2024: The FAR, Federal Acquisition Regulations - Part 29
Morgan cassman-final-project2
1. MEDIA DEPICTIONS OF THE
TIBETAN SELF-IMMOLATIONS
Morgan Cassman
World Religions
Final Project
2. INTRODUCTION
In this presentation, after providing a background of the topic, I will show
how various news sources have:
•Categorized the Tibetan self-immolations
•Explained the rationale behind the self-immolations
•Articulated the political significance of the self-immolations
In addition, I will show how the various news sources rhetoric/writing style
significantly influences what exactly is being reported, while also will analyze
why there hasn’t been more of a media outcry, or even simply media
coverage, of these significant religious and political events
3.
4. BACKGROUND:
Since 2009, more than 130 people in Tibet have died due to self-
immolations. Self-immolations are when one sets themselves on fire,
and subsequently, and obviously, dies shortly thereafter.
5. HOW HAS THE MEDIA CATEGORIZED
SELF-IMMOLATIONS?
The vast majority of the sources I analyzed reported that the self-
immolations are an act of political protest against of the Chinese
occupation of Tibet.
Specifically, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, BBC News,
The Asia Times all define the Tibetan self-immolations as a form of
protest against the oppressive Chinese government
6. EVIDENCE:
DIRECT QUOTATIONS
•“Self-immolators seek to protest in the most extraordinary manner by
suffering what ordinary people could not possibly bear”
–The New York Times
•“Tibetans have been resorting to extreme protests, setting
themselves on fire”
-BBC News
•“People are known to have set themselves on fire inside Tibet in
protest against the repressive Chinese occupation of Tibet”
-Free Tibet
7. HOW HAS THE MEDIA CATEGORIZED
SELF-IMMOLATIONS? CON’T
However, two of the sources actually refer to the self-immolations as
acts of suicide.
The China Daily and the Australian Times both refer to the self-
immolations as suicide in response to the Chinese government’s
occupation of Tibet
8. EVIDENCE:
DIRECT QUOTATIONS
•“Such suicidal acts run counter to the essence and core concepts of
Buddhism”
-China Times
•"The flames that claimed so many lives ... are known as patriotic
suicides"
-Australian Times
9. HOW HAS THE MEDIA EXPLAINED WHAT
THESE SELF-IMMOLATIONS ARE IN
RESPONSE TO?
•Although the sources I analyzed use different rhetoric in defining the
self-immolations, every one of the sources state that the self-
immolations are political in nature.
•Specifically, the Tibetan self-immolations have been in response to
the Chinese occupation or oppression of Tibet.
•In addition to protest of the Chinese occupation, several of the news
sources claim the self-immolations are in protest of the Chinese
exiling the Dalai Lama
10. USE OF LANGUAGE
However, it is important to note that the sources that defined the self-
immolations as “protests” were likely to use more emotionally-evoking
terms, such as Chinese “oppression” or “dominance”.
On the other hand, the sources that defined the self-immolations as
“suicide” were likely to downplay the influence of the Chinese, and
used more neutral terms, such as Chinese “occupation” or “rule”.
11. EVIDENCE:
WRITING STYLE/RHETORIC
•Free Tibet, a non-profit news organization, uses terms such as
“repressive government control”
•The New York Times uses rhetoric such as “harsh Chinese crackdown”
•The Asia Times refers to those who have self-immolated as “martyrs”
•CNN states, that the Chinese occupation of Tibet has had an
"systematic assault on the Tibetan people's way of life”
12. RHETORIC/WRITING STYLE:
INHERENT BIAS?
After analyzing many various sources, it is obvious that the way the
story is written greatly impacts what exactly is being reported.
If the news source views the acts of self-immolation as protest, the
tone of the news story is sympathetic in nature.
Consequently, if the news source views the acts of self-immolation as
suicide, the tone of the news story is more apathetic, or “matter of
fact”, in nature.
13. WHY DOES WRITING STYLE
MATTER?
Clearly, news sources use different rhetoric for different reasons,
which can significantly can change how one is supposed to view the
topic in discussion, which is within the publisher’s discretion.
Being aware of how the use of language greatly impacts how the
reader is supposed to internalize the story, or feel after, is important
to be conscious of.
As being rational citizens, we need to understand the inherent biases
in news sources, and use our own best judgment when reading a
news story to help us make sense of the topic in discussion.
14. WHY ISN’T THERE MORE COVERAGE OF
TIBETAN SELF-IMMOLATIONS?
When trying to find stories for my project, I noticed something:
There wasn’t many stories.
Because of the background knowledge I had on this topic, I tried to
discover why there wasn’t more media representation of the self-
immolations.
15. LACK OF MEDIA COVERAGE?
I discovered that there are several different theories why there isn’t
more stories regarding the Tibetan self-immolations.
According to The New York Times, the Chinese government stopped
allowing reporters into Tibet, and imprisoned those who published
stories of the self-immolations
According to The Huffington Post, because of it’s geographical
location, Tibet does not have much outside contact with the outside
world; and regardless, are fearful of being punished by the Chinese
16. CONCLUSION:
Regardless of how you define them, the Tibetan self-immolations are
political protests that deserve to be recognized.
I believe that the self-immolations are a cry for help by the Tibetan
people.
By not giving these protests the attention I believe they deserve, we
are ignoring a huge political problem, which is negligent.
