Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Media coverage of the african continent
Media coverage of the african continent Introduction This thesis contemplates long standing issues surrounding media coverage of the African continent. Previous studies have shown a systematic trend amongst Western journalists to depict current events in developing nations, particularly African nations, from a negative and oversimplified perspective. It examines why important events in less-developed parts of the world often have their reality distorted in the Western media. Unfortunate precedence has shown that this is particularly relevant to the Western media in the context of its questionable conduct in covering the African continent. The media portrayal of the unrest in Sudans troubled Darfur region appears to reflect the errors that often lurk amidst the work of journalists covering humanitarian catastrophes in distant lands. In spite of Gà ©rard Pruniers assessment of the violence as the â€Å"quintessential ‘African crisis: esoteric, extremely violent, rooted in complex ethnic and historical factors which few understood, and devoid of any identifiable practical interest for rich countries,†Darfur generated an unanticipated amount of interest in the West. It quickly became the cause cà ©là ¨bre amongst people on both sides of the political divide. Darfurs power to transcend politics was most apparent in April 2006 as thousands of Americans converged into the nations capital to appeal for greater action to end the alleged genocide in Sudan. Republican senators joined Democrats such as Barack Obama to urge the Bush administration to take a more decisive approach to tackle the crisis and help refu ges escaping the violence. Although the event attracted prominent speakers including celebrities, politicians, athletes and Noble Peace Prize winners such as Elie Wiesel, the bulk of the crowd was comprised of ordinary Americans who donned blindfolds to urge political decision makers not to look away from the atrocities taking place in Darfur. The medias part in this event cannot be overstated. As conflicts in remote areas of the globe have little impact on the lives of ordinary Western citizens, regardless of the magnitude of the violence, the extent to which an ordinary person knows and cares is entirely contingent on the level of media coverage a conflict is granted. As such, the mass media has massive power in shaping both a governments foreign policy and the publics imagination of situations around the globe. The medias influence in determining the perception of the Darfur conflict was particularly immeasurable because in most instances it was the only image outside observers in the West received of the crisis itself. As a consequence of the medias attentiveness to the unfolding catastrophe in Sudan, they were able to spark a sophisticated and popular human rights campaign. Coupled with advocacy organizations such as the Save Darfur Coalition, an unlikely alliance of liberal and conservative groups, the mainstream med ia in the United States exposed their audiences to the atrocities that were unfolding in the Sub-Saharan nation. Yet, as Darfur burst onto the worlds consciousness in mid-2004 and became the Western medias darling as far as coverage was concerned, depressingly similar outbreaks of violence in Africa at the time, including in Uganda and the Congo, were all but overlooked. As such, this thesis aims to understand how a ‘quintessential African crisis became an international issue that garnered Western empathy and generated an unexpected level of press interest. Essentially, how did an internal crisis in a remote area of Sudan, where the concerns were primarily local, manage to capture the attention of campaigners and writers in the West? If we are to accept Susan Moellers claims that audience sympathies towards foreign deaths have hardened, and that the American public is largely interested in news events related to their own country, how did the narrative of Darfur, a story that does not contain an obvious American connection, overcome public apathy when other tragediesinAfricaare often unab le to? To better understand why Darfur was prioritized in the Western media and to better ascertain why certain foreign events became news the way they do, this thesis will examine the media press coverage of Darfur in the Washington Post and the New York Times during the first three years of the conflict. These two American newspapers were initially chosen for this study because of their high circulation numbers (601,669 and 1.65 million respectively) and the value that both these media organizations place on covering international affairs despite their opposing political leanings. Moreover, during the preliminary selection process to decide which newspapers to analyze in this thesis, it quickly became evident that compared to their rivals, the Washington Post and the New York Times had not employed news wire services such as Reuters and the Associated Press for their articles. These two American newspapers mostly relied upon their own correspondents and journalists to deliver stories from the ground, either from Sudan itself or from neighboring Chad. In addition to the published articles from the Washington Post and the New York Times, Britains Guardian newspaper has been included in this study for critical examination as it offers a unique opportunity to investigate whether a newspapers national affiliation and political culture has any impact on the presentation of the Darfur issue. Methodological Approach And Organization Of This Thesis This thesis is divided into five sections. The second chapter will address the fundamental question: how did the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Guardian report on the Darfur conflict and what were the prominent themes and media framing devices evident in their articles? This chapter will examine the content (what the journalists covered) and the form (how the journalists covered the conflict). Due to the scope of examining three newspapers over a three year period, this thesis will concentrate on critical moments in media reportage of the Darfur disaster. As such, this chapter and the thesis at large is not a quantitative study of the media treatment of Darfur. Rather, it merely attempts to highlight the peaks and lows of media coverage in order to ascertain the reasons behind the fluctuating press interest. Five decisive moments will be studied: 2003 in its entirety, April 2004, June 2004, September 2004 and January 2005 The third chapter will provide an extensive critique of the media representation of the violence in Darfur and scrutinize the themes that emerged from the three newspapers in question. The purpose of this particular section is to address whether the Western newspapers in question appropriately covered or mishandled the Darfur crisis. By exploring the construction of Arab and African identity in the Sudanese context, this thesis will analyze and explain how through the use of emotive language and framing, the American press were able to create and solidify a misleading image of the crisis as a genocidal campaign instigated by Arabs against an indigenous African population. It will address the controversy surrounding Darfurs genocide status under international law. With this objective in mind, this thesis will refer to ‘genocide only as it was defined by the United Nations in 1948. This chapter also seeks to expose important dimensions to the conflict that many journalists overlo oked as they peddled one convenient version of the violence at the expense of critical evidence. The latter part of the thesis will draw upon seminal postcolonial theory to explain why Darfur captured the public imagination and the attention of Western journalists. It will examine whether the medias interest and frequent misrepresentation of Darfur can be read in the larger context of a new Orientalist discourse. This chapter will also endeavor to explore the possible reasons and motives behind the Western media interest in Darfur. Literature Review Foreign news stories related to the African continent are often characterized by images of tribal warfare, rampant disease, political instability, famine and despotic regimes. These unpleasant misrepresentations of African issues have been closely studied since the ‘New World Information and Communication Order debates of the 1970s. The historical media debates were instigated by developing non-aligned states as a response to the lopsided transfer of mass communication content from Western nations to poorer nations that often reflected the preferences of Western news agencies. Scholars such as Hassan M. El Zein, Anne Cooper and Melissa Wall have all acknowledged its relevance to contemporary media discussions. These scholars insist that the tendency amongst Western media organizations to disproportionately focus on the negative, the violent and the exotic when it comes to covering developing regions and particularly African issues did not end with the great media debates of the 1970s. Their findings are not dissimilar to Abiodun Goke-Pariolas contention that the Africa continent as a whole suffers from a long practice of media neglect and when African issues are eventually acknowledged in the Western press, the stories and images are permeated with stereotypes and tropes that have persisted since the time of slavery and imperialism. The fifty-three distinct nations that make the African continent are often treated as a homogenous entity comprised of uncivilized heathens who are unable to govern themselves. If and when Africans are shown in the western media, Goke-Pariola argues that they are regularly portrayed to be poor, helpless and malnourished. Michael Maren points out that such graphic descriptions and imagery work to advance the notion that the inhabitants of African are reliant on the compassionate West for their survival. Whilst reports in the Western press about conflicts on the African continent are frequently crisis-driven in such a way as to insinuate that the inhabitants are naturally more prone to violence, journalists rarely make mention of the Wests connection to the violence. In his article titled American Media and African Culture, Bosah Ebo emphasizes the lack of historical context in media stories about the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Ebo notes that Western journalists covering Rwanda repeatedly failed to make the association between the ongoing civil war and the impact of the Belgian colonial legacy of politicizing Rwandan ethnicity by pitting Hutus against Tutsis in their ‘divide and rule strategy. Instead, the genocide was portrayed as another African crisis fuelled by irrational tribal hatred. Wall echoes similar sentiments in a comparative study of the Rwandan and Bosnian crises. In her analysis of American newspaper coverage of the two conflicts, Wall found that whilst the ethnically motivated violence in Bosnia was framed as an aberration for Europeans, despite the largest genocide occurring in Germany, the conflict in Rwanda was portrayed as standard behavior for Africans. David Gordon and Howard Wolpe have claimed that this level of misinterpretation and formulaic media treatment of the African ‘continent as little more than a gigantic basket case leaves Western audiences with an unconscious sense of cultural, intellectual and political superiority. As most Americans have never visited Africa and probably never will, the images of the African continent that most Americans hold to be real and authentic come courtesy of the media. This view of Africa as the ‘dark continent is primarily based on press coverage and is also ‘an outgrowth of a deeply burie d, fundamental set of cultural assumptions about race and civilization that have been building in Western culture for at least four hundred years. Despite this extensive scholarship on the mass medias portrayal of Africa, modest research exits in the field of Darfur and the media. Much like David Campbells Geopolitics and Visuality: Sighting the Darfur conflict, this thesis is limited to the study of contemporary events in Western Sudan. In his study of the photo-journalism of the Darfur conflict, Campbell found that most photos were graphic images of starving and dying women and babies in refugee camps. Unlike Campbells study however, this thesis attempts to go beyond content analysis that largely corroborates prior studies on media casing of African issues. It endeavors to comprehend the outpouring of humanitarian good will that the atrocities in Darfur produced in the West and the possibility that strategic geopolitical interests played a role in the medias intense interest in the conflict. Pippa Norris, Politics and the Press: The News Media and Their Influences (Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1997), 23; Eronini R. Megwa and Ike S. Ndolo, â€Å"Media image and development: political and economic implications of U. S. media coverage of Africa,†in Development and democratization in the Third World: myths, hopes, and realties, ed. Kenneth E. Bauzon (Washington: Crane Russak, 1992), 267-272. Gà ©rard Prunier, Darfur: the ambiguous genocide (New York: Cornell University Press, 2005), 124. For a detailed analysis of media power and the CNN effect, the theory that postulates that the modern mass media have a significant bearing on the conduct of foreign policy, see Piers Robinson, â€Å"Operation Restore Hope and the Illusion of a News Driven Media Intervention.†Political Studies 49 (2001): 942. Prunier, Darfur: the ambiguous genocide, 124. Susan D. Moeller, Compassion fatigue: how the media sell disease, famine, war, and death (London: Routledge, 1999), 11. William Preston, Jr., Edward S. Herman, and Herbert I. Schiller, Hope folly: the United States and Unesco, 1945-1985 (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1989), 296. A.Goke-Pariola, Africa in the â€Å"New World Order†: Old Assumptions, Myths, and Reality, available from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED347842; [24 June 2009] Michael Maren, The road to hell: the ravaging effects of foreign aid and international charity (New York: Free Press, 1997), 13. Bosah Ebo, â€Å"American Media and African Culture†in Africas media image, ed.Beverly G. Hawk (New York: Praeger, 1992), 18. Ibid. Melissa Wall, â€Å"A pernicious new strain of the Old Nazi virus and an orgy of tribal slaughter: A comparison of US news magazine coverage of the crises in Bosnia and Rwanda.†59 (1997): 411-428 David F.Gordon, Howard Wolpe, â€Å"The Other Africa: An End to Afro-Pessimism.†World Policy Journal 15 (1998): 9 E. J. Murphy, The African Mythology: Old and New. (Storrs, CT: World Education Project, 1973), 1. David Campbell, â€Å"Geopolitics and visuality: Sighting the Darfur conflict,†Political Geography 26, (2007): 357-382.
Sunday, January 19, 2020
A Cry In The Night :: essays research papers
BOOK TALK Mary Higgins Clark -      ¡Ã‚ §A Cry In The Night ¡Ã‚ ¨ First impressions of book -     I wish I was Jenny at the beginning ¡K o     She had the perfect boyfriend. o     It described him as good looking, kind, and very gentlemen like. o     He would take her to fancy restaurants. -     The beginning of the book was pleasant and made me wonder what was wrong because it seemed so perfect. Plot -     Summary -     It foreshadowed a little bit. o     Erich ¡Ã‚ ¦s mother was an artist that painted. Erich was a painter also. Erich put his name on her work and got credit for it. - I was able to follow along easily in this book. Predictions -     Right predictions o     Something has to be wrong with Erich, he ¡Ã‚ ¦s too perfect. o     I was right because he was killing people. -     Wrong predictions o     Jenny was hallucinating. o     I was wrong because it was really happening. Relating to Text -     Self: o     Jenny was pregnant. I ¡Ã‚ ¦m pregnant. She got involved with the wrong guy. And well I got involved with the wrong guy also. o     Jenny and Erich lived in a small town. I live in a small town. Gossip was always going around; Stratton is just like that. -     World: o     Erich put his name on someone else ¡Ã‚ ¦s work. People today do it all the time. -     Text: o     Lots of murders happen in Mary ¡Ã‚ ¦s books. o     Also there are movies that are sort of like it. Secret Window. Figurative Language -     Personification o      ¡Ã‚ §Wind whispered through the trees, stirring the naked branches into the restless movement. „X     Wind was given the human-like characteristic of whispering. -     Metaphorical Personification o      ¡Ã‚ §That red is perfect against your hair. Dark could on scarlet. Like dark secrets in a scarlet women. „X     Red was given a human-like characteristic with a comparison.
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Are Zoos Cruel or Educational Essay
Zoos are cruel because of recent incidents that have happened creating the deaths and injuries of some animals. In the 2005 DreamWorks move, Madagascar, a group of zoo animals wanted to leave the zoo for a day to explore New York little did they know there one day escape turned into an adventure greater than they could have every imagine. While exploring New York they were accidentally shipped to the island of Madagascar. Though they were among other animals that look like them, the four friends found themselves totally out sync with the real world. Living in the zoo sheltered them from their ability to live in their natural habitat. Although zoos are educational, animals are held in captivity unable to live and thrive in their natural habitat. Zoo keepers, scientist and animal groups continue to debate the issue with zoos being either place of education and entertainment or unnecessary prisons. While some people argue that zoos play an important role in conservation and research, others counter that they do more harm than good. Zoos have been entertaining people with exotic animal collections since 1250 BC with Egyptian records describing different species of animals in captivity behind bars (Nationalgeographic. com). The Imperial Menagerie in Vienna, Austria was the first modern zoo established in 1752. There are thousands of zoos around the world today. Overtime, zoos have improved the environment for zoo animals from steel bar enclosures and cold cement cages to illusions mimicking the animals’ natural habitat with moats and ditches that separate the animals from people who visit the zoo. Zoos are going beyond keeping animals alive in captivity. They have become more involved in conserving wild animals, reintroducing endangered species, and restoring habitats (Nationalgeographic. com). So why do scientist and animal groups believe that zoos are far from entertaining and educational? While conditions have improved for zoos by creating a natural habitat for animals critics continue to argue that the spacing available is not enough. Animals like zebras, giraffes and gazelles were designed to run across miles of open terrain, not live out their lives in captivity. Despite a zoo’s best efforts, its animals often are deprived of privacy, confined to inadequate spaces and unable to engage in natural hunting and mating activities. Forced to live in man-made constructs, many animals began to display obsessive, repetitive behaviors (Fact Sheet on Zoos). David Hancocks, a zoo consultant and former zoo director, describes the natural-looking zoo inhabit as mere illusions, arguing that they’re not much of an improvement in terms of space (www. time. com). Many captive animals exhibit signs of severe distress: People have witnessed elephants bobbing their heads, bears pacing back and forth and wild cats obsessively grooming themselves (www. time. com). This display of behavior has caused some animals to act out either among themselves or humans. SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed on February 24, 2010 after being attacked by the killer whale â€Å"Tilikum†at Shamu Stadium in Orlando, Florida during a live performance. The whale dragged her underwater, toying with her until her death. Brancheau was described as one of the best in her profession. So what went wrong? Until behavior records are closely examined as to what led the whale to kill the trainer the question remains (www. time. com). In December 2007, â€Å"Tatiana, a 4-year-old Siberian tiger, escaped from its enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo and killed one teen and injured two others on Christmas afternoon†(Chua-Eoan). There have been many articles about zoos keepers neglecting animals and displaying other acts of mistreatment. The most recent article comes from a zoo director being charged with animal cruelty. Meghan Mogensen, 27 year old zoo director allegedly drowned a wounded wallaby in a bucket of water after suffering from an eye injury in his pen at the zoo (Daily News). In conclusion, although zoos have created natural-looking environments for animals, in my opinion, I believe it is cruel to house animals in captivity. The incidents mentioned above is proof to why animals need to be able to hunt and roam in the wild which cannot be created by a zoo. There is no reason why innocent lives are continually lost for the sake of research, education, or entrainment. So what is your opinion on zoos?
Friday, January 3, 2020
Essay on Criminally Colored - 1234 Words
Gray can pass as black or white; this statement does not make logical sense to anyone who knows the color spectrum. So why would it make sense that someone of mixed-race could pass as either white or black in apartheid South Africa. During apartheid, South Africa was divided into three racial classes: White, Colored, and Black. Furthermore, the determination of class was based purely on physical characteristics and assigned by government administration. Some argue that it was actually an advantage for people to be of mixed-race, or colored, in South Africa so that they could enjoy the freedom of any racial class and pass in any situation. However, this stance does not take into account the reality faced by Colored individuals. In†¦show more content†¦This is one of the textual supports in â€Å"You Can’t Get Lost in Cape Town†that demonstrates being of colored did not allow Sally to pass in any situation. Later in the short story, there is another episode that also shows that despite being colored did not allow Sally to pass any situation. â€Å"I am anxious about meeting Michael. We have planned this so carefully for the rush hour when people storming home crossly will not notice us together in the crush;†this quote demonstrates the strategic planning that Sally and Michael must do in order to even be seen together in public (Wicomb 397). If being Coloured meant that Sally could pass with Whites or Blacks, she would not need to take such measures to simply meet with Michael at the local post office. These two situations clearly disprove that because of the racial designation colored folks could pass with any racial class. Ms. Wicomb also supports the disadvantage of being colored using the Mixed Marriage Act of 1949 in various ways in the text to show the limits imposed by the racial barrier. The Mixed Marriage Act of 1949 was the first major apartheid legislation passed in South Africa. The term mixed marriage referred to any union between â€Å"Whites and any other racial group†(South African History Online). Ms. Wicomb demonstrates the reality of the mixed marriage act when Michael and Sally face an unplanned pregnancy. Michael reacts by saying â€Å"he grinned madly and said, â€Å"We must marry†(WicombShow MoreRelatedPlessy v. Ferguson Essay766 Words  | 4 Pagesimprisoned. With the help of police officers they hurried him off the train and took him immediately to the county Parishs office. In New Orleans there held to answer a charge made by such officer the effect that he was guilty of having criminally violating an act of the general assembly of the state, approved on July 10,1890, in such case made and provided. 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