Home Institution
The George Washington University
Publication Date
Spring 2009
Abstract
The atrocities of armed conflicts such as those in Israel’s Gaza Strip and the Darfur region of Sudan are not reaching and affecting Westerners as clearly and potently as they should, considering the technological capabilities of today’s international news media. In this paper, I will argue that media coverage of armed conflict in the developing world is stifled by the politics of international and transnational news media organizations and the unique challenges and limitations to local news organizations at the site of conflict. Private interests, financial constraints, and physical and political limitations cause global media to emphasize mainly the violent phase of conflict instead of the build up and reconstruction, reducing public attention on prevention and long-term needs. Local media faces different challenges like governmental manipulation, lack of resources, and safety hazards. While international politics may convince journalists that there is a clear perpetrator and victim, they must emphasize the scale of human suffering, no matter who is suffering, and check facts and claims with varied, balanced sources.
Disciplines
Communication Technology and New Media | Mass Communication | Peace and Conflict Studies
Recommended Citation
Moran, Marissa, "Vital Correspondence: Analyzing Local and International Media Coverage of Armed Conflict" (2009). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 611.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/611
Included in
Communication Technology and New Media Commons, Mass Communication Commons, Peace and Conflict Studies Commons
Program Name
Switzerland: International Studies, Organizations and Social Justice