Episodic versus thematic media framing of violence against social leaders and human rights defenders in Colombia

Social leaders and human rights defenders (SLHRD) in Colombia have been under increasing attack for defending the rights of communities affected by violence. From 2016 to 2022, over 600 SLHRD were assassinated, resulting in a serious violation of both individual and community human rights. The media...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of psychology Vol. 59; no. 3; pp. 390 - 397
Main Authors Correa‐Chica, Andrea, Caicedo‐Moreno, Angélica, Rincón‐Unigarro, Camilo, Castro‐Abril, Pablo, López‐López, Wilson
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.06.2024
Subjects
Armed conflict
Colombia
Human rights
Media framing
Social leaders
Media framing
Colombia
Human rights
Armed conflict
Social leaders
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Summary:Social leaders and human rights defenders (SLHRD) in Colombia have been under increasing attack for defending the rights of communities affected by violence. From 2016 to 2022, over 600 SLHRD were assassinated, resulting in a serious violation of both individual and community human rights. The media's portrayal of these attacks can shape public perceptions and influence efforts towards peacebuilding and promoting human rights. This study examines the media's framing of violence against SLHRD in Colombia between 2016 and 2020, a period marked by an escalation of violence after the signing of the 2016 peace accord between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). We analysed 1506 textual publications from seven media outlets using a lexicometric approach and identified two frames of news articles: episodic and thematic. Our findings suggest that the episodic media framing may present a simplistic and non‐political perspective of the issue, which can impede peacebuilding efforts, while the thematic frame can raise awareness of violence against SLHRD and promote human rights defence. Our study highlights the media's significant role in shaping public opinion on violence against SLHRD, offering practical implications for advocacy and activism.
Bibliography:The authors would like to thank the Evolution, Behaviour, and Culture research hotbed at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia. Special thanks to members Tomás Vega, Juliana Reyes, Juan Pablo Echeverry, Adrián Ortiz, Paula Andrea Dueñas, Santiago Cárdenas and Ana María Valencia for their collaboration in the data collection for this article. The research was funded by the Ministerio de Educación Nacional, Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo; Minciencias; and ICETEX through the Passport to Science Scholarship of the Colombia Science Program 2019. This scholarchip awared to Andrea Correa‐Chica contributes to Focus No. 4 Society, Challenge No. 1: Construction of a stable and lasting peace, Call No. 5 (Beca Pasaporte a la Ciencia del Programa Colombia Científica 2019, Convocatoria No. 5) for her doctoral studies. The research was also funded by The Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (PID2020‐115738GB‐I00, PSI2017‐84145‐P) and Predoctoral Research Grant PRE2018‐083265 to Pablo Castro‐Abril; the Basque Government (“Culture, Cognition, and Emotion” Consolidated Group [Ref.: IT1598‐22]) and the University of the Basque Country Call for Applications for Research Staff Training at the UPV/EHU: PIF 21/78 to Angélica Caicedo‐Moreno.
All authors contributed to the conceptualization and design of the research. Andrea Correa‐Chica, Camilo Rincón‐Unigarro and Wilson López‐López drafted, revised and edited the manuscript. Andrea Correa‐Chica, Angélica Caicedo‐Moreno and Pablo Castro‐Abril coordinated the data collection. Angélica Caicedo‐Moreno and Pablo Castro‐Abril processed and executed the data analysis. All authors reviewed, provided comments and approved the final manuscript.
ISSN:0020-7594
1464-066X
DOI:10.1002/ijop.13113