A concern for humanity? Anglo-American press coverage of Bosnia and Rwanda, 1992–1995

This article provides findings from a detailed analysis concerning Anglo-American newspaper coverage of the conflicts in Bosnia (1992–1995) and Rwanda (1994). A comparison of the response to both crises evidences three things. First, Rwanda received less attention than Bosnia despite the former witn...

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Published in:	International politics (Hague, Netherlands) Netherlands), 2016-01, Vol.53 (1), p.138-153
Main Author:	Patrick, David
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Annan, Kofi Assassinations & assassination attempts Crises Development Studies Disasters Foreign Policy Genocide International Political Economy International Relations Mass media violence News coverage Original Article Participation Political Science Political Science and International Relations Political Science and International Studies Press Qualitative methods Sovereignty Victims Violence
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Summary:	This article provides findings from a detailed analysis concerning Anglo-American newspaper coverage of the conflicts in Bosnia (1992–1995) and Rwanda (1994). A comparison of the response to both crises evidences three things. First, Rwanda received less attention than Bosnia despite the former witnessing more deaths in a shorter time frame. Second, the violence was only of primary concern in specific instances with other issues, such as Western involvement, often being prioritised. Third, to varying degrees, the victims were often caricatured or otherwise marginalised. The findings therefore ask us to consider factors such as the qualitative nature of the violence, proximity of the violence, and perception of the victims when trying to interpret Anglo-American media responses to mass violence. It seems that genocide in itself is not always deemed important enough to warrant coverage, the implications of which need to be factored into future thinking on the Responsibility to Protect.
ISSN:	1384-5748 1740-3898