Human Rights Journalism: A Critical Conceptual Framework

Abstract

Human rights journalism is often associated with the reporting of human rights abuses, especially against the victims of political violence, and sometimes with freedom of expression, also a fundamental human right, which is enjoyed, denied or abused by journalists. While these two conceptualisations of human rights journalism are equally important, it is the third one, journalism for all human beings, regardless of race, nationality, race, gender or geographical location, that is the most important — and hence the focus of this book. Nevertheless, the first two conceptualisations of human rights journalism — free speech and reporting human rights conditions (good or bad) — are also very important as they are indispensable to the realisation of the third conceptualisation of achieving journalism for all. Moreover, the first two conceptualisations demonstrate the extent to which journalism or mass media are connected to human rights. The mass media-human rights nexus involves two different yet overlapping elements: first, the existence of independent and free media to communicate information to citizens, make them aware of certain human rights and claim them; and, second, the extent to which media organisations report on human rights situations such as cases of violation or protection. A country is generally said to respect and protect its people’s human rights if it allows the two elements of the mass media and human rights nexus: free press and the unhindered reporting of human rights conditions (Caliendo, 2009).