From Hero to Zero : A qualitative framing analysis of Aftonbladet and Expressen´s coverage of Måns Zelmerlöw´s divorce

This essay aims to study how Swedish news media, in their reporting, frames Måns Zelmerlöw's divorce and if there are any tendencies of a mediastorm. The study is conducted by looking at two of the biggest tabloid newspapers in Sweden, Aftonbladet and Expressen. The aim is to examine how these two mediaoutlets, with their extensive coverage of the event, frame it and how it can be understood in terms of a media storm. The material on which the study is based on consists of the mediaoutlets' websites, focusing on the reporting of Måns Zelmerlöw from March 2025 to October 2025. This essay is based on a qualitative framing analysis in order to see which frames are dominant in the reporting. The analyzed material consists of 50% of each media’s articles during the period mentioned above. Based on the purpose of the study has the following three research questions been developed: How does Aftonbladet and Expressen frame the divorce? What differences and similarities are there between Aftonbladet and Expressen in their reporting? How can the reporting be understood in terms of a mediastorm? In order to answer the research questions, the study was based on three theoretical frameworks. These are media logic, the logic of a mediastorm and framing theory, because the purpose of the study is to look at how the media frames the story. The media logic gives the opportunity to create an understanding of why the media makes certain choices in their reporting and why some events become news stories. Furthermore, the logic of a mediastorm helps us to analyze the reporting based on terms of a mediastorm. This is important for the study because it can affect the way of the media's reporting and its framing. Finally, the framing theory helps us to look at what choices, conscious or unconscious, journalists make in their reporting. This is through the choices of words, angels and events. The theory is a central part of how we can understand and interpret how media reconstruct events in their reporting. The essay shows that both Aftonbladet and Expressen have frames that are both similar and different in their reporting. The similar frames that were found in both media were Fairytale gone bad and Måns Zelmerlöw as a villain. While only Aftonbladet highlight the event to a larger aspect by problematizing it as a social problem. Here, frames such as Power and gender and Explaining the gangwars emerge. Aftonbladet uses Måns Zelmerlöw’s and Ciara Janson’s divorce to symbolize what the news media mean is the step society has taken from feminism, as well as how Zelmerlöw’s abuse shows the problem of gangcrime. Furthermore, there are several aspects where the reporting can be seen as a mediastorm. Especially when the parties are portrayed as “villain” and “victim”, and that the reporting from both media resembles a dramaturgy.