjCNERJTg_L0Vxom2uHsXw1xv0jPJg_w,retrieved on:22 April. 2015.

Schmidt, Mogens (2007). Expanding Press Freedom. (Ed.) James, Barry; World PressFreedom Committee; World Association Of Newspapers. New Media: The Press FreedomDimension:pp. 6-9. Paris:UNESCO.http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001520/152017e.pdf,retrieved on: 6 May. 2015.

Schwar, Andreas (14 November. 2013):Endstation Abschiebung.In: Sächsische Zeitung(SZ) , Seite Drei:p. 3.

Simmons, Steven J(1978). The FFC's Personal Attack and Political Editorial RulesReconsidered. The Fairness Doctrine and the Media. Berkeley: U of California,p. 90.

Singh, Robert. Pluralism and Its Critique(2003): Governing America: The Politics of aDivided Democracy. Oxford: Oxford UP,p. 232.

SMITH, ADAM (15 November.2002). EUROPEAN NEWSPAPERS.In: EUROPE'S TOPPAPERS. Campaign. http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/news/164161/,retrieved on:08 April. 2015.Solsten, Eric(1996). The Mass Media. Germany: A Country Study. 3rd ed. Washington,DC: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress ;p. 398.

Solomon, Erika(29 Mar. 2012). Islamists Find Foothold in Syria Revolt.In: Reuters.Thomson Reuters,. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/29/us-syria-islamists-idUSBRE82S0O120120329,retrieved on:22 March. 2015.

Spyer, Jonathan. Defying a Dictator: Meet the Free Syrian Army (May-June 2012).In:World Affairs Journal. N.p. http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/article/defying-dictator-meet-free-syrian-army, retrieved on:18 March. 2015.

Staib, Julian. Die Ersten Schritte (1 October.2013).In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung(FAZ), Politik:p.4.

109

Sterling, Christopher H(2009). German Journalism in the Twenty-First Century.In:Encyclopedia of Journalism. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Reference,p.669. 178-Stock, Jörg (6 August. 2013):Zwischen Hölle Und Paradies.In: Sächsische Zeitung,Politik:p.6.

Süddeutscher Verla EFLOWTM Sorgt Für Schlagzeilen. Ecm-lounge. Top Image SystemsDeutschland GmbH, 08 Feb. 2012.http://www.ecmlounge.com/files/2012/08/case_studies/TIS/eFLOW_SV_German.pdf. CaseStudy,retrieved on:01 April. 2015.

Süddeutsche Zeitung(n.d). Deutsche Medien Einfluss Der Deutschen Presse. MedienEinfluss, http://medieneinfluss.com/sdz/md /,retrieved on:09 April. 2015.

Süddeutschen Zeitung.Marken Und Imagewerbung. http://sz-media.sueddeutsche.de/de/sueddeutsche-zeitung/uebersicht-markenwerbung.html, retrieved on: 8. May2015.

Syria Regional Refugee Response (18 March. 2015). AFAD, UNHCR. UNHCRRegistration, http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php, retrieved on:19 March.2015.

Syria. Country Studies(1 January.1987). Ed. Thomas Collelo. The Federal ResearchDivision of the Library of Congress, http://countrystudies.us/syria/20.htm, retrieved on:15March. 2015.

Sjurts, Insa(2005). Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Strategien in Der Medienbranche:Grundlagen Und Fallbeispiele. 3., Uberarb. Und Erw. Aufl. ed. Wiesbaden: Gabler, pp.54-55.

SZ Im Überblick (21 May 2010.) – Das Streiflicht.Süddeutsche Zeitung,http://www.sueddeutsche.de/verlag/sz-im-ueberblick-das-streiflicht-1.569223,retrieved on:08 April.2015.

The UN Refugee Agency.(2014):UNHCR Urges Europe to Do More for SyrianRefugees.http://www.unhcr.org/53bfa7719.html,retrieved on:03.Mar.ch 2015.Theile, Charlotte (21 September.2013):Im Land Der Teuren Führerschein.In: SüddeutscheZeitung(SZ).p. 11.

Theile, Charlotte (12 August.2013): 5000 Mal Hoffnung.In: Süddeutsche Zeitung, (SZ)p.6.

The Media Authorities(n.d.).In: Die Medienanstalten:Profile. Die Medienanstalten,http://www.die-medienanstalten.de/en/profile.html,retrieved on:26 March. 2015.

The Media Landscape in Germany(n.d).Euro|topics. Bundeszentrale Für PolitischeBildung,http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/medienlandschaft/deutschlandmdn/, retrievedon:26 March. 2015.

110

The Media in the German Speaking Countries.In: Online Resources. The University ofChicago|Department of Germanic Studies. H ttps://german.uchicago.edu/links/media,retrieved on: 5 July 2015.

The Press (n.d.)- a Wide Range of Newspapers. Facts about Germany: The Press,http://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/en/culture-and-media/main-content-09/the-press.html,retrieved on:03 April. 2015.

The Gangs of Syria.In: Harvard University/ Institute of Politics. Harvard IOP 2015 ThePresident and Fellows of Harvard College.. http://www.iop.harvard.edu/gangs-syria, retrievedon:03 March. 2015.

The Utopia of Independent Media (2015): Indpendence, Working with Freedom andWorking for Free. Media Independence|Working with Freedom or Working for Free? Ed.James Bennett and Niki Strange. New York: Routledge, p 9.

THE WORLD FACTBOOK/SYRIA (20 June.2014). Central IntelligenceAgency.https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sy.html, retrieved on:12March. 2015.

Trueman, Chris(April. 2014.). Newspapers in Nazi Germany. History Learning Site,http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/newspapers_nazi_germany.htm, retrieved on: 25 March. 2015.

Tutt, Heinz ( 29 August. 2012):Zu Wenig Platz Für Asylbewerber.In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (KSTA):p.8.

Your Inquiry Federal Office for Migration and Refugees(08 Jan. 2015).. Message to theauthor. E-mail. Büro des Präsidenten Presse/Öffentlichkeitsarbeit Bundesamt fürMigration und Flüchtlinge.

Your Inquiry Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (09.January 2015).Message to theauthor. E-mail. Büro des Präsidenten Presse/Öffentlichkeitsarbeit Bundesamt für Migrationund Flüchtlinge Frankenstraße 210, 90461 Nürnberg.

Your Inquiry Federal Office for Migration and Refugees(12 January. 2015).. Message tothe author. E-mail. Büro des Präsidenten Presse/Öffentlichkeitsarbeit Bundesamt fürMigration und Flüchtlinge.

Von Pufendorf, Astrid (1997). Nachkriegszeit-die Deutsche Chance. Otto Klepper (1888-1957): Deutscher Patriot Und Weltburger. Munchen: R. Oldenbourg, p.254..

Wacker, John. A Definition of Theory: Research Guidelines for Different Theory-buildingResearch Methods in Operations Management.In: Journal of Operations Management16.4:PP.361-85. ScienceDirect. ElsevierB.V,http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272696398000199,retrieved on:15 April. 2015.

Ward, Stephen J. A (2010).The Ethical Sphere.In: Global Journalism Ethics. Montreal &Kingston: McGill-Queen's UP, p. 14.

111

Weber, Johannes( 2006.). Strassburg, 1605: The Origins of the Newspaper in Europe.German History 24.3 (2006). German History. Oxford Journals,http://gh.oxfordjournals.org/content/24/3/387.full.pdf:pp. 387-412, retrieved on:25 March.2015.

Weller, Andreas (17 January.2014):Neue Heimat Dresden.In: Sächsische Zeitung,(SZ):p.17.

White, Benjamin Thomas(2011). Divide and Rule: But on What Grounds?In: TheEmergence of Minorities in the Middle East the Politics of Community in French MandateSyria. Vol. Part 1. Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP,p.46. Why Germany (24 February. 2015). Personal interview. Illegal workers tend to be in smallshops run by other Syrians or Arabs.

Why Germany (December. 2014).Personal interview. Illegal flight from Lebanon toVenezuela with a transit stop at Frankfurt International Airport.

Wiedl, Kathrin Nina (2007):The Hama Massacre - Reasons, Supporters of the Rebellion,Consequences. Munchen: GRIN Verlag, p.3.

Wir Lassen Die Flüchtlinge Aus Syrien Nicht Allein (29 October.2014).In: FrankfurterAllgemeine Zeitung, (FAZ):p. 5.

Woeltert, Franziska/Reiner Klingholz (2014). WER LEBT BEI UND MIT UNS INDEUTSCHLAND? In: Neue Potenziale Zur Lage Der Integration in Deutschland. Berlin:Berlin Institut F. Bevolkerung U. Entwicklung /Berlin Institute for Population andDevelopment, p. 25.

Zeitungsgeschichte Von Den Anfängen Bis Heute. In: BADISCHES-TAGBLATT.DE.Badisches-Tagblatt.de. http://www.badisches-tagblatt.de/UnternehmenKleineZeitungskunde/00_20120717145002_101957770-Zeitungsgeschichte-von-den-Anfaengen-bis-heute.html, retrieved on: 6 July. 2015.

Zerki, Sonja (31 May 2014):Die Große Assad-Show.In: Süddeutsche Zeitung, (SZ):p.7.

Ziadeh, Radwan.The Kurds in Syria. Special Report. New York: United States Institute ofPeace, n.d..http://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/kurdsinsyria.pdf, retrieved on:17 March.2015.

Ziadeh, Radwan ( 1 August.2011). The Syrian Revolution.In: The Role of EmergingLeaders. In: Middle East Institute. Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies,http://www.mei.edu/content/syrian-revolution-role-emerging-leaders, retrieved on:18March. 2015.

Zlatev, Ognian (2011). Media Accountability Systems (MAS) and Their Applications inSouth East Europe and Turkey.In: Professional Journalism and Self-Regulation. Paris:UNESCO,p.p: 16-19.http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/CI/CI/pdf/media_standards/Professional+Journalism+and+Self-Regulation.pdf, retrieved on: 7 May. 2015.

112

Appendix

Nr.1: Category system of the codebook

Nr.2: Interviews

Nr.3: Correspondence

Nr.4 Overview of articles

Nr.5 Declaration

113

1 Category system of the codebook

Variables, categories and their identifiers

V01 Medium

1=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ)

2=Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ1)

3=Kölner Stadt Anzeiger (KSTA)

4-=Sächsische Zeitung (SZ2)

V02 Date of publication

DD.MM.YYYY e.g. 01.12.2013

V03 Timeframe

The division is made by the year according to the political situation in Syria. For examplethe period from 15.03.2011 is the date of the beginning of the conflict in Syria. It isabbreviated to (Y1-2011)

1-Beginning of the conflict in Syria=Y1 2011.

2-Syrian conflict expands and frequent attacks on civilians forced people to flee=Y2 2012.

3-The appearance of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) intensifies conflicts in MiddleEast= Y3 2013.

4-The continuous violence turns into sectarian war and leads to increase in numbers ofSyrian refugees/asylum seekers in the world= Y4 2014.

V04 Page number

The number of the page the article is found on.

V05 Length of the article

1=0-300 Words

2=301-600 Words

3=601-900 Words

4=901-1200 Words

5=1201 and more

V06 Size of the article

1=Cover page

2=Full page

3=Several pages

4=Half page

5=Quarter page

6=1/8 Page

7=1/16

Note: If the article is not clear in one corner, then the allocation goes by the bigger part ofthe article. Variable (2) is marked if the article takes visually over half of the page.

114

V07 Genre

1=News

2=Report

3=Reportage/panorama

4=Interview/portrait

5=Commentary/opinion

6=Feuilleton

7=Editorial

8=Reader's Letter

9=Front page

10=Politics

11=Culture

12=Economy

13=Local news

14=Foreig news

15=Sport

16=Art/feature/review

17=Other/not defined

Note: If the article could be allocated by the content in two categories, the allocation stillfollows how the newsroom has placed the article. For instance, mainly culture story foundin political page vice verse would be noted according the newsroom's allocation. Theallocation shows to some extent the significance of the news. The vairables (1) and (2)stand for hard news and facts. If the genere is not clear than the article is set as other/notdefined (17)

Presentation/Visualization

V08 Is there a photo?

1=No photo/no visualization

2=Small photo (ca.7x4) in (continous text)

3= Big photo (ca.14x8) as (header)

4= More than one photo (header and small photo) in continous text

5=Other visualization: caricature

6=Other visualization: graphic

115

V09 If there is a photo, what is illustrated?

Many answers are possible.

1=Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany

2=Syrian refugees/asylum seekers outside Germany in (Middle East, Africa, Europe)

3=German politicians with Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany

4=German politicians with Syrian refugees/asylum seekers outside Germany in (Middle East, Africa, Europe)

5=German citizens with Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany

6= German citizens with Syrian refugees/asylum seekers outside Germany in (Middle East, Africa, Europe)

7=Syrian conflict

8=Syrian cities

9=German cities

10=Refugee camps/non-Syrian refugees-asylum seekers

11Others

12= No illustration

Note: Concerning the Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, there are articles onrefugees/asylum seekers in Germany and Syrian refugees/asylum seeekrs are mentioned inthe context of the article. Here the variable number (1) will be assigned to the photodescription.

V10 If there is a photo, how is it aligned?

1= Pro Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

2= Contra Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

3= Pro German effort toward Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

4= Contra German effort toward Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

5=Neutral photo/not explicitly recognized

6= No photo/no graphic/non-alignment

Note: As pro Syrian refugee/asylum seekers, it describes the vulnerable situation of Syrianrefugees/asylum seekers in order to shed lights on the size of the humanitarian crisis andraise sympathy for them among readers.

V11 The caption of the photo

Multiple answers are possible

1=Quotation from Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

2=Quotation from German governement/politicians

3=Quotation from German citizens

4=Facts/data/reference to circumstances of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

5=Number of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

116

6=Syrian conflict

7=The citation describes the photo

8=Commenting citation (evaluation is included)

9= Not recognizable/other

10= No citation/no caption

Note: Variable (6) menas that the citation is associated with the Syrian war and its effecton civilians who have become refugees/asylum seekers and variable (8) means that theeditorial board commenting or evaluating the situation.

