Revolution or coup? The narrative of the Egyptian socio-political change in the Spanish newspapers (2011-2013)

This research studies and compares the coverage of the Spanish newspapers in the determining events of the Egyptian spring to know if it was understood as a revolution or as a succession of coups d'etat. Specifically, by means of a qualitative content analysis, the 128 editorials that ABC , El Mundo , El Pais and La Vanguardia offered between 2011 and 2013 are examined. The main findings show that there is no uniform media discourse, even if there are specific agreements such as blaming Islamism for the socio-political collapse or not openly condemning the coup of July 2013. With nuances, the narrative that prevails is that the 2011 revolution ended with a social coup to safeguard democracy.