Breaking through the legal binary: Media Labelling of Dominic Ongwen as a victim–perpetrator
By: Steflja, I., Darden, J.T. and Wintersieck, A
.
Material type: 
BookPublisher: Social and Legal Studies: An International Journal Description: 33(3), Jun, 2024: p.443-466.Subject(s): Victim–perpetrator binary, armed groups, legal systems, media representations, law and society, International Criminal Court (ICC), Dominic Ongwen, child soldier, Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Uganda, content analysis, newspaper coverage, media influence, ICC prosecution, adult roles, LRA leader, narrative reproduction, complex status, trial coverage, non-Africa-based media, narrative challenge
In:
Social and Legal Studies: An International JournalSummary: Individuals formerly involved in armed groups are positioned in the victim–perpetrator binary by legal systems and societies. Media participates in this process and influences the relationship between law and society by reproducing or challenging legal and social designations. We assess the relationship between the International Criminal Court's (ICC) prosecution of Dominic Ongwen, a former child soldier in Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), and media representations of Ongwen. We conduct a content analysis of 779 Ugandan, African, and international newspapers’ English-language articles published between January 2005 and October 2022. We find that media coverage focuses on Ongwen's adult roles in the group, including as an LRA leader, largely reproducing the ICC's portrayal of the accused. A minority of articles acknowledge a more complex status and increase in frequency once Ongwen's ICC trial is underway. An important faction challenges the ICC's narrative, with non-Africa-based media presenting a more complex depiction of Ongwen.- Reproduced
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/09646639231195310
| Item type | Current location | Call number | Vol info | Status | Date due | Barcode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Articles
|
Indian Institute of Public Administration | 33(3), Jun, 2024: p.443-466 | Available | AR132521 |
Individuals formerly involved in armed groups are positioned in the victim–perpetrator binary by legal systems and societies. Media participates in this process and influences the relationship between law and society by reproducing or challenging legal and social designations. We assess the relationship between the International Criminal Court's (ICC) prosecution of Dominic Ongwen, a former child soldier in Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), and media representations of Ongwen. We conduct a content analysis of 779 Ugandan, African, and international newspapers’ English-language articles published between January 2005 and October 2022. We find that media coverage focuses on Ongwen's adult roles in the group, including as an LRA leader, largely reproducing the ICC's portrayal of the accused. A minority of articles acknowledge a more complex status and increase in frequency once Ongwen's ICC trial is underway. An important faction challenges the ICC's narrative, with non-Africa-based media presenting a more complex depiction of Ongwen.- Reproduced
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/09646639231195310
There are no comments for this item.