Islamic State in the Spanish Daily Press: Framing Analysis of El Periódico and El País

This study examines the journalistic production related to Islamic State (ISIS) by two daily Spanish newspa- pers, El Periodico and El Pais. Through a quantitative content analysis, this study analyzes the type of stories, sou- rces of information, story contexts and frames used to portray the ISIS threat in three different time periods: the ex- pansion into Syria (April 8, 2013), the declaration of the Caliphate (June 29, 2014) and the Paris attacks (November 13, 2015). Results show that Govern- ment officials are the most used source of information, followed by other news media and international organizations. Regarding the frames used to report on ISIS, findings show that in general both newspapers have favored a geopolitical perspective over an existential threat perspective. The only exception to this general trend can be found in El Periodico, which has published far more stories related to the human rights crisis than El Pais.