I asked a group of my friends here if they knew anything about Darfur and many did not know what I was talking about, however, when I mentioned Iraq, the same group was quick to give their opinions and seem well aversed with the conflict and situation there. It got me thinking, would this be because the conflict in Darfur, even though much more dire in propotions, with no serious outside intervention or political will to end its atrocities was just not mentioned in the Australian media, was it that the Australian people do not have any real connection to Sudan? I learnt in my journalism class that numbers make news. that if 1000 people died somewhere, that would definitely be newsworthy. I wonder if this is a case of a conflict dragged on too long that there is no real interest to the international community. Should they reshape the message, maybe use a different strategy that would capture international attention? Maybe the advocacy organisations should really focus on the injustices and implications that the war has on children there. Getting George Clooney to be an ambassador for Darfur, has that worked? how many people actually knows he is associated with Darfur? I think the number of people who think he is HOT far outweighs the number of people who think he is charitable, at least here in Australia.
Yes I have to admit that I dont know much about the conflict in Darfur. However I do think that having a celebrity endorse a cause generally does bring attention to an issue. In fact I think I remember a Darfur fundraising event that some high profile people were involved with, and this is probably the reason that I knew about it.
ReplyDeleteKelly, George Clooney and others like Anjelina JOlie have helped to raise the profile of causes and conflicts that people would not otherwise have known. I think tht they have also provoked a wave among other celebrities to want to do something.
ReplyDeleteAfter a number of his visits to Darfur, George Clooney met with the vice President of US, Joe Biden and talked about what the US can do. I am sure they can do something besides sit and watch
Hey,, i like this post. i have been talking about Darfur all times in this semester. But i have to admit that i know conflict in Darfur from my other unit.
ReplyDeleteYesterday i watch channel 7. i am suprised that the conflict is still around. i thought it's finished already as there aren't so many people talk about it, even most of friends of mine absolutely have no idea about it.
Well, the news tells that Hillary Clinton is trying to do something to eliminate conflict there. the american government, i think, is offering incentives to end the conflict. See this link : http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091019/pl_afp/ussudandiplomacy_20091019141106.
I've seen on YouTube, many hollywood celebrities are taking part in building awareness on genocide in Darfur. and also, a lot websites that are trying to raise funds. but i reckon not so many people concern about that because they don't know. so, mass media has power in this case.