Beyond the humanitarian savior logics? UNHCR's public communication strategies for the Syrian and Central African crises

IF 1.4 3区文学 Q2 COMMUNICATION

International Communication Gazette Pub Date : 2022-05-06 DOI:10.1177/17480485221097966

David Ongenaert, Stijn Joye, D. Machin

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引用次数: 1

Abstract

Forcibly displaced people often face restrictive migration policies and stereotypical discourses. Therefore, this study analyzes UNHCR's public communication strategies towards the Syrian and Central African crises. Through a comparative-synchronic multimodal critical discourse analysis (MCDA) of UNHCR's (international) press releases (N = 28), news stories (N = 233), photos (N = 462) and videos (N = 50) of 2015, we examined its main representation and argumentation strategies. First, we found that UNHCR primarily represents forcibly displaced people in its press releases and news as victimized and/or voiceless masses, reproducing humanitarian savior and deservingness logics. However, stories, photos, and videos frequently portray them also as empowered individuals. This can be partially explained by media logics and political and private sector discourses and agenda-building opportunities. Moreover, UNHCR mainly voices pity-based and post-humanitarian Self-oriented solidarity discourses, and links protection to states’ (perceived) interests. Finally, these discursive strategies respond to dominant migration management paradigms and the increasingly neoliberalized, political realist international refugee regime (IRR).

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超越人道主义救世主的逻辑?难民署针对叙利亚和中非危机的公共传播战略

被迫流离失所的人经常面临限制性的移民政策和陈规定型的言论。因此，本研究分析了难民署对叙利亚和中非危机的公共沟通策略。通过对难民署（国际）新闻稿的比较同步多模式批评话语分析（MCDA）（N = 28），新闻报道（N = 233），照片（N = 462）和视频（N = 50），我们考察了它的主要表现形式和论证策略。首先，我们发现，难民署在其新闻稿和新闻中主要将被迫流离失所的人代表为受害和（或）无声的群众，再现了人道主义救世主和应受谴责的逻辑。然而，故事、照片和视频经常将他们描绘成有能力的人。这可以部分解释为媒体逻辑、政治和私营部门话语以及议程建设机会。此外，难民署主要表达基于怜悯和后人道主义的自我导向的团结话语，并将保护与国家（感知）利益联系起来。最后，这些话语策略回应了占主导地位的移民管理范式和日益自由化的政治现实主义国际难民制度。

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来源期刊

International Communication Gazette COMMUNICATION-

CiteScore

4.40

自引率

5.30%

发文量

期刊介绍： International Communication Gazette is a major international, peer-reviewed journal. It aims to contribute to a fuller knowledge and understanding of: -the structures and processes of international communication -the regulatory regimes in the field of international communication -the interaction between international and national flows of communication -the complexities of intercultural communication across national borders The International Communication Gazette seeks contributions that are international comparative in scope. The journal aims, wherever possible, to publish work by authors with an international reputation and contributions that are of interest to international audiences. The journal: -invites contributions that focus on international issues in the field of communication studies -seeks contributions comparing two or more countries or regions and only accept contributions on national issues in case the global significance of such issues is paramount -draws on high quality work from the international community of communication researchers -encourages innovative approaches to theoretical and methodological developments in the communications field -ensures that articles are written in transparent terminology and lucid style to render them accessible across the borders of specific disciplines