Compassion Fatigue and the Famine Formula The Horn of Africa, 2011

Compassion Fatigue: Analysts of journalism argue that the media has caused widespread compassion fatigue in society by saturating newspapers and news shows with often decontextualized images and stories of suffering This has caused the public to become cynical, or become resistant to helping people who are suffering.

The Image as Message Image as metonym – part stands in for the whole Single image seen to explain the whole event This is especially the case with “atrocity pictures”

Simple, iconic images of famine – distilling down the story Personifications that help to explain events, with victims, heroes, and villains

Images can have a didactic function, serve to focus the audience’s attention But this attention is not sustained, is short-term What effect do these images have on audiences?

Simple images lend to simple conclusions about the causes of famine Contribute to causes of famine being attributed to nature “Simple emergency” Natural disaster

But what if famine is a “complex emergency”? The natural versus the human-made Complex causes such as war, economic breakdown

Examples of other “complex emergencies” linked to famine 1941–44 Leningrad (Today’s St. Petersburg) famine Caused by a 900-day blockade by German troops during WWII About one million Leningrad residents starved, froze, or were bombed to death in the winter of 1941–42, when supply routes to the city were cut off and temperatures dropped to −40 degrees

News –values “If it bleeds, it leads” Scott Bob, Somalia 1992 “My editor wants us to get the sounds of death” Framing the emergency in particular ways

Media Structures Famines happen to Others Stereotyped images Stock phrases Common abstractions Reinforcing established ways of interpreting news Drawing on reserves of stories already told

The Famine Formula 1. People must be starving to death 2. Causes and solutions must be simplified 3. Famine story told as morality play between good and evil 4. There must be images

The 4-Stage Chronological Pattern 1. The famine is imminent 2. Progression of starvation 3. Precipitating event leads to moral call-to- action 4. If no other major international or national event takes its place in popular imaginary, then becomes cultural and moral bellwether (frontrunner, leader)

Victims Women and children Rarely given voice, but are often photographed Images of innocence

Heroes Generally Western Intervene to provide humanitarian aid Eg. Medecins Sans Frontieres Doctors, nurses, aid workers Given extensive voice in coverage

Villains Those who prevent humanitarian aid from being distributed Eg. “Warlords” Villains become more a part of the story as it unfolds

The “Archetypical Famine” Ethiopia, 1984 Several years of drought Domestic priorities Mengistu Haile Mariam leader of government 46% of national budget spent on arms Decade earlier, overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie Estimated that between 400,000 and one million people died

The Media Influence Brian Stewart CBC Ethiopia m/watch?v=tFPr- zAXNuc m/watch?v=tFPr- zAXNuc Brian Stewart on Birhan Woldu, ground/ethiopia ground/ethiopia

Michel Buerk BBC report on the famine in Ethiopia m/watch?v=mj2jf0US8z I m/watch?v=mj2jf0US8z I

“Maybe one of the most important and influential pieces of news ever broadcasted.” Buerk's autobiography says it made the Australian PM weep in public and started a massive international aid operation

Popular Culture Responds to the Crisis Also inspired Bob Geldof (with Midge Ure from Ultravox) to write “Do They Know It’s Christmas”, released 7 December /watch?v=w5cX_ncZLls /watch?v=w5cX_ncZLls The fastest selling single ever Raised ₤8 million

Inspired USA for Africa’s “We are the World.” m/watch?v=M9BNoNFK CBI m/watch?v=M9BNoNFK CBI

Live Aid 13 July simultaneous concerts Wembley Stadium, London, UK – approximately 72,000 people JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, US – approximately 100,000 people

The Communication Link Large scale satellite links and live TV broadcasts mean watched by a global audience in 150 nations of an estimated 1.9 million people At one stage, claim that 95% of all TVs were tuned in Imagine making this happen in the time before Twitter, cell phones, etc.

Joan Baez, on stage in US: “This is your Woodstock and it is long overdue.”

Show Me the Money Geldof had hoped to raise ₤1 million (around $2.4 million US) Actually raised ₤150 million Acts include (UK) U2, Queen, The Who, Paul McCartney and (US) Madonna, Bob Dylan, CSNY, Ozzy Osborne

Somalia Famine of 1992

Live 8 Make Poverty History Snap UK Ad m/watch?v=nFx9cINLQ oc m/watch?v=nFx9cINLQ oc US AD m/watch?v=3mJU58A9 SNc&feature=related m/watch?v=3mJU58A9 SNc&feature=related

Famine Today Horn of Africa – including Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan – 2011 Said to be the most widespread in 25 years nternational/hottopic/4 060/ nternational/hottopic/4 060/

2011 The F Word: Famine is the Real Obscenity (US) m/watch?v=dzcRSr6PW _o m/watch?v=dzcRSr6PW _o one.org ernational/ ernational/

Compare and Contrast Live Aid Live 8