Political transition in Libya: an analysis of the main Spanish newspapers

Abstract

The conflict in Libya was one of the manifestations of greater scope among movements that were developed in the context of the Arab Spring. The Libyan conflict was also the headline in numerous covers of newspapers in Spain and for the first time, we perceive that there is unanimity in the media coverage of this crisis. Using a content analysis methodology this article focuses in Spanish national newspapers and concludes that they conducted an extensive media coverage, with the purpose of defending the fundamental rights of the Libyan population, after forty years of dictatorship. The main results of our research show that the discourse of the media was aimed at the protection and defence of the civilian population, and that neutrality in the approach was the general tone to reflect the clashes between insurgents and allies of Gadafi. In short, it proves that media are positioned with the rebel group.