HeadlinesV12 Concepts in the headlines

1=Syrian Refugees/asylum seekers

2=Syria/Syrian

3=Germany

4=Support for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

5=Protest/demonstration

6=Arguments/debate

7=Syrian humanitarian crisis /Syrian conflict

8=Victims/civilians

9=Injuries/damage

10=Syrian politicians

11=German humanitarian aids/German effort toward Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

12=German government/politicians

13=Danger/dangerous areas/refugee inhabited areas/refugee camps

14=Refugees/asylum seekers (non-Syrian refugees/asylum seekers)

15=Others

V13 Does the headline include a quotation?

1=Yes

2=No

V14 If yes, who is quoted?

1=Syrian refugee/asylum seeker/Syrian citizen

2=German gouvernement/politician

3=German citizen

4=German activist

5=Others

6=No quotation

117

Note: Variable (4) means an activist who is supporting refugees in general and Syrianrefugees/asylum seekers in particular.

V15 The tone of the headline

1=Pro Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

2=Contra Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

3=Pro German effort toward Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

4=Contra German effort toward Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

5=Neutral/not explicitly recognized

Note: Variable (1) is considered when the headline is sympathetic toward Syrians ingeneral and Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in particular. Whereas, the variable (2) isapplicable when the headline is against Syrian refugees/asylum seekers or criticizingGermany for hosting Syrian refugees/asylum seekers.

Orientation/Inclination of the Article

In which form Syrian refugees/asylum seekers are presneted to the reader?

V16 Which actors are taken into consideration?

Many answers are possible.

1=Syrian refugee/asylum seeker/Syrian citizen

2=German government/politician

3=German citizen/employee/employer/aid worker

4=German activist/volunteer/German supporter

5=Both German government and Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

6=Others

V17 How is the German support for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers described?

1=Positive

2=Negative

3=Neutral

4=Other/unrecognizable

5=Not mentioned

Note: Under the variable (1) comes concepts how German government is engaged withSyrian refugees/asylum seekers and how Germany offers them humanitarian support.Variable (2) comes the critics against German effort toward Syrian refugees/asylumseekers in a way that calling for stopping hosting them or limiting the support.

V18 How Syrian refugees/asylum seekers are described?

1=Positive

2=Negative

118

3=Neutral

4=Other/unrecognizable

5=Not described

Note: As positive description certain terms are used to introduce Syrian refugees/asylumseekers to the reader. For example, positive-deutlich mehr syrische Flüchtlinge zu nehmen-and-Diese Zahl sind allerdings sehr gering-variable (2) negative terms come in the contextnegatively for instance-Wirtschaftsmigration and Keine Neuankömmlinge mehraufzunehmen.

19 V Are the reasons behind the Syrian humanitarian crisis mentioned?

1=Yes

2=No

20 If yes, on which position?

1=1.Third of the article

2=2.Third of the article

3=3.Third of the article

4=No reasons are mentioned.

V21 Favorability of the article

Favorability of the articles toward Syrian refugees/ asylum seekers

1= favorable: no critique, only favorable description, facts or characterisation arepresented.

2= Slightly favorable: some critiques, slight favorable description, facts, examples arepresented.

3= Neutral: both favorable and unfavorable information (description, facts, information),the tendcy of the article is not clear manifisted.

4= Slightly unfavorable: predominantly unfavorable description, characterization or factsare presented.

5=Unfavorable: only unfavorable description, characterization or facts presented.

6=Emotional wording/sympathetic language

7= Other/no Favorability

Note: Facts, characterisation, and description tend to refelct a tone in the article choseneither by the journalist or the source. This point gives the topic certain connotation. In casethe article calls for more support for Syrian refugees/asylum seekers, it is considered as afavorable article. On the other hand, shedding the light on the accomodation and theproblem that Syrian refugees/asylum seekers have casued can be consided clearly as anegative point. The evaluation is based on the tone of the whole article. The variable (1)and (2) and (4) (5) are to be chosen only if a clear tendency is visible. In case of doubtvariable (3) will be assigned.

119

V22 Main character in the article

1= Syrian refugee/asylum seeker in Germany

2= Syrian Refugee/asylum seeker outside Germany

3= Refugees in general

4= Germans supporting Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

5= German employees/employers

6= German volunteers/NGO's workers

7= German politicians/parliament members

8= Neighbors/local residents

9=Children/pupils

10=Youngsters/students

11= Other/unrecognizable

CitationV23 Who is quoted in the article (direct and indirect citation)Many answers are possible

1=Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany

2=Syrian refugees/asylum seekers outside Germany in (Middle East, Africa, Europe)

3=German politicians with Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany

4=German politicians with Syrian refugees/asylum seekers outside Germany in (MiddleEast, Africa, Europe)

5=German citizens with Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany

6= German citizens with Syrian refugees/asylum seekers outside Germany in (MiddleEast, Africa, Europe)

7=German activist/neighbours/employee/employer

8=Others

9=No citation

Note: When German politicians with other politicians talk about the Syrian crisis and theneed for urgent actions for stopping the humanitarian crisis variable (3) is applicable here.When German politicians with other politicians outside German holding meeting anddiscussing the Syrian humanitarian crisis variable (4) is applicable here.

120

V24 Art of the citationMany possible answers

1=Pro Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

2=Contra Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

3= Pro German effort toward Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

4= Contra German effort toward Syrian refugees/asylum seekers

5=Neutral citation

6= Not recognized

Note: The understanding of the selected text depends on the linguistic skills of thedecoder. In case, the language is not clear or ambiguous the text is passed to the seconddecoder-German native speaker-to avoid any misunderstanding.

V25 Which resources (data and numbers) the citation relies on?Many possible answers

1=Syrian refugees and asylum seekers/ activists/German Syrian/

2=Residents/civilians

3=German/govermental organizations/German authorities/NGOs

4= Government/senate/mayor

5=Politician/parlament member

6=News agencies/journalistic sources

7=Other resources

8=No resources are mentioned

Note: The category focuses on the figures of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers in Germany, for instance, how many Syrians apply for an asylum in Germany? Where are the refugees/asylum seekers based? What are the concrete numbers of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers/housing units in certain region.

Language and Argumentation

Which factors are quoted and in what manners?

Note: in this case, the citation must be evaluated how is it introduced to the reader. Is it re-written by the author? For instance:-Ein Syrer sagt-, is the citation has been exaggerated orcompressed in unemotional/emotional language?-Ein Flüchtling empört sich.

V26 How the Statements of Syrian refugees/asylum seekers are formulated?

1=Positive (promising, recommending, hoping, wishing, praising)

2=Negative (threatening, criticizing, angry, forbid)

3=Neutral (reporting, saying, announcing, meaning, believing)

4=Not quoted

Note: here should the prevailing impression be evaluated. If the embodiment is not clear,variable (4) is chosen.

121

V27 How the statements of German government/politicians are formulated?

1=Positive (promising, recommending, hoping, wishing, praising)

2=Negative (threatening, criticizing, angry, forbid)

3=Neutral (reporting, saying, announcing, meaning, believing)

4=Not quoted

Note:Here should the prevailing impression be evaluated. If the embodiment is not clear,variable (4) is chosen.

