Reporting Genocide: Media, Mass Violence and Human Rights
The Western world's responses to genocide have been slow, unwieldly and sometimes unfit for purpose. So argues David Patrick in this essential new contribution to the aid and intervention debate. While the UK and US have historically been committed to the ideals of human rights, freedom and equality, their actual material reactions are more usually dictated by geopolitical 'noise', pre-conceived ideas of worth and the media attention-spans of individual elected leaders. Utilizing a wide-ranging quantitative analysis of media reporting across the globe, Patrick argues that an over-reliance on the Holocaust as the framing device we use to try and come to terms with such horrors can lead to slow responses, misinterpretation and category errors - in both Rwanda and Bosnia, much energy was expended trying to ascertain whether these regions qualified for 'genocide' status. The Reporting of Genocide demonstrates how such tragedies are reduced to stereotypes in the media - framed in terms of innocent victims and brutal oppressors - which can over-simplify the situation on the ground. This in turn can lead to mixed and inadequate responses from governments.
Reporting on Genocide also seeks to address how responses to genocides across the globe can be improved, and will be essential reading for policy-makers and for scholars of genocide and the media.
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Reporting Genocide: Media, Mass Violence and Human Rights
The Western world's responses to genocide have been slow, unwieldly and sometimes unfit for purpose. So argues David Patrick in this essential new contribution to the aid and intervention debate. While the UK and US have historically been committed to the ideals of human rights, freedom and equality, their actual material reactions are more usually dictated by geopolitical 'noise', pre-conceived ideas of worth and the media attention-spans of individual elected leaders. Utilizing a wide-ranging quantitative analysis of media reporting across the globe, Patrick argues that an over-reliance on the Holocaust as the framing device we use to try and come to terms with such horrors can lead to slow responses, misinterpretation and category errors - in both Rwanda and Bosnia, much energy was expended trying to ascertain whether these regions qualified for 'genocide' status. The Reporting of Genocide demonstrates how such tragedies are reduced to stereotypes in the media - framed in terms of innocent victims and brutal oppressors - which can over-simplify the situation on the ground. This in turn can lead to mixed and inadequate responses from governments.
Reporting on Genocide also seeks to address how responses to genocides across the globe can be improved, and will be essential reading for policy-makers and for scholars of genocide and the media.
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Reporting Genocide: Media, Mass Violence and Human Rights

Reporting Genocide: Media, Mass Violence and Human Rights

by David Patrick
Reporting Genocide: Media, Mass Violence and Human Rights

Reporting Genocide: Media, Mass Violence and Human Rights

by David Patrick

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$40.95 
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Overview

The Western world's responses to genocide have been slow, unwieldly and sometimes unfit for purpose. So argues David Patrick in this essential new contribution to the aid and intervention debate. While the UK and US have historically been committed to the ideals of human rights, freedom and equality, their actual material reactions are more usually dictated by geopolitical 'noise', pre-conceived ideas of worth and the media attention-spans of individual elected leaders. Utilizing a wide-ranging quantitative analysis of media reporting across the globe, Patrick argues that an over-reliance on the Holocaust as the framing device we use to try and come to terms with such horrors can lead to slow responses, misinterpretation and category errors - in both Rwanda and Bosnia, much energy was expended trying to ascertain whether these regions qualified for 'genocide' status. The Reporting of Genocide demonstrates how such tragedies are reduced to stereotypes in the media - framed in terms of innocent victims and brutal oppressors - which can over-simplify the situation on the ground. This in turn can lead to mixed and inadequate responses from governments.
Reporting on Genocide also seeks to address how responses to genocides across the globe can be improved, and will be essential reading for policy-makers and for scholars of genocide and the media.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781350248151
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date: 11/18/2021
Pages: 304
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.63(d)

About the Author

David Patrick is Post-Doctoral Researcher at the University of the Free State, South Africa. He completed his PhD in Modern History at Sheffield University.

Table of Contents

Chapter One
The Crime of Crimes?
Structure and Approach

Chapter Two
Bringing Darkness to Light: Anglo-American Awareness of the Holocaust, 1945-1995
The Liberation of the Camps – 1945
What was Uncovered
Media Responses to Liberation
Stylistic Themes in Reporting
General Responses to Press Disclosures
A Unique Response: Disbelief
A Landmark in Exposure to Genocide
Public Awareness of the Holocaust: 1945-1995
Immediate Post-War Period
The Diary of Anne Frank
The Trial of Adolf Eichmann
Holocaust
Schindler's List
Concluding Remarks

Chapter Three
Inconveniently Close: Anglo-American Coverage of the Bosnian War
Western Discourse Regarding the Balkans
Quantitative Analysis: Overall Findings of Bosnia Data Set
News Article Coverage
Front Page Coverage
Editorial, Comments and Letters Coverage
Period One: 1 August – 28 August 1992
Quantitative Findings: 1 – 28 August 1992
The Importance of Concentration Camp Imagery
Calls for Intervention
The Framing of Violence in the Balkans
Period Two: 29 January – 26 February 1994
Quantitative Findings: 29 January – 26 February 1994
Themes within Coverage
Confusing Victims and Perpetrators
Period Three: 7 July – 3 August 1995
Quantitative Findings: 7 July – 3 August 1995
Themes within Coverage
Period Four: 21 August – 18 September 1995
Quantitative Findings
Themes within Coverage
Concluding Remarks

Chapter Four
A Faraway People: Media Coverage of the Rwandan Genocide
Western Discourse Regarding Africa
Quantitative Findings
News Article Coverage
Front Page Coverage
Opinion Coverage
Themes within Coverage
Tribalism and Anarchy
Prospects of Intervention
Lack of Focus on the Genocide
Rare Instances of Press Focus
Western Evacuation
French Intervention
Refugee Crisis
Conclusion

Chapter Five
From Disbelief to Disinterest
Violence in the Media
The Holocaust in the Anglo-American World
Concluding Remarks
Appendix
Notes
Bibliography
Index

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