This essay examines how two Swedish local newspapers portrayed the Swedish participation in the United Nations operation in the Congo (ONUC) and its shift from peacekeeping to peace enforcement 1960–1961. Related research on the Swedish part of ONUC has primarily focused on the military and political aspects or the coverage on ONUC by the largest newspapers in Sweden; Svenska Dagbladet, Aftonbladet and Dagens Nyheter. This led to the primary research problem of the essay focusing on examining the local perspectives on ONUC to create a more nuanced view of the Swedish perception of the UN operation. The overall purpose of the essay is to study how local newspapers presented and framed the initial transformation from peacekeeping to peace enforcement. This is done in order to understand how these smaller communities perceived ONUC
The essay uses a qualitative content analysis in tandem with Robert E. Entman's framing theory. This theory explains how news media uses selection and emphasis of certain information that create a simplified narrative. The narrative is used to forward certain problem definitions, causal interpretations, moral evaluations and proposed solutions. The methodological approach involves categorising articles depending on what frames they propagate through a variety of means.
The study is divided into two phases; the first one focuses on the initial reaction to ONUC in July 1960, while the second focuses on the transformation of ONUC from peacekeeping to peace enforcement in September 1961. The results of the first study phase show that both Hudiksvallstidningen and Sölvesborgstidningen emphasized the chaotic situation in the Congo. However the newspapers differ in their focus, with the former highlighting the poor leadership in the Congo, and the latter the moral responsibility of Sweden to assist. In the second study phase, both newspapers portrayed the heroic sacrifice of the Swedish United Nations soldier in the name of peace while also highlighting the bad character of their enemy, the white mercenary in the service of the Katangese Gendarmerie. The results of the essay highlight how these two newspapers advertently or inadvertently shaped their readers' perception by constructing frames that created a simplified narrative. This led to the conclusion that these local newspapers propagated narratives distinct from those of the largest national newspapers. This essay has shown the value of studying local perspectives to gain a greater understanding for how local news media can shape their respective communities' understanding of world events.