122

1.1 Decoded articles from national newspapers

V 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

1 2 26.10.11 1 6 3 5 10 6 11 10 7 10 2 6 5 1 5 5 1 2 1 1 1 6 7 3 4

2 2 22.08.2012 2 1 2 5 10 1 12 6 10 4 2 6 1 2 3 5 1 3 1 7 9 1 4 4 3

3 1 05.09.2012 2 6 3 4 10 2 11 5 7 6 2 6 5 2 3 5 2 4 1 7 3 1 3 4 1

4 2 05.09.2012 2 9 2 6 10 1 11 6 10 2 2 6 5 2 3 5 1 3 1 7 2 1 7 4 1

5 1 17.10.2012 2 4 3 7 10 1 11 6 10 1 1 2 1 2 5 5 2 4 3 7 4 1 3 4 1

6 1 31.10.2012 2 2 2 3 10 1 11 6 10 2 2 6 5 5 3 5 2 3 3 11 3 3 4 4 3

7 2 12.11.2012 2 6 4 4 10 3 2 5 8 14 2 6 5 2 5 5 2 4 7 7 3 5 4 3 3

8 1 25.08.2012 2 5 2 6 10 1 12 6 10 12 1 2 4 2 3 3 2 4 1 7 3 1 5 4 3

9 1 28.08.2012 2 1 3 3 1 1 12 6 10 2 1 5 5 2 1 5 2 4 1 7 3 1 4 4 3

10 1 30.01.2013 3 1 2 3 14 1 12 6 10 1 1 2 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 7 3 1 5 3 1

11 1 16.04.2013 3 5 2 7 10 1 12 6 10 10 1 5 5 2 1 5 2 4 1 7 8 5 4 4 3

12 1 25.04.2013 3 6 3 5 10 6 5 7 13 1 5 5 5 5 1 5 2 4 1 11 8 1 7 4 4

13 2 03.05.2013 3 8 4 5 10 3 2 1 4 8 2 6 1 1 2 3 1 1 1 2 2 5 7 3 1

14 2 12.08.2013 3 6 4 5 10 1 12 6 10 1 2 6 1 4 1 3 1 3 1 4 7 1 7 3 1

15 2 04.09.2013 3 7 2 5 10 3 2 5 4 10 2 6 5 5 3 4 1 2 3 11 3 1 7 2 3

16 1 12.09.2013 3 6 2 7 10 2 1 5 4 4 2 6 5 5 1 3 2 4 1 1 3 1 7 4 3

17 2 21.09.2013 3 11 4 5 3 3 1 1 1 2 2 6 5 5 1 1 2 4 3 1 1 1 7 1 3

18 1 01.10.2013 3 4 5 4 10 3 1 1 7 4 2 6 1 5 1 3 2 4 2 1 1 1 1 1 3

19 2 08.10.2013 3 9 2 6 10 1 12 6 10 2 2 6 1 2 3 5 1 1 1 7 3 1 5 4 3

20 1 12.10.2013 3 6 3 6 10 2 11 1 4 1 2 6 5 1 5 3 1 2 1 2 9 6 7 4 4

21 2 27.11.2013 3 6 2 7 10 1 12 6 10 1 2 6 1 5 3 5 2 4 7 11 3 5 7 4 3

22 1 20.12.2013 3 5 5 4 10 4 2 1 7 1 2 6 5 1 3 1 1 1 3 2 2 1 7 2 4

23 2 27.12.2013 3 5 3 4 10 2 3 3 8 4 2 6 1 1 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 5 3 2 4

24 2 31.01.2014 4 2 4 4 7 3 2 1 1 7 2 6 1 1 3 3 1 1 3 7 4 6 7 4 1

25 1 25.02.2014 4 3 5 4 4 4 1 1 1 1 2 6 1 1 1 1 2 4 1 1 1 1 8 1 4

26 2 01.03.2014 4 11 4 4 3 3 2 1 7 1 2 6 1 1 3 3 1 1 1 2 2 5 8 3 4

27 2 14.03.2014 4 10 2 7 3 2 2 1 1 1 2 6 5 1 1 3 2 4 1 1 2 1 8 3 4

28 2 28.04.2014 4 7 3 5 10 3 4 3 7 12 2 6 5 2 3 4 1 3 7 7 4 5 8 4 1

29 2 15.05.2014 4 8 2 7 10 1 12 6 10 1 2 6 1 2 3 5 2 4 1 7 4 1 7 4 1

30 2 17.05.2014 4 14 5 4 6 5 11 5 9 15 2 6 5 1 3 5 2 4 1 9 8 5 8 4 4

31 2 19.05.2014 4 9 5 4 6 2 11 4 8 6 2 6 4 2 2 5 2 4 7 7 8 4 8 3 3

32 2 31.05.2014 4 6 3 4 10 1 12 6 10 2 2 6 5 6 3 5 1 1 7 11 3 1 6 4 1

33 2 12.06.2014 4 6 2 7 10 1 11 6 10 1 1 2 1 2 1 5 2 4 1 7 3 1 7 4 1

34 1 14.07.2014 4 4 5 4 10 3 1 5 7 15 2 6 3 5 3 3 1 1 4 8 5 5 8 3 3

35 1 18.07.2014 4 7 3 6 17 4 2 5 4 4 2 6 5 4 1 5 2 4 3 4 7 5 8 4 4

36 1 19.07.2014 4 4 2 6 10 1 12 6 10 14 2 6 2 2 5 5 2 4 5 7 3 5 3 4 3

37 2 25.07.2014 4 3 5 4 4 4 10 5 8 2 2 6 1 1 5 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 8 1 4

