Framing of the Annan Plan in print media: A comparative analysis

This dissertation presents a comparative analysis of headline articles, op-eds, and cartoons on the Annan Plan that appeared in Turkish Cypriot, Greek Cypriot, Turkish, and Greek newspapers in the month preceding the twin referenda held on 24 April 2004. Relying on two theoretical pillars, the prospect theory of Kahneman and Tversky (1979) and the Meditteranean Model of Hallin and Mancini (2004), the dissertation includes 12 newspapers central to the issue: Afrika, Kıbrıs, Vatan, Charavgi, Fileleftheros, Cumhuriyet, Milliyet, Yeni Şafak, Rizospastis, Ta Nea, and Kathimerini. The research primarily investigates the patterns of similarity and difference in the use of "win-win", "win-lose", "lose-lose", "there is no alternative", and "risky gambling" frames in print media. Second, it seeks to clarify whether the coverage of analyzed newspapers displays the characteristics of the Mediterranean Media Model (Hallin and Mancini, 2004), such as press-political party parallelism. By employing content analysis, the collected data from 12 newspapers across three main themes (articles, op-eds, and cartoons) are coded through a detailed codebook. The findings of the study indicate that the game theoretical frames were used not only to present the "yes" or "no" choices by pro-yes and pro-no newspapers, but newspapers with a critical stance refuted the game theoretical logic when questioning the legitimacy of the referendum itself. In this sense, the logic of game theory and prospect theory appears at the backbone of the referendum and how it was framed by print media. Findings also show that this logic originates from policymakers and then finds its place in the print media. Finally, this dissertation sheds light on the complexity of a multiparty conflict where primary and secondary parties adhere to the Mediterranean Media Model. The research combines several disciplines such as political science, media studies, social psychology, and conflict analysis and resolution, drawing from the related literature. Last but not the least, the comparative content analysis offers an important tool for further research in this domain that could be applied in other cases. Key words: Referendum, Annan Peace Plan, frames, content analysis, headline articles, op-eds, print media, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus