Conclusions

 

Through the course of our project, we have come to a number of conclusions. Foremost, we have noticed that the media portrayal of major Tibetan issues, including the immolations, varies based on the location of the source. We have found the sources to be predominantly in support of the suppressed Tibetan people. Often times, the articles we examined spent more time focusing on Chinese-Tibetan relations with regard to their own biases than they did on the facts of the events themselves. Many sources came across as unbiased, but proved to have specific prejudices upon closