Hierarchy of death

Hierarchy of death is a phrase used by journalists, social scientists, and academics to describe disproportionate amounts of media attention paid to various incidents of death around the world.[1]

Themes

Definitions of the hierarchy of death vary but several themes remain consistent in terms of media coverage: domestic deaths trump foreign deaths, deaths in the developed world trump deaths in the developing world, deaths of whites trump deaths of darker skinned people, and deaths in ongoing conflicts garner relatively little media attention.[2][3][4][5]

History

British media commentator Roy Greenslade has been credited with coining the term while writing on the newsworthiness of those who died during The Troubles. Greenslade continues to critique the phenomenon including media reactions to the Boston Marathon bombings.[6][7]

Scottish journalist Allan Massie also writes frequently on the topic.[7][8]

Similar phenomenon

The hierarchy of death has been compared to missing white woman syndrome.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Keating, Joshua (2013-04-22). "Is it wrong to care more about 4 deaths in Boston than 80 in Syria?". Ideas.foreignpolicy.com. Retrieved 2013-04-29.
  2. ↑ Greenslade, Roy (2007-04-19). "A hierarchy of death". London: Guardian. Retrieved 2013-04-29.
  3. ↑ Karpf, Anne (2001-11-28). "Anne Karpf: The hierarchy of death". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-04-29.
  4. ↑ Goldberg, Jeffrey (July 23, 2014). "Obsessing About Gaza, Ignoring Syria (And Most Everything Else)". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  5. ↑ R. L. W.; G. D. (August 12, 2014). "Comparing conflicts". The Economist. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Sian murder says a lot about media's values". London Evening Standard. March 30, 2011.
  7. 1 2 "The hierarchy of death: Boston's bombings shock us more than the silent drone war in Pakistan. But should they?". The Telegraph. April 24, 2013.
  8. ↑ Massie, Allan (16 April 2013). "Allan Massie: Keep Boston bombings in perspective". The Scotsman. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  9. ↑ Jones, Owen (2013-04-21). "Owen Jones: Our shameful hierarchy - some deaths matter more than others - Comment - Voices". London: The Independent. Retrieved 2013-04-29.

Further reading


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