Repetitive Albania in Time Magazine, a Longitudinal Case Study: 1923-2013

Abstract

It has always been a matter of general curiosity for the western media to look at the Balkans countries. In particular, the way how western media represent and construct those countries is also a question that has been taken by scholars generally. This paper shall look more closely at the American magazine, Time and the coverage it has given to Albania, one of the countries of the Balkans region. By focusing on one media and one country, the aim is to conduct a longitudinal study from the early days of Time publication to nowadays, precisely from the year 1923 to 2013, in order to grasp evolutional trends and developments over time. This study is based on a combined methodological approach from within the empirical tradition of the media studies and research: the textual studies and the study of the agency. Both quantitative and qualitative instruments are used to collect and analyze the data. The content analyzed consists of the news about Albania featured in Time magazine, in terms of their frequency, placement, topics and framings; as well as the language and the discourse used to depict the country, its people and its politics. Based on the above research, the main argument of this study is that the subject of Albania is approached and constructed in a repetitive constant way over time on the part of the Time magazine during the years 1923 and 2013.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n5s2p643