How International Organizations Change National Media Coverage of Human Rights

Bibliographic Data

ID7819971
AuthorsStephen Chaudoin (0000-0002-0471-6247, Harvard University, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume77
Issue1
Pages238-261
Publication date2023-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Organization (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0020-8183 • E-ISSN: 1531-5088
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0020818322000273
OpenAlexW4307203865
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited34

How do international organizations change the discussion of human rights violations, and how does their message reach the broader public? I show that national media is a key conduit. I analyze media coverage from the Philippines to show that the content of media coverage of the “war on drugs” changed after a major decision by the International Criminal Court. The ICC increased the proportion of media coverage focusing on human rights by triggering contestation between pro- and anti-human-rights actors. Original survey experimental evidence shows that this coverage shift blunts the effect of ICC actions on support for the war on drugs. This highlights an indirect role for international organizations in shaping media coverage and helps explain why they have struggled to win public opinion battles. Though their actions amplify the voices of human rights supporters, media coverage concurrently amplifies the voices of their opponents, which can crowd out coverage that might otherwise have decreased support for problematic polices

Human rights · Media coverage · Media studies · Political science · Politics · Public opinion · Public relations · Sociology · Law · Media Influence and Politics · Political Conflict and Governance · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies · Public Administration

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