Mass media's image of changed social services in Åland : A discourse analysis

The purpose of this essay is to highlight how the newly reformed (2021) and reorganized Social Services in Åland are portrayed in local media. Which discourses emerge, and which actors are involved in shaping the image of the municipalities united social services (KST), as well as whether the image presented has significance for the employees work health within the organization.The questions posed are:How are the reformed social services portrayed in mass media?What are the most prominent discourses and who are the central actors?In what way can media reporting and public understanding of social services affect the health of social services employees?The empirical material is collected from Åland's leading news magazine published between 2021-2024. The theoretical foundation is discourse analysis and social constructionism, and the method used is critical discourse analysis. Previous research has shown that public trust in social services is influenced by media portrayal. Social workers' work health is also affected by media portrayal of social services. The results from this study shows that KST are criticized by the public, and that economic issues are much more prominent than the actual social work. The work health can be affected negatively by the image of KST that occurs in the newspaper.