Historique
Article de Périodique
Media constructions of an illegal drug: the link between cannabis and organized crime in Swedish newspapers (2024)
Auteur(s) :
EKENDAHL, M. ;
MANSSON, J. ;
KARLSSON, P.
Année :
2024
Page(s) :
300-309
Langue(s) :
Anglais
Domaine :
Drogues illicites / Illicit drugs
Thésaurus géographique
SUEDE
Thésaurus mots-clés
CANNABIS
;
ORGANISATION CRIMINELLE
;
MEDIA
;
PRESSE
;
DISCOURS
;
REVENDEUR
;
VIOLENCE
;
DEVIANCE
;
USAGER
;
REPRESENTATION SOCIALE
;
ETUDE QUALITATIVE
;
CRIMINALITE
Résumé :
Background: Lately, there has been massive media coverage of gang-related criminality in 'exposed areas' in Sweden. Politicians have blamed the illegal drugs trade without questioning the country's prohibitionist drug policy. This study analyzes how cannabis is constructed in Swedish newspaper articles that mention both organized crime and cannabis. We ask how the drug and its buyers and sellers are described, what discourses are drawn upon, and discuss the relationship between media coverage and drug policy.
Methods: We analyzed recent (2021) articles from four newspapers (n = 71) through Critical Discourse Analysis.
Results: Cannabis was constructed as a commodity linked to violence and deviance. Agency was attributed to people with power and status (e.g. gang leaders), and recreational cannabis users were described as guilty of feeding organized crime. A combination of economic and moral discourses was used to make the reported events meaningful, and to motivate both prohibition and decriminalization/legalization.
Conclusion: The study shows that assumedly neutral journalistic voices emphasized the link between cannabis and violence and problematized cannabis buyers and sellers. This homogenous media coverage will probably contribute to keep the question of cannabis law reform discursively lifeless in Sweden. [Author's abstract]
Methods: We analyzed recent (2021) articles from four newspapers (n = 71) through Critical Discourse Analysis.
Results: Cannabis was constructed as a commodity linked to violence and deviance. Agency was attributed to people with power and status (e.g. gang leaders), and recreational cannabis users were described as guilty of feeding organized crime. A combination of economic and moral discourses was used to make the reported events meaningful, and to motivate both prohibition and decriminalization/legalization.
Conclusion: The study shows that assumedly neutral journalistic voices emphasized the link between cannabis and violence and problematized cannabis buyers and sellers. This homogenous media coverage will probably contribute to keep the question of cannabis law reform discursively lifeless in Sweden. [Author's abstract]
Affiliation :
Department of Social Work, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden