This study shows that media and misinformation in media can have a direct impact on policymakers during the agenda setting stage of the policy process. Through a theoretical framework based on the network agenda setting model, discourse theory, WPR-approach and previous research regarding misinformation about transgender people, the case of two anti-trans legislation initiatives, one of which was an emergency measure, in North Dakota, USA, from 2023, are explored. Through qualitative, content analysis, WPR-analysis and discourse analysis, an examination of the impact of misinformation about transgender people on Fox News, from the 13th of december 2022 to the 23rd of january 2023, on policymakers in North Dakota is presented. The study found that there are considerable similarities between the discourse about transgender people on Fox News and the problem representation in the anti-trans legislation initiatives, in addition to substantial amounts of misinformation about transgender people on Fox News. These findings imply that policymakers can be affected by misinformation in news media, which in turn can affect democratic systems through the potential erosion of trust, political accountability and democratic rights.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:umu-227412 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Säfström, Loke |
| Publisher | Umeå universitet, Statsvetenskapliga institutionen |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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