The representation of disability in the Italian media: The case of Ansa

Abstract

The representation of disability in the media significantly influences the social perception of disability among the general population, as well as among individuals with disabilities themselves. This study focuses on the case of Ansa, the primary Italian press agency, to examine its portrayal of disability and persons with disabilities in the year 2022. Through the content analysis of a corpus comprising 1692 articles collected via keyword search, the research aims to draw a ‘map’ that can describe the disability narrative conveyed by Ansa. Key findings highlight Ansa’s narrative as displaying a form of under-representation of disability. Physical and mobility disabilities dominate the discourse, adhering to the common mediatic ‘hierarchy of disabilities’. But even more clearly, Ansa’s representation tends to be generic, abstract and lacking in specificity, thus presenting disability as a depersonalised and collective label. The narratives predominantly revolve around political interventions, funding, and institutional aid, with limited attention given to personal life stories that rarely attain national news status. Ultimately, the agency’s portrayal appears as a narrative of disability without the disabled persons, representing the phenomenon as a systemic issue that can be resolved through public frameworks and policies, with no direct involvement of those affected. This reinforces the notion that disability is a depersonalised problem that always needs external solutions.