Witnessing tragedy – The daily blog of behavioral and cognitive economics

Don’t turn away from tragedy, but do witness intentionally

When the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina erupted in the 1990s, newspapers, broadcasters and publishers decided what was documented and shared with the world. Looking back now at the materials available from that period – it’s one of the conflicts I study in my research on sexualised violence – I know that most accounts passed through expert hands before reaching a broader audience. Researchers, editors and journalists played the role of institutional gatekeepers, shaping not only what was revealed about the violence, but how, to whom, and when. ….[READ]