Framing the Macedonian name dispute in Greece: nationalistic journalism and the existential threat

Abstract

ABSTRACT In the Macedonian Name Dispute (MND), the Greek media promoted the country’s main nationalistic narrative that treats the compromise between Greece and its neighboring country (now-named North Macedonia) as a national crisis that could even lead to an existential threat to Greece and its people. To investigate the recent events related to the MND, this study examined 615 news articles throughout 2018 and 2019 to identify how the news media framed the events associated with the MND and the Prespes Agreement. The results revealed that most news stories framed the MND incidents as a political or mobilization tool of the public and an existential threat to Greece. Furthermore, the news coverage showed that several news stories employed the patriotic and nationalistic frame to support or undermine the country’s then-government. These findings offer insights into the use of territorial name disputes as a communication tool, how news articles and journalism promote the idea of an existential threat connected to the MND, and the alarming non-critical news coverage that could lead to a further democratic backsliding of Greece.