Chapter 4: Monitoring the Depiction and Coverage of Disability in the Media
The media plays an important role in reflecting and influencing public opinion. Given the role that public opinion and attitudes play in facilitating or hampering the enjoyment of human rights by people with disabilities, a holistic approach to disability rights monitoring also examines the nature and extent of media coverage on disability issues. Myths and stereotypes perpetuated and propagated by media portrayals of persons with disabilities are being documented and positive reporting on disability issues recognized.
Monitoring Media Available on the Internet
D.R.P.I. is collaborating with a team of researchers from the State University at Buffalo, U.S.A. who have developed a methodology and computer software to facilitate the analysis of media depiction and coverage of disability issues around the world. The approach allows the analysis of many thousands of media reports from a wide variety of sources including radio, television broadcasts and newspaper, magazine and internet articles published in over twenty languages. Added to the D.R.P.I. and University of Buffalo's research team is a Swedish researcher from the University of Umea whose expertise lies in discourse analysis of media portrayals of disability.
The analysis of media stories will take place on two levels - one quantitative (analyzing media coverage) and one qualitative (analyzing the context of media reporting). Quantitative analysis will involve collecting information:
- found in different media sources or types of publications (e.g. newspapers, radio broadcasts, magazines, etc.)
- found in publications from different geographic areas (e.g. from national, regional, local publications)
- published at a particular point in time (e.g. on the day the U.N. General Assembly's adopted the Disability Convention).
In addition, analysis will be carried out taking into account a number of factors at once. A relational data base will provide a picture of the patterns of how the media portrays disability. Based on quantitative analyses, a representation of the media coverage of people with disabilities will be constructed. Qualitative analysis will involve looking at differences in the tone and attitude in which disability-related stories are reported.
A Panel of Experts in disability rights, media communications and disability-specific media is being established. The panel will have international membership and scope. At least half of the members will be experts with disabilities. The Panel of Experts will be responsible for making suggestions with respect to the design of the basic research by determining the search terms to be used when reviewing media sources and the ways in which results should be categorized and analyzed.
Online Research Tool
In addition to actively engaging in media monitoring, D.R.P.I.'s collaboration with the Universities at Buffalo and Umea research teams will contribute to the development of an online tool that will be made universally available and permit organizations of people with disabilities, government, academics and others to conduct their own analyses of disability-related media reports from a wide variety of sources, over a broad time period.