Framing the International Criminal Court: A Frame Analysis of South African Media and its Relationship with the International Criminal Court
Author
Nielsen, Lindsay Ray
Term
4. semester
Education
Publication year
2025
Submitted on
2025-05-28
Abstract
This study examines how South African news media portrayed and debated the legitimacy of the International Criminal Court (ICC) from 2002 to 2025. It uses a qualitative case study and Entman’s framing approach, which analyzes how stories define problems, identify causes, make moral judgments, and propose solutions. The analysis is guided by constructivism (how ideas and norms shape perceptions), legitimacy theory (why institutions are accepted as rightful), and neo-colonialism (how global power imbalances influence judgments). After apartheid, South Africa positioned itself as an early supporter of the ICC, but political, legal, and international developments later challenged that stance. The study traces shifting media narratives about the ICC and shows how claims of bias and selective justice fueled public and political contestation of the court’s legitimacy.
Dette studie undersøger, hvordan sydafrikanske nyhedsmedier fremstillede og debatterede Den Internationale Straffedomstols (ICC) legitimitet fra 2002 til 2025. Det bygger på et kvalitativt casestudie og Entmans indramningsmodel, som analyserer, hvordan historier definerer problemer, udpeger årsager, foretager moralske vurderinger og foreslår løsninger. Analysen er forankret i konstruktivisme (hvordan ideer og normer former opfattelser), legitimitetsteori (hvorfor institutioner opfattes som berettigede) og neokolonialisme (hvordan globale magtubalancer påvirker vurderinger). Efter apartheid positionerede Sydafrika sig som en tidlig fortaler for ICC, men politiske, juridiske og internationale udviklinger udfordrede senere dette standpunkt. Studiet kortlægger skiftende fortællinger i medierne om ICC og viser, hvordan beskyldninger om bias og selektiv retfærdighed nærede den offentlige og politiske bestridelse af domstolens legitimitet.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
Keywords