38 1 29.10.2014 4 5 3 4 10 4 3 5 8 1 1 5 1 2 1 5 2 4 7 7 3 5 4 4 3

123

39 1 24.11.2014 4 9 4 5 14 4 8 5 7 4 2 6 1 1 5 5 1 1 7 11 8 5 2 3 4

124

1.2 Decoded articles from regional newspapers

V 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

1 3 21.07.2012 2 15 5 2 3 4 11 5 7 7 2 6 5 1 5 5 1 3 7 2 2 6 6 3 4

2 4 21.08.2012 2 6 3 6 13 1 12 6 10 1 2 6 5 1 5 5 1 2 7 1 9 7 8 4 4

3 3 29.08.2012 2 8 3 5 13 1 12 6 10 6 2 6 2 4 3 5 2 4 2 5 7 2 3 4 4

4 3 6/7.10.2012 2 6 2 5 10 2 11 5 7 1 2 6 1 6 3 5 2 4 7 11 3 1 8 4 1

5 3 09.10.2012 2 4 2 5 5 2 11 5 9 1 2 6 1 4 3 1 2 4 1 4 4 1 8 3 4

6 3 11.10.2012 2 8 1 7 13 1 12 6 10 14 2 6 5 6 5 5 2 4 7 11 9 7 8 4 4

7 3 29.10.2012 2 8 5 1 3 4 10 5 7 14 2 6 5 4 5 5 2 4 7 5 7 7 3 4 4

8 3 12.10.2012 2 26 2 5 13 1 12 6 10 14 2 6 5 4 5 5 2 4 7 5 7 5 3 4 4

9 3 16.11.2012 2 6 1 6 10 1 12 6 10 1 2 6 1 1 3 5 2 4 7 7 9 7 8 4 1

10 3 26.03.2013 3 1 1 6 1 1 12 6 10 1 2 6 1 6 1 5 2 4 1 11 9 7 8 4 4

11 3 16.04.2013 3 1 1 6 1 1 12 6 10 1 2 6 1 4 3 5 2 4 7 5 7 1 8 4 4

12 3 16.04.2013 3 25 2 4 13 2 10 5 7 14 2 6 5 6 5 5 2 4 7 5 7 5 4 4 4

13 4 06.08.2013 3 6 4 4 10 3 1 5 1 1 2 6 5 1 3 1 2 4 1 1 1 1 8 2 4

14 3 24/25.08.2013

3 2 2 4 14 4 11 5 4 1 2 6 1 6 5 5 1 1 2 11 8 1 7 4 4

15 4 11.09.2013 3 6 3 4 10 3 2 5 4 1 2 6 5 1 1 3 1 1 3 1 3 1 4 4 1

16 3 11,09.2013 3 2 3 4 17 1 12 6 10 1 2 6 1 5 4 5 2 4 1 1 1 5 3 4 4

17 3 13.09.2013 3 6 2 4 10 3 1 1 7 15 2 6 1 6 1 5 2 4 1 11 9 7 4 4 4

18 3 14/15.09.2013

3 33 3 6 13 4 10 5 7 15 2 6 2 6 5 5 2 4 7 3 7 5 4 4 3

19 3 17.09.2013 3 13 2 5 3 4 1 5 7 14 2 6 5 6 5 5 1 1 1 11 9 7 8 4 4

20 4 19.09.2013 3 17 3 4 16 3 1 5 4 2 2 6 5 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 1 4

21 3 20.09.2013 3 31 1 5 13 1 12 6 10 13 2 6 5 5 3 5 2 4 7 5 7 5 4 4 4

22 3 25.09.2013 3 7 4 2 3 4 1 1 7 4 2 6 1 1 1 1 2 4 1 1 1 1 7 1 4

23 3 25.09.2013 3 7 1 3 3 1 12 6 10 10 2 6 5 6 5 5 2 4 7 5 7 5 3 4 4

24 3 01.10.2013 3 1 2 5 13 1 12 6 10 14 2 6 5 2 5 5 2 4 7 11 9 7 3 4 4

25 3 01.10.2013 3 23 1 4 13 2 10 5 4 14 2 6 5 4 5 5 2 4 7 5 7 5 4 4 3

26 4 15.10.2013 3 6 4 4 10 2 1 1 8 4 2 6 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 1 4

27 4 18.10.2013 3 5 4 4 10 2 10 5 9 14 2 6 5 2 5 5 2 4 7 11 9 7 8 4 4

28 3 04.11.2013 3 5 3 5 10 2 11 5 7 4 2 6 1 4 3 5 2 4 7 4 7 1 8 4 4

29 4 11.11.2013 3 1 1 6 9 1 12 6 10 3 2 6 5 2 5 5 2 4 7 7 3 5 8 4 3

30 3 07.12.2013 3 4 1 6 5 1 12 6 10 1 2 6 1 1 3 5 2 4 1 7 9 7 4 4 4

31 4 14.10.2013 3 3 3 5 7 2 1 5 4 12 2 6 5 5 3 3 2 4 1 1 1 1 8 3 1

32 3 29.11.2013 3 1 1 6 9 1 12 6 10 1 2 6 1 1 3 5 2 4 1 1 3 1 8 4 1

33 3 29.11.2013 3 6 2 7 10 1 12 6 10 11 1 2 5 2 1 5 2 4 3 7 3 6 6 4 3

34 3 05.12.2013 3 33 3 4 13 1 12 6 10 13 2 6 5 2 3 5 2 4 3 5 7 1 6 4 3

35 4 10.12.2013 3 1 1 6 9 1 12 6 10 1 2 6 1 6 3 5 2 4 1 11 9 7 4 4 4

36 3 7/8.12.2013 3 1 1 6 9 1 12 6 10 2 2 6 1 1 3 5 2 4 3 11 9 7 4 4 4

125

37 3 7/8.12.2013 3 7 2 5 10 2 1 1 8 2 1 2 1 1 1 5 1 3 1 11 9 7 4 4 4

38 3 24/25.12.2013

3 1 1 6 9 1 12 6 10 14 2 6 5 1 1 5 2 4 1 4 8 1 8 4 4

39 3 14.12.213 3 8 1 7 10 1 12 6 10 11 2 6 5 2 5 5 2 4 1 7 3 1 8 4 1

40 3 27.12.2013 3 16 5 2 3 3 1 1 7 15 2 6 5 1 1 3 2 4 3 1 1 5 8 3 4

41 4 30.12.2013 3 20 3 4 11 2 11 5 7 15 2 6 5 6 5 5 2 4 7 11 8 6 8 4 4

42 3 09.01.2014 4 8 3 4 13 2 11 2 4 14 2 6 2 6 5 5 2 4 7 11 3 5 7 4 4

43 3 29.01.2014 4 1 1 6 9 1 12 6 10 14 2 6 5 6 5 5 2 4 7 11 9 7 8 4 4

44 3 29.01.2014 4 8 1 6 13 1 12 6 10 1 2 6 1 2 5 5 2 4 1 7 3 1 4 4 2

45 4 27.01.2014 4 17 3 5 13 3 1 5 8 3 2 6 5 1 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 1 4

46 3 11.02.2014 4 27 4 2 13 2 11 5 9 1 2 6 1 1 5 3 2 4 3 1 1 5 4 3 4

47 3 23.03.2014 4 8 3 4 13 4 1 1 7 15 2 6 5 1 1 1 2 4 1 1 1 1 3 1 4

48 3 05.04.2014 4 1 4 2 17 1 12 6 10 8 2 6 5 1 3 3 1 3 3 1 1 5 4 3 4

49 3 19/30.05.2014

4 24 4 4 11 4 1 5 7 15 2 6 1 5 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 8 1 4

