Hierarchy of death explained

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 outweigh foreign deaths, deaths in the developed world outweigh deaths in the developing world, deaths of whites outweigh deaths of darker skinned people, and deaths in ongoing conflicts garner relatively little media attention.[2] [3] [4] [5]

Explanations

The phenomenon has been linked to a variety of factors, including stereotypes about different groups of people, familiarity with the deceased, and several psychological theories, such as collapse of compassion, psychic numbing, and disaster fatigue.[6]

Commentary

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 also critiqued the phenomenon in media reactions to the Boston Marathon bombings.[7] [8]

NPR discussed the disparity in media coverage between the 2015 Beirut bombings and the November 2015 Paris attacks, which happened within a day of each other.[9] [10]

Scottish journalist Allan Massie has also written on the topic.[11]

Similar phenomena

The hierarchy of death has been compared to missing white woman syndrome.[12]

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Keating . Joshua . 2013-04-22 . Is it wrong to care more about 4 deaths in Boston than 80 in Syria? . Ideas.foreignpolicy.com . 2013-04-29.
  2. News: Greenslade. Roy. 2007-04-19. A hierarchy of death. Guardian. London. 2013-04-29.
  3. News: Karpf. Anne. 2001-11-28. Anne Karpf: The hierarchy of death. The Guardian. London. 2013-04-29.
  4. Web site: Goldberg. Jeffrey. July 23, 2014. Obsessing About Gaza, Ignoring Syria (And Most Everything Else). May 29, 2015. The Atlantic.
  5. Web site: R. L. W.. G. D.. August 12, 2014. Comparing conflicts. May 29, 2015. The Economist.
  6. Book: Slovic. Paul. If I Look at the Mass I Will Never Act: Psychic Numbing and Genocide . 2010. Emotions and Risky Technologies. The International Library of Ethics, Law and Technology Emotions and Risky Technologies. The International Library of Ethics, Law and Technology . 5 . 37-59. 10.1007/978-90-481-8647-1_3. 1794/18947. 978-90-481-8646-4 . free.
  7. Web site: March 30, 2011 . Sian murder says a lot about media's values . London Evening Standard .
  8. Web site: April 24, 2013 . The hierarchy of death: Boston's bombings shock us more than the silent drone war in Pakistan. But should they? . The Telegraph . https://web.archive.org/web/20130427193928/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/allanmassie/100069061/the-hierarchy-of-death-bostons-bombings-shock-us-more-than-the-silent-drone-war-in-pakistan-but-should-they/ . dead . April 27, 2013 .
  9. News: Paris, Beirut, and the Language Used to Describe Terrorism. Ajaka. Nadine. The Atlantic. 2018-02-21. en-US.
  10. News: Is There A Hierarchy Of The Importance Of Death In The News Business?. NPR.org. 2018-02-17.
  11. Web site: Massie . Allan . Allan Massie . 16 April 2013 . Allan Massie: Keep Boston bombings in perspective . The Scotsman . May 29, 2015.
  12. News: Jones . Owen . 2013-04-21 . Owen Jones: Our shameful hierarchy - some deaths matter more than others - Comment - Voices . The Independent . London . 2013-04-29.

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