This paper describes work that is underway to develop a framework for the analysis of media flows from periphery to centre — the phenomenon known in globalisation studies as ‘contra-flow’. The framework proposed in this paper challenges the fundamentals of current studies of peripheral exports, which arguably fail to consider Western resistance involved in the representation of peripheral networks due to the presumption that ‘contra-flow’ single-handedly supports the cultural heterogenisation paradigm. The paper suggests that this presumption is outdated, particularly in light of growing tensions in the wake of 9/11, and that ‘contraflows’ which threaten the West can promote cross-cultural polarisation beside heterogenisation. The paper argues that researchers would be in a better position to identify the general tendency of media globalisation if they began to think of periphery–centre encounters more critically through the proposed framework. To illustrate this, the paper examines the case study of US media's re-presentation of Al Jazeera's so-called ‘counter-flowing’ war reports through the proposed framework.
Gruesome images of Muammar Gaddafi's assassination were broadcast on international news networks. The display of such images raises significant questions about the way the media cover an individual's death; in this case, an individual who was the leader of a United Nations member country and, at the same time, considered by many to be an enemy and a terrorist. The study examined 1,380 images of Gaddafi's last days, from five international news networks, and found that the Israeli channel displayed the highest number of gruesome images. The article argues that when news networks have a clear political agenda, political considerations may trump adherence to professional ethics.
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