Framing the Dead: Affective Visual Narratives in the Russo-Ukrainian War
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2025-07-11
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en
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This work explores the visual representation of suffering in media coverage of the
Russo-Ukrainian War by comparing the BBC, a Western institutional news outlet, and Lachen
pyshe, a Ukrainian Telegram channel rooted in citizen journalism. The study examines how
each platform frames civilian suffering by employing a qualitative methodological framework
that integrates comparative visual analysis, visual discourse analysis, and theories on affect,
necro-capitalism, and suffering.
Based on theoretical insights from Sara Ahmed, Sami Pihlström, Stan van Hooft, Nina
Power, and Carolyn Pedwell, the analysis argues that the BBC’s editorial restraint reflects a
distant, institutional mode of affect regulation. Meanwhile, Lachen pyshe employs emotionally
charged, uncensored images to mobilise empathetic connections. The thesis suggests that these
divergent strategies reflect broader cultural and ethical paradigms in war reporting, raising
critical questions about the role of journalism in death reporting, the risk of compassion fatigue,
and the commodification of suffering.
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