School of Social and Political Science

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Promoting the voices of marginalised people involved in crisis situations across the globe - and highlighting neglected crises – can lead to new approaches for humanitarian journalists, according to a new book.

Dr Kate Wright from the School of Social and Political Science and partners have released a book examining alternative ways for the media to cover crises by researching the unique reporting practices of humanitarian journalists.

Humanitarian Journalists: Covering Crises from a Boundary is based on interviews with 150 journalists worldwide. It examines the political, economic, and social forces that sustain and influence humanitarian journalists. It argues that, by amplifying marginalised voices and providing critical, in-depth explanations of neglected crises, humanitarian journalists show that another kind of crisis reporting is possible.

Dr Wright and co-authors Martin Scott (University of East Anglia) and Mel Bunce (City, University of London) argue that conventional news coverage of crises is often selective, sporadic and formulaic. There are large disparities in the media attention given to different crises, which is often informed not by the number of people affected, but by the geo-political significance and resonance with journalistic news values. These disparities limit the amount of international political attention some crises receive - because politicians are under less pressure to act – and lead to less funding from international donors.

The authors explore the work of a group of increasingly influential humanitarian journalists who defy these conventional approaches to covering humanitarian crises. Their approach is informed by hybrid combinations of journalistic and humanitarian values, with a focus on reporting under-reported crises and amplifying marginalised perspectives. Adhering to the humanitarian idea of ‘moral equivalence’ - that all lives have equal worth - means that they cover humanitarian crises that do not correspond with conventional news values. Additionally, these journalists add value to mainstream news coverage by producing longer-form, informed and explanatory content.

However, while humanitarian journalists promote more effective and accountable humanitarian action, they often pay a heavy price for deviating from conventional journalistic norms – in the form of precarity, lack of professional recognition, and financial security.

The book forms part of a five-year interdisciplinary project, funded by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Independent Research Council. The impact of the project has included the research team giving advice on communication strategies to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UN's Development Programme, the UN's World Food Programme, the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Norwegian Refugee Council. They will meet with the UK Shadow Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, next month.

Download the book for free here.