An examination of the portrayal of homelessness and the opioid crisis in US and Canadian newspapers
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This research examines how homelessness and the opioid crisis were portrayed from 2018 to 2023 by one US and one Canadian newspaper. The thesis traces qualitative changes in the occurrence of keywords and topics over six years in two newspapers, The Seattle Times and The Vancouver Sun. The data shows prevalence of thematic framing and a shift towards narrative journalism both in The Vancouver Sun and The Seattle Times. The highest use of thematic framing coincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The rise in the use of episodic framing appears to coincide with the increase in opioid related fatalities among the homeless population. Over the six years of study, an increasing number of articles started to use personal narratives to discuss the issues of homelessness and the opioid crisis, likely as an attempt to increase attention and empathy for these issues. Study findings highlight how newspapers can influence the public's understanding on the complex issues of homelessness and the opioid crisis.
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M.A.