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

Bibliographic Data

ID21337271
AuthorsAndrea Correa‐chica (0000-0003-2936-5137, Department of Social Psychology, Basic Psychology and Methodology, Faculty of Psychology University of Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela Spain), Angélica Caicedo‐Moreno (0000-0002-2783-9522, Department of Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) San Sebastián Spain), Camilo Rincón‐unigarro (0000-0001-5025-6635, Facultad de Psicología y Ciencias del Comportamiento Universidad de la Sabana Chía Colombia), Pablo Castro‐Abril (0000-0001-9074-3921, Department of Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) San Sebastián Spain), Wilson López-López (0000-0002-2964-0402, Departamento de Psicología Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Bogotá Colombia, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume59
Issue3
Pages390-397
Publication date2024-06-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0020-7594 • E-ISSN: 1464-066X
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ijop.13113
PMID38266655
OpenAlexW4391160372
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited23

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

Criminology · Framing (construction) · Geography · Human rights · Media studies · Peacebuilding · Perception · Political science · Political violence · Politics · Public opinion · Public relations · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Thematic analysis · Conflict, Peace, and Violence in Colombia · Law · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Psychology · Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research

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