Semester
Fall
Date of Graduation
2011
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MS
College
Reed College of Media
Department
Reed College of Media
Committee Chair
Steve Urbanski
Abstract
Given the increasingly crucial role of the media in forming popular opinion, policymaking and the conduct of democratic institutions, there has been a severe, often lethal, backlash against individuals who exercise this power through their craft. This study examines the effectiveness of international advocacy groups in protecting journalists and promoting press freedom through a case study of the Committee to Protect Journalists, a non-governmental international advocacy group, in getting justice for killed journalists in the Philippines -- one of the world's most deadliest places for journalists. The study attempts to provide a detailed insight into how transnational advocacy groups work on the ground to bring about real change in the international sphere. The micro-level approach that has been undertaken in this project allows for a nuanced understanding of the basic problem which is essentially about how a relatively small, non-governmental organization like the CPJ manages to put its issues on the national and international agenda, influence discursive positions and impact state behavior. The study is based on ethnographic fieldwork, qualitative interviews with CPJ employees, and historical archive research. It uses Margaret Keck and Kathryn Sikkink's theory on the effectiveness of transnational advocacy networks and the norm socialization process to evaluate the effectiveness of the CPJ in defending journalists and press freedom in the Philippines.
Recommended Citation
Mukherjee, Mayuri, "Understanding transnational advocacy groups: A case study of the effectiveness of the Committee to Protect Journalists in the promotion of press freedom in the Philippines" (2011). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 4758.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/4758