Media construction of suffering : Nepalese print media role in representing suffering of earthquake victims

In crisis, media plays an important role in connecting people, communicating information and assisting with potential new dimensions, designs and approach. Media representation holds key for ongoing rescue program and upcoming rebuilding program, especially in developing countries where no one knows when the real impact of disaster will come to an end. Moreover, people interest or participation in rescue or rebuilding program depends on how media has represented suffering in their mediation. In order to better understand the media role in representing suffering of victim, this paper set out an aim to deeper understand Nepalese print media role in representing victims suffering in mediation of 25th, April 2015 earthquake in Nepal. Having thoroughly analyse from theoretical perspectives of suffering by Lilie Chouliaraki and Luc Boltanksi, this paper reflects that how suffering looks through media images and texts and what happens when media fails to bring voice of sufferer to the spectator. The study has been carried out by using case study research and qualitative content analysis on images and editorial from three different years of three major newspapers of Nepal. It was found that most of the images and texts reflects lack of proximity or connection between sufferers and spectator. In other words, Nepalese print media fails to bring sufferer near to spectator. The most important finding of the research was how even in such critical situation Nepalese print media were more focused on elite agents and intermediates than actual victim in crisis area. Another important finding was how meaning of suffering could be different if it is analysed up-close than in distant