The Influence of Media and Securitisation on Perception

The relationship between media and perception is essential to securitisation processes. Through the adoption of specific wordings and narratives, the media can and do influence the public perception of a given phenomenon as a challenge or even an existential threat to public security, economic prosperity, social stability or cultural homogeneity.

As Alberto Tagliapietra explains in "Media and Securitisation: The Influence on Perception", media narratives are exploited by political actors, which promote securitised issues in order to present themselves as the only actors capable of providing a solution. During the years of the “migration crisis”, the securitisation to which migration was subjected led to a much worsened perception of migrants by the public and, consequently, to a greater political appeal of parties that made anti-immigration the core of their public discourse.