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  • © 2017

Journalism for Social Change in Asia

Reporting Human Rights

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Explains journalism as a sociological process that helps underpin and highlight journalism’s role in instigating and facilitating social change
  • Draws from both mainstream and alternative media reportage of human rights advocacy, to illustrate best practice models, shortcomings and limitations in the contemporary coverage, and where possible make suggestions on better reporting strategies
  • Case studies are drawn from South and Southeast Asia, an area rarely subjected to academic scrutiny in the field of human rights journalism
  • Provides a holistic approach to human rights reporting, linking armed conflicts and poverty, with refugee migration, people smuggling and human trafficking
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Communication for Social Change (PSCSC)

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Table of contents (10 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvii
  2. Introduction to Journalism for Social Change

    • Scott Downman, Kasun Ubayasiri
    Pages 1-23
  3. Human Rights as a News Value

    • Scott Downman, Kasun Ubayasiri
    Pages 25-53
  4. Human Rights Journalism and the New Journalism Ecosystem

    • Scott Downman, Kasun Ubayasiri
    Pages 55-73
  5. Smuggled or Trafficked: The Story of the Rohingya

    • Scott Downman, Kasun Ubayasiri
    Pages 97-117
  6. Human Rights Reporting, War Crimes and Refugee Migration

    • Scott Downman, Kasun Ubayasiri
    Pages 119-141
  7. Reporting Human Trafficking

    • Scott Downman, Kasun Ubayasiri
    Pages 143-164
  8. Best Practice Models for Reporting Human Rights

    • Scott Downman, Kasun Ubayasiri
    Pages 165-188
  9. Media, Human Rights and Corporate Social Responsibility

    • Scott Downman, Kasun Ubayasiri
    Pages 189-206
  10. Conclusion

    • Scott Downman, Kasun Ubayasiri
    Pages 207-212
  11. Back Matter

    Pages 213-219

About this book

This book explores the role and purpose of journalism to spark and propagate change by investigating human rights journalism and its capacity to inform, educate and activate change. Downman and Ubayasiri maximize this approach by proposing a new paradigm of reporting through the use of human-focussed news values. This approach is a radical departure from the traditional style that typically builds on abstract concepts. The book will explore human rights journalism through the lens of complex issues such as human trafficking and people smuggling in the Asian context. This is not just a book for journalists, or journalism academics, but a book for activists, human rights advocates or anyone who believes in the power of journalism to change the world.

Authors and Affiliations

  • School of Communication and Arts, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia

    Scott Downman

  • Griffith University, Nathan, Australia

    Kasun Ubayasiri

About the authors

Scott Downman is a Journalism Lecturer at the University of Queensland. Scott has worked in anti-human trafficking project in Southeast Asia for more than a decade. 



Kasun Ubayasiri is a Journalism Lecturer at Griffith University, and a former Sri Lankan journalist with a special interest in human rights and conflict reporting. 

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access