50 4 08.08.2014 4 1 2 5 9 1 12 6 10 14 2 6 5 6 5 5 2 4 7 11 9 7 8 4 4

51 3 16/17.08.2014

4 8 1 6 13 1 12 6 10 14 2 6 5 6 5 5 2 4 7 11 9 7 3 4 4

52 4 20.08.2014 4 4 3 4 10 1 2 3 5 7 2 6 5 2 3 5 2 4 1 7 3 1 8 4 1

53 3 27.08.2014 4 3 2 5 17 1 12 6 10 14 2 6 5 6 5 5 2 4 4 11 9 7 4 4 4

54 3 18.09.2014 4 3 2 4 13 4 11 5 4 13 2 6 5 2 5 5 2 4 7 7 4 5 4 4 1

55 3 01.10.2014 4 4 2 4 5 1 12 6 10 7 2 6 1 2 5 5 2 4 1 7 3 1 4 4 1

56 3 14.10.2014 4 6 2 5 10 1 12 6 10 3 2 6 5 2 5 5 2 4 2 7 3 2 4 4 1

57 4 18.10.2014 4 3 5 2 17 3 1 5 7 4 2 6 5 1 1 3 1 1 3 1 1 1 8 1 4

58 3 22.10.2014 4 8 3 4 13 4 10 5 4 15 2 6 5 2 5 5 2 4 7 7 3 5 4 4 3

59 3 04.11.2014 4 18 3 2 8 2 10 5 4 14 2 6 5 6 2 5 2 4 3 8 9 7 8 4 4

60 3 06.11.2014 4 27 3 3 5 4 11 5 4 14 2 6 5 2 5 5 2 4 3 7 3 5 4 4 3

61 3 25716.11.2014

4 25 3 2 13 4 1 5 7 14 2 6 5 2 5 5 2 4 7 5 7 5 3 4 4

62 4 27.11.2014 4 15 1 6 13 1 12 6 10 1 2 6 5 3 5 5 2 4 3 5 7 5 8 4 4

63 3 28.11.2014 4 6 3 4 10 2 11 5 7 14 2 6 5 6 5 5 2 4 7 7 3 6 4 4 3

64 4 17.12.2014 4 13 1 6 13 1 5 6 16 5 2 6 2 6 5 5 2 4 3 1 5 2 8 4 4

65 4 19.12.2004 4 27 2 4 12 2 11 5 8 15 2 6 5 6 5 5 2 4 7 5 7 2 8 4 4

66 3 20.12.2014 4 8 4 2 13 4 11 5 7 2 2 6 1 5 1 3 2 4 1 4 5 1 8 3 1

126

2 Interviews

2.1 Interview with a Syrian refugee/asylum seeker in Germany.

Note: The interviewed person spoke on the condition of anonymity. The interview isconducted by the researcher.

Date: 20.12. 2014

Location: Göttingen in Lower Saxony.

Format: Face to Face

Researcher: Where are you from Syria?

Interviewee: I am from Lattakia1, but I grew up in Damascus.

Researcher: How old are you?

Interviewee: I am 25 years old

Researcher: What did you do professionally before you come illegally to Germany?

Interviewee: I used to work as an employee in Syrian Ministry of Tourism in Damascusand at the same time I was studying translation in the open learning center at Damascusuniversity.

Researcher: To which ethnic/religious group do you belong in Syria?

Interviewee: I belong to the Arabs and I am Muslim Alawite

Researcher: When did you come to Germany?

Interviewee: I have arrived here in November 2014?

Researcher: Why did you live Syria?

Interviewee: I have finished my university studies, and they have addressed me to join thefighting forces of the Syrian army. I am from the same ethnic group of Assad, but I do notwant to be involved in this conflict. Simply, I do not want to kill and be killed.

Researcher: Thank you very much

2.2 Interview with illegally arrived Syrian refugee/asylum seekers

Date: 20.12.2014

Location: Friedland in Lower Saxony

Format: Face to Face

Researcher: Where are you from Syria?

Interviewee: I am from Damascus.

Researcher: How old are you?

Interviewee: I am 22 years old

Researcher:What did you do professionally before you come illegally to Germany?

Interviewee: I was a student

1 Latakiyah is the principal port city of Syria, as well as the capital of the Latakia Governorate. In addition to serving as a port, the city is the main human resource center for Assad's army as the majorities there are Alawites.

127

Researcher: What did you study?

Interviewee: I studied Music at the Higher Institute of Music and Art in Damascus

Researcher: When did you come to Germany?

Interviewee: I have arrived here in December 2014?

Researcher: How did you come to Germany?

Interviewee: I bought in Beirut a fake Venezuelan passport, and I booked a flight fromBeirut to Caracas. The flight had a stop at Frankfurt International Airport. On board, Ithrew my Venezuelan passport in the toilet and when I have arrived in Frankfurt for transit,I handed my Syrian passport to German police and I have asked for the right of asylum inGermany.

Researcher: Thank you very much

2.3 Interview with Syrian refugee/asylum seeker working illegally as a shopkeeper.

Note: The interviewed person spoke on the condition of anonymity. The interview isconducted by the researcher.

Date: 15.03. 2015

Location: Bad Godesberg in North Rhine-Westphalia

Format: Face to Face

Researcher: Where are you from Syria?

Interviewee: I am from Qamishli.

Researcher: How old are you?

Interviewee: I am 21 years old

Researcher:What did you do professionally before you come illegally to Germany?

Interviewee: I was working in different jobs

Researcher: What did you study?

Interviewee: I studied only until intermediate school

Researcher: When did you come to Germany?

Interviewee: I have arrived here in April 2014?

Researcher: How are you employed right now?

Interviewee: I am here with my family, and I did apply for the right of asylum inGermany, but unil now I have no feedback as we applied before in another EU country forasylum and we gained there the refugee status. For that reason, our procedure takes longtime. I do work here in the shop as the owner is from Morocco. Most of our customers areArabs, so I do not need German. Furthermore, I have no work permission, but I thought towork and make extra-money to support my family. In Germany there is no who check.

Researcher: Thank you very much

128

3 Correspondence

Sent: Wednesday, April 01, 2015 at 1:36 PMFrom: sz.archiv@dd-v.deTo: ahmad.altayep@gmx.comSubject: AW: AW: AW: AW: Keine Rückmeldung

Hallo Herr Ahmad Al Tayep,

unser Chefredakteur Uwe Vetterick sagt zu Frage 5:

„Unsere Zielgruppe sind alle Menschen, die in Ost-Sachsen zuhause sind und gern Zeitung lesen. Warum alle? Weil wir ein generalinterest-Titel sind.“

Was die Geschichte betrifft, so hat eine Praktikantin aus der Zeitung Ihnen mal ein paar Fakten kopiert.

Beste Grüße

Dr. Ute Essegern

Sent: Monday, March 30, 2015 at 6:33 PMFrom: sz.archiv@dd-v.deTo: ahmad.altayep@gmx.comSubject: AW: AW: AW: Keine Rückmeldung

… so you can use our special publications f.e. published 13th april 1996 and 2006,you can order at the Deutsche Bücherei Frankfurt. There are publications about our newspaper, you also can use genios.de.

As a student you should be able to make your own research in libraries and databases to find out, what kind of newspaper we are f.e.

If you have up to 3 special questions I will answer you, but …

With best regards,

Ute Essegern

Sent: Monday, March 30, 2015 at 3:10 PMFrom: sz.archiv@dd-v.deTo: ahmad.altayep@gmx.comSubject: AW: Keine Rückmeldung

Dear Mr. Al Tayep,

you can use the following internet sites for research. They should answer most of your questions.

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A4chsische_Zeitung

http://www.ivw.eu/print/quartalsauflagen/quartalsauflagen

http://www.ddv-mediengruppe.de/

If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us again.

129

130

-"BAMF-Pressestelle" <Pressestelle@bamf.bund.de> schrieb: -----An: <ahmad.al-tayep@dw.de>Von: "BAMF-Pressestelle" <Pressestelle@bamf.bund.de>Datum: 12.01.2015 11:51Betreff: Your inquiry Federal Office for Migration and Refugees

Dear Mr. Al Tayep,

with pleasure I send to you the figures of 2011. They find them in the following table.

2011

Januar

Februar

März

April

Mai

Juni

Juli

August

September

Oktober

November

Dezember

151 160 176 172 236

187

205

311 301 215 279 210

Dear Mr. Al Tayep, thanks for your E-Mail. I help for you with pleasure, as far as I am able to do it. In the overview you find the separately monthly figures of the Syrian refugees who have made an asylum application in Germany.

Januar Februar März April Mai Juni Juli August SeptemberOktoberNovemberDezember

2012 204 233 165 241 362 388 608 680 745 879 997 588

2013 1.060 711 552 691 728 734 999 1.021 1.273 1.629 1.461 971

2014

1.637 1.757 1.677 1.676 2.4212.6083.5273.308 4.187 4.929 5.101 ----

Unfortunately, I can recommend you the only following links. We have currently no studies or results of the research to Syria. http://www.bamf.de/SharedDocs/Anlagen/DE/Publikationen/Herkunftslaenderinformationen/syrien-2012-08.pdf? __blob=publicationFile http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/search?page=search&query=syria+&x=0&y=0 http://www.bamf.de/SharedDocs/Meldungen/DE/2013/20130617-aufnahme-syrien-

131

unhcr.html;jsessionid=EC53B8177604D792C91BEBFD42CC7C2F.1_cid359 I hope, I could help you. Have a nice weekend. With kind regards

-----"BAMF-Pressestelle" <Pressestelle@bamf.bund.de> schrieb: ----- An: <ahmad.al-tayep@dw.de>Von: "BAMF-Pressestelle" <Pressestelle@bamf.bund.de>Datum: 08.01.2015 12:43Betreff: Your inquiry Federal Office for Migration and Refugees

Dear Mr. Al Tayep, Thank you very much for your inquiry. Please find the answers regarding your questions below.

1-When did the first Syrian refuge arrive in Germany.

Unfortunately, we have no statistics, when the first Syrian refugee has come to Germany.

2- In which Bundesland are the most Syrian refugees located?

In the following statistics you find the Syrian refugees in the single federal states.

Bundesland Anzahl

Baden-Württemberg 1.462

Bayern 3.265

Berlin 1.064

Brandenburg 716

Bremen 563

Hamburg 1.093

Hessen 1.048

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 582

Niedersachsen 2.214

Nordrhein-Westfalen 4.188

Rheinland-Pfalz 1.345

Saarland 624

Sachsen 455

Sachsen-Anhalt 830

132

Schleswig-Holstein 1.776

Thüringen 746

Insgesamt 21.971

3-How many Syrian refugees are in Germany until the end of 2014?

Unfortunately, I can inform you only of the figures to 30. 11. 2014 because an actualisation of theforeign central register in runs of the month occurred. To 30. 11. 2014 21. 971 Syrian citizens had an permission to reside. Refugees receive an permission to reside when they have made an asylum application, but have still received a decision.

4-How most of the refugees come to Germany? The number of legal and illegal Syrian refugees in Germany until the end of 2014.

In Europe there are no border checks. Thus the Federal Office of Migration and Refugees grasps only the Syrian refugees who have contacted here Asylum-seeking or are about a visa or the quota refugee in Germany

I hope, I could help you something.

Best regards,

Mit freundlichen Grüßen

Sindy Hoppe

Büro des Präsidenten

Presse/Öffentlichkeitsarbeit

Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge

Frankenstraße 210, 90461 Nürnberg

Tel.: +49 (0)911 943-4613

Fax: +49 (0)911 943-4699

E-Mail: sindy.hoppe@bamf.bund.de

Internet: www.bamf.de

www.wir-sind-bund.de

----Weitergeleitet von Ahmad Al Tayep/BN/DWD am 27.02.2015 10:49 -----An: <ahmad.altayep@dw.de>Von: "BAMF-Pressestelle" <Pressestelle@bamf.bund.de>Datum: 27.02.2015 08:10Betreff: WG: Inquiry Federal Office for Migration and Refugees

Dear Mr Al Tayep

Please find below the requested data regarding the distribution of Syrien asylum seekers in the 16 German federal states. Please note that this does not equal the distribution of Syrian nationals in Germany. The following data includes Syrian asylum seekers in the year 2014 (it doesnot include Syrian asylum seekers from previous years)

133

Federal State Jan. – Dec. 2014

Baden-Württemberg 3128

Bavaria 5611

Berlin 1507

Brandenburg 1149

Bremen 1262

Hamburg 1464

Hesse 2889

Lower Saxony 4035

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 1001

North Rhine-Westphalia 7280

Rhineland-Palatinate 2361

Saarland 1724

Saxony 1279

Saxony-Anhalt 1433

Schleswig-Holstein 2141

Thuringia 1443

Best regards

Katrin Hirseland________________________Head

Press Officer

Federal Office for Migration and Refugees

Frankenstraße 210, 90461 Nuremberg, Germany

134

Telefon: +49 (0)911 943-4601Fax: +49 (0)911 943-4699E-Mail: pressestelle@bamf.bund.deInternet: http://www.bamf.de http://www.wir-sind-bund.de

=======================An: "Ahmad Al Tayep" <ahmad.altayep@dw.de>Von: "BAMF-Pressestelle" <Pressestelle@bamf.bund.de>Datum: 04.03.2015 12:10 Betreff: AW: Inquiry Federal Office for Migration and Refugees 2011+2012+2013=======================Dear Mr Al Tayep,Ms Hirseland ask me to answer your question about figures of Syrian asylum seekers from 2011 upto 2013 in the German federal states.You’ll find the information in the following table :Federal State

2011

2012

2013

Baden-Württemberg

159

690

1.260

Bavaria

289

769

1.852

Berlin

97

193

565

Brandenburg

78

142

179

Bremen

135

72

145

273

Hamburg 46

168

408

Hessen 73521905

Lower Saxony 53100217

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 7981.3621.633North Rhine-Westphalia 9081.9222.430

Rhineland-Palatinate 190528816

Saarland 35135437

Saxony 83243387Saxony-Anhalt 289360443

Schleswig-Holstein 143368616

136

Thuringia 122282421

In hope to could help,

Best regards

In Order

Anke Eckardt________________________________ Bureau of the presidentFederal Office for Migration and Refugees

Frankenstraße 210, 90461 Nuremberg Phone: +49 91 19 43 46 01Mail: pressestelle@bamf.bund.de <mailto:Anna.Alig@bamf.bund.de> Internet: www.bamf.de <blocked::file:///C:/Dokumente%20und%20Einstellungen/n195/Anwendungsdaten/Microsoft/Signatures/www.bamf.de>

www.wir-sind-bund.de <http://www.wir-sind-bund.de/>

137

4 Overview of articles

4.1 Articles from national newspapers

ARTICLE TITLE MEDIUM

1 Weit Weg vom Folterknast SZ1

2 Grün fordern Aufnahme von syrischen Flüchtlinge SZ1

3 Westerwelle fordert syrische Übergangsregierung FAZ

4 Aufruf zu mehr Einigkeit SZ1

5 Mehr syrische Asylbewerber FAZ

6 Heftige Luftangriffe in Syrien FAZ

7 ,,Die Menschen leben in Käfigen“ SZ1

8 Debatte über Syrische Flüchtlinge FAZ

9 Hollande:Wir würden Regierung der syrischen Oppositionanerkennen

FAZ

10 Bericht über weiters Massaker in Syrien. FAZ

11 Arabi:Waffenruhe in Syrien wichtiger als Verhandlungen FAZ

12 Wir müssen uns auf Massenevakuierungen vorbereiten FAZ

13 Lager der Hilflosigkeit SZ1

14 Deutschland nimmt Flüchtlinge aus Syrien auf SZ1

15 Vertriebene des Krieges SZ1

16 Vorläufig angekommen FAZ

17 Im Land der teuren Führerscheine SZ1

18 Die ersten Schritte FAZ

19 Friedrich will über Flüchtlinge beraten SZ1

20 Hunger als Waffe FAZ

21 Bürokratische Hürden für Flüchtlinge aus Syrien SZ1

22 Unerwünschte Gäste im Armenhaus FAZ

23 Sicherheit auf Zeit SZ1

24 Die letzte Grenze SZ1

25 Willkommen SZ1

26 Ihre letzte Reise SZ

27 Happy Ende in Düsseldorf SZ1

28 Endstation Stacheldraht SZ1

29 Deutsche Hilfe für Syrer SZ1

30 Kunst kann die Welt verbessern! SZ1

31 Aggressiv umarmen SZ1

32 Wahlen in Syrien SZ1

138

33 Mehr Gastlichkeit für Syrer SZ1

34 Frieden auf 50 dreckigen Quadratmetern FAZ

35 Apothekerin ohne Grenzen FAZ

36 Zahl der Asylbewerber steigt um 60 Prozent FAZ

37 Der Schiffbruch SZ1

38 UN:Wir lassen die Flüchtlinge aus Syrien nicht allein FAZ

39 Mehr Grund, zu beten, als früher FAZ

139

4.2 Articles from regional newspapers

ARTICLE TITLE MEDIUM

1 Krieg der Konfession KSTA

2 Flüchtlingsfamilie aus Syrien reist mit falschen Visa ein SZ2

3 Zu wenig Platz für Asylbewerber KSTA

4 Moskau erreicht milderes Urteil gegen Syrien KSTA

5 Eine Quote für syrische Flüchtlinge! KSTA

6 Zusatzheim in Neuss für Flüchtlinge KSTA

7 Von Homs nach Hemer KSTA

8 Zwei Neubauten für Flüchtlinge KSTA

9 Flüchtlingspolitik Regierung will einfacheres Asyl für Syrer KSTA

10 NRW nimmt 1000 syrische Flüchtlinge auf KSTA

11 Deutschland nimmt Syrer auf KSTA

12 Zu wenig Platz für Flüchtlinge KSTA

13 Zwischen Hölle und Paradies SZ2

14 Generation Flüchtling KSTA

15 Ankunft aus dem Kriegsgebiet SZ2

16 ,,Ständig werden neue Hürden aufgestellt“ KSTA

17 Christen werden nicht bevorzugt KSTA

18 Die Massenunterkunft kehrt zurück KSTA

19 Neues Zuhause für Kriegskinder KSTA

20 Mit dem Kopf in Syrien SZ2

21 Container für Flüchtling geplant KSTA

22 Crashkurs Deutschland KSTA

23 Container gegen Wohnheim-Mangel KSTA

24 Erste Flüchtlinge kommen nach Poll KSTA

25 Flüchtlinge müssen in Container KSTA

26 Grund zum Schämen KSTA

27 Von Aleppo nach Schkeuditz SZ2

28 Flüchtlinge einbeziehen SZ2

29 ,,In den Familien herrscht die pure Depression“ KSTA

30 Tillich gibt Fehler bei Asylpolitik in Sachsen zu SZ2

31 Endstation Abschiebung SZ2

32 Deutschland soll mehr Syrer aufnehmen KSTA

33 NRW mahnt humanitäre Geste an KSTA

34 Neue Unterkünfte für Flüchtlinge KSTA

140

35 Sachsen nimmt mehr syrische Kriegsflüchtlinge auf SZ2

36 NRW nimmt mehr Syrer auf KSTA

37 Mehr Syrer nach Deutschland KSTA

38 ,,Flüchtlinge willkommen heißen“ KSTA

39 Deutsche zu mehr Hilfe aufgefordert KSTA

40 Von Aleppo nach Aachen KSTA

41 ,,Das ist beschämend“ SZ2

42 Ungeliebte Herbergen KSTA

43 NRW untersucht Contergan-Fälle KSTA

44 NRW will mehr Syrer aufnehmen KSTA

45 Neue Heimat Dresden SZ2

46 Elfjährige als Dolmetscherin KSTA

47 Viel Spaß, viel Lernen-und abends großes Heimweh KSTA

48 Flucht ins Nirgendwo KSTA

49 Das Asyl-Verfahren KSTA

50 Träume sind stärker als Tyrannen KSTA

51 Das Geschäft mit Asylbewerbern in Sachsen SZ2

52 Duisburg bringt Flüchtlinge provisorisch in Zelten unter KSTA

53 Wie viele Asylbewerber können wir aufnehmen? SZ2

54 Die Unterkünfte in Köln sind voll belegt KSTA

55 Städte fordern ein Sofortprogramm KSTA

56 Schutzsuchende nicht willkommen KSTA

57 Städte senden Hilferuf an Bund und Länder KSTA

58 Drei Zimmer Sicherheit SZ2

59 Mehr Geld und viel guter Wille KSTA

60 Der Fremde nebenan ist kein Feind KSTA

61 Roters will keine weiteren Flüchtlinge KSTA

62 Konzernzentrale als Notunterkunft KSTA

63 Syrische Familie erhält Morddrohung SZ2

64 Görlitzer Kaufhausretter verbietet Benefizkonzert fürFlüchtlinge

SZ2

65 Morddrohung aufgeklärt:20-Jähriger ermittelt SZ2

66 Zuflucht im Fachwerkhaus KSTA

141

Eidesstattliche Erklärung

Name: Ahmad Al Tayep

Martikel-Nr.: 9020922

Erklärung (Einzelarbeit)

Ich versichere an Eides statt, die von mir vorgelegte Arbeit selbstständig verfasst zu

haben. Alle Stellen, die wörtlich oder sinngemäß aus veröffentlichten oder nicht

veröffentlichten Arbeiten anderer entnommen sind, habe ich als entnommen kenntlich

gemacht. Sämtliche Quellen und Hilfsmittel, die ich für die Arbeit benutzt habe, sind

angegeben. Die Arbeit hat mit gleichem Inhalt bzw. in wesentlichen Teilen noch keiner

anderen Prüfungsbehörde vorgelegen.

Bonn 16.07.2015_____________ _________________ _____________________Ort Datum Unterschrift