Rumblings in the UN: Domestic press coverage of US and Sri Lankan narratives of peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka

Abstract

News media plays a crucial role in generating public discourse and interpreting 'reality', and within this context the role played by newspapers in interpreting and explaining complex political machinations cannot be overlooked. The process of packaging 'reality' for media consumption, invariably results in the framing of narratives that emphasise certain attributes of a media event over others. This paper analyses how US and Sri Lankan newspapers covered a number of complex political narratives, when reporting a US sponsored resolution in the United Nations Human Rights Council on alleged war crimes committed during the final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war. This paper looks at how the domestic press in the two countries favoured nationalist frames, emphasising the 'home government' in the best possible light.