The Scottish Press Account of the Referendum: Framing the Independence Debate

This paper presents preliminary findings of a frame analysis of the coverage of the referendum debate in major Scottish daily newspapers. Based on a detailed analysis of coverage in June and July 2014, it discusses the different frames that newspapers make available to define what the referendum is about, and how common these frames are in the news. Perhaps more important than any specific arguments and views presented in the media in relation to an issue under debate are the definitions the media provide of the issue itself – the ways in which the media frame the issue. The paper will contextualize findings from the Scottish case within previous research on the framing of referenda in the media and discuss whether frames found in referendum campaigns set in other contexts have any resonance in the Scottish newspaper coverage so far.