Media Coverage of the Targeting of Civilians

As evident by current global events, there is a shift in the role that society has as part of a collective response against the targeting of civilians. Findings suggest that deliberate attacks on civilians expose a vulnerability that can be exploited through media coverage and accompanying narratives. Due to the growing reach of the internet, the killing of non-combatants can now be revealed to the rest of the world almost instantly and makes it more difficult for a government to deny responsibility. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the evolution of media coverage, the role of society, and its current capacity to report an event provide an information advantage against an aggressor. Conditions of global media coverage, domestic coverage, censorship, and censorship circumvention were analyzed across five cases. Coverage of the Nanjing and Tiananmen Square massacres were compared to present day cases of Russia, Iran, and Israel. Although the capacity of the media coverage is insufficient to deter attacks on civilians, global reporting and awareness incentivize action from civilian populations who now contribute to global reporting by documenting and disseminating information. Future research can determine ways to use these narratives to maximize operational effects against an adversary