The normalisation of violence in news media: An exploration of news journalists' role in the promotion and protection of peace and human rights, with an Australian case study

This book investigates and discusses news journalists' role in the promotion and protection of peace and human rights. News journalists do not just have the ability, through the discursive selections they make, to be a catalyst for peace and non-violent solutions, it is their obligation under international human rights. This argument rests on the idea that objectivity or impartiality in news journalism does not automatically equal ethical neutrality, instead it can normalise violence. The author uses a Conflict Analysis framework to examine the findings and the recommendations in the 2004 Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission's (HREOC) report “A Last Resort?” and Discourse Analysis to examine the media coverage the report received when published. The report was a testament of human rights violations by the Australian Federal Government towards children in Australian detention centres. The author concludes by exploring alternatives to the coverage using a Peace Journalism framework. The discussion and analysis in this book is relevant to disciplines or professions that deal with, or are affected by, the representation of violence, human rights and conflicts.