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14 January 2019 | Story Charlene Stanley | Photo Anja Aucamp
Dr David Patrick
Dr David Patrick hopes that his book will encourage a more sceptical view of Western media’s portrayal of enocides.

A movie night 10 years ago featuring Hotel Rwanda, set a young Scottish Social Sciences scholar off on a disturbing journey of discovery about just how twisted the portrayal of genocide by Western media houses can be.

Dr David Patrick found the mass slaughter of Tutsis, directed by members of the Hutu majority government during a 100-day period in 1994, to be totally incomprehensible. It is believed that between 500 000 and two million people were killed.

 

Research interest

It sparked a research interest and has led to the recent publishing of his monograph: Reporting Genocide: Media, Mass Violence and Human Rights.

He found liberal democratic countries’ advocacy of human rights to be little more than positive-sounding rhetoric when it came to their reaction to genocide in the rest of the world. There was also a remarkable contrast between places like Bosnia and Rwanda in terms of overall news coverage, with Bosnia consistently receiving far more coverage than Rwanda.

“Given that the Rwandan genocide was far more destructive – both in terms of speed and scale – provides ample evidence of the importance placed on both geographical location and race in relation to setting the news agenda,” Dr Patrick says.

 

International Studies Group

He’s been coming to South Africa as part of the UFS International Studies Group under the leadership of Professor Ian Phimister since 2014.

“Being exposed to so many people from different countries has been incredibly enriching,” Dr Patrick says.

“I love the texture and vibrancy of the South African society and also the braaiing culture – seeing that it rains back in Scotland almost 300 days of the year!”

He’s found a happy home in the south of Bloemfontein with his wife Tamsin, a teacher of Academic English at the UFS, and their three dogs.

 

Effect of findings

He is sober about whether his book will help change the prevailing news agenda. “Media institutions are not really known for critical self-reflection,” he says.

“But I do hope that people who read my book will at least adopt a more sceptical view of Western media’s portrayal of genocides.”

News Archive

SA men's hockey team prepare for Commonwealth Games on UFS soil
2010-09-08

The SA men’s hockey team prepares for the Common Wealth Games on the Astros at the UFS.
Photo: Supplied

For the second time this year the South African men’s hockey team will prepare for a big sporting event on the Astros of the University of the Free State (UFS), this time for the Commonwealth Games that are taking place in Delhi, India. At the beginning of the year South Africa’s number one men’s hockey team, together with the first- and fourth- ranking teams, Germany and the team from The Netherlands; also utilised the UFS’s facilities to prepare for the World Cup that took place earlier this year, also in New Delhi.

This is proof that the UFS is succeeding in its goal: availing world-class facilities to its students and to support sports as a whole in South Africa.

The team will train from Saturday, 4 September until Thursday, 9 September 2010. On Monday and Tuesday evening the UFS men’s hockey team will play a practice match against our national men’s hockey team.

 

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