| Popis: |
This paper analyzes media coverage of the San Juan River conflict between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. It is a long-lasting conflict over the shared management of a river basin located along the border between the two countries. In March 2002, the governments of both countries agreed to change their approach from confrontation to co-operation. The aim of this study is to see how the Costa Rican press covered the conflict during confrontation, and after its change to co-operation, in terms of pro-conflict versus pro-co-operation coverage. Two major newspapers were selected: La Nación (LN), and La República (LR). A total of 81 news stories were content analyzed in two different periods of time: July 1998, when the confrontation reignited, and June 2002, after the change to co-operation. The results allow us to identify two trends: 1. A decrease in pro-conflict coverage and an increase in pro-cooperation coverage. 2. A resistance to change to pro-cooperation coverage despite the change to cooperation in the political agenda. The results are useful in assessing Costa Rican press support for cooperation and the de-escalation of conflict. Peace is an important axis in Costa Rican foreign policy. Contrary to findings about the media as policy makers' tools, the two newspapers LN and LR lag behind in favoring the policy that supports co-operation and peace. Thus, the two newspapers endorse media culture's preference for conflict, confrontation and drama. The two newspapers' resistance to change to pro-cooperation coverage also indicates their attachment to seeing the San Juan River basin as a border river. To think about the region as a river basin is still an innovation. Usually innovations generate resistance, so the two newspapers exhibited resistance to the innovation. |
