LGBTI in media : - Two Swedish news media´s portrayals of LGBTI people

The aim of this study is to analyze two Swedish news media's portrayals of LGBTI people and the consequences these can have in terms of influencing Swedish society's public opinion. Data was collected from Aftonbladet and SVT Nyheter and analyzed using thematic analysis supported by agenda-setting theory, queer theory and heteronomy theory. The results show that there is a mixture of positive and negative portrayals of LGBTI people, but that the majority of the articles emphasized the negative. The results show that there is an acceptance of LGBTI people and that the Swedish government is very keen to protect the group from being exposed. In addition, it appears that the media's negative portrayals have the potential to influence public opinion of LGBTI people in terms of agenda-setting theory. When an opinion or attitude with certain descriptions or characteristics has been on the media's agenda for a long time, it moves to the public agenda where it can influence public opinion. The conclusion of this study is that Aftonbladet and SVT Nyheter repeatedly portray LGBTI people negatively and that these portrayals have the ability to influence public opinion about the group.