Visual themes and frames of the Rohingya crisis: newspaper content from three countries neighboring Myanmar

Abstract

The ongoing Rohingya refugee crisis that originated in Myanmar has displaced over a million people since the 1990s (UNHCR, nd, ‘Rohingya refugee emergency at a glance’). This article examines visuals of Rohingya refugees from the latest round of violence beginning August 2017 that has led to the exodus of nearly 750,000 refugees to countries in South and Southeast Asia. Images are from reliable newspapers of three countries in that region. The study identifies prominent visual themes, examines image sources and investigates whether visualizations changed over time. By analyzing media images through a content analysis and textual analysis, the author’s goal is to contribute to the complex area of visual framing in which journalists, news outlets, audiences and dominant cultural assumptions play various roles. Results show coverage tended towards the negative and that Western news agencies could play a part in this. Although geographical proximity had an effect, shared religion between the refugees and host populations seems to have minimal impact on coverage. Study of theme change over time was complicated by Covid-19 as newspapers recycled older images possibly due to travel restrictions.