Conflicting narratives: How the media creates positive and negative portraits of civil society in Bulgaria
Conflicting narratives: How the media creates positive and negative portraits of civil society in Bulgaria

Author(s): Iva Ivanova
Subject(s): Social Sciences, Media studies, Communication studies
Published by: Факултет по журналистика и масова комуникация, Софийски университет „Св. Кл. Охридски”
Keywords: civil society; media framing; foreign agents law; democratic resilience; media monitoring; narratives; public perception; local CSOs
Summary/Abstract: This article examines how civil society organizations (CSOs) in Bulgaria were represented in the national and local media in 2024, against the backdrop of two polarizing legislative initiatives: the amendment to the Law on Pre-school and School Education and the introduction of a draft Law on Foreign Agents. Drawing on a year-long media monitoring project for the members of the biggest network of CSOs in Bulgaria, Citizen Participation Forum (CPF), the study reveals the existence of conflicting media narratives that alternately legitimize and stigmatize the role of CSOs. While local coverage remains largely neutral or supportive, national-level representation around politically charged topics tends to frame CSOs as foreign-influenced and ideologically deviant. The article analyzes these patterns through the lens of framing theory and proposes strategies for narrative resilience and communication legitimacy in fragile democracies.

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