Who gets a voice? Media polarisation and biased actor representation in the European Turtle-dove hunting conflict

Conservation conflicts involving wildlife may arise when information is lacking, misunderstood, or perceived differently by different groups, which can be emphasized in contemporary media environments. How an issue is portrayed, and who is given a voice or criticised may shape public opinion and, in turn, influence social behaviour. The potential role of the media in social polarisation has thus been recently highlighted. We examine how Spanish online media framed the conservation conflict surrounding the European Turtle-dove ( Streptopelia turtur ), a declining game migratory species subject to intense debate. We analysed 423 online articles published between 2015 and 2021, encompassing the period from the species' designation as “bird of the year” by an environmental NGO to the official implementation of a coordinated hunting moratorium across western Europe. Articles were classified according to the target audience of outlets where they appeared (hunting-, environmentalist-, or general-public-oriented). We assessed criticisms, viewpoints represented and mentions to the causes of and solutions for the species' decline depicted in the articles. Results revealed that media coverage systematically differed depending on their target audiences: we found significant differences among media orientation in the likelihood of representing the viewpoint of different actors, of presenting criticism towards certain actors, of mentioning specific causes of and potential solutions for the species decline. Outlets tended to provide information predominantly sympathetic to their aligned parties. These media dynamics may constrain dialogue and trust among social groups, reinforcing polarisation and selective framings, limiting the social feasibility of adaptive and integrative conservation strategies in controversial wildlife conservation contexts.