Walter C. Soderlund
Professor Emeritus, University of Windsor
Media Coverage of the Congo Wars and Darfur
Compared: Why Did the Media Fail the Congo?
Professor Soderlund will discuss the various factors underlying the gap in media coverage between the conflicts in Darfur
and the Congo, and in so doing assess the role of media in creating “a will to intervene” on the part of the international
community in what might perceived to be “far off” humanitarian crises.
Although neither conflict is fully resolved, associated death tolls are estimated to be as high as 5 million for the Congo, as
opposed to between 300,000 and 450,000 for Darfur. At the same time estimates point to far greater western media
coverage of Darfur. Over a six year period (2003 - 2008) Darfur had four times more coverage on U.S. television than that
of the Congo. In newspaper coverage of Darfur there was also more “advocacy” for international intervention than seen in
the Congo coverage. While not the sole factor, media did play a significant role in the formation of the Save Darfur
Coalition, one of the largest citizen advocacy groups in recent memory.
Thursday September 20, 2012
Hagey Hall, Room 341
11:30am – 1:00pm
Prof. Soderlund’s research focus has recently shifted to an examination of the role of mass media in prompting
international intervention in instances of humanitarian crises– the so-called “CNN effect.” In this line of research
is co-author of Humanitarian Crises and Intervention: Reassessing the Role of Mass Media and The Responsibility
to Protect in Darfur: The Role of Mass Media. His co-authored book on the Congo Wars, Africa’s Deadliest
Conflict: Media Coverage of the Humanitarian Crisis in the Congo and the United Nation’s Response was
published last month.
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