278. Name: Astrid Juckenack Title: Making and Unmaking a Hero: Aung San Suu Kyi in the News Media (New York Times, Washington Post, the Guardian, the Atlantic, and Al Jazeera) Institution: Uppsala University Country: Sweden Date: 2019 Language: English Abstract: News media frame issues and actors in ways that convey and underscore particular aspects leading news consumers to think about these issues and actors in particular ways, including in cases of genocide and mass atrocity. The image of former de facto head of state of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi’s, has undergone significant changes. At some point, she received considerable media coverage but unexpectedly the media went silent on the ongoing Rohingya crisis. This study investigates how Aung San Suu Kyi is portrayed in international media, specifically New York Times, Washington Post, the Guardian, the Atlantic, and Al Jazeera, between 2015 and 2018. Using theoretical frameworks such as framing theory and gendered mediation the study found that Aung San Suu Kyi is predominantly cast as a passive bystander who is morally complicit to the persecution as she enjoys significant authority in Myanmar. She is also portrayed in a gendered manner, as her rise and demise are amplified by gendered descriptions. Predominantly, the media reconciles opposing images of her arguing either that she was never a hero or without calling this concept into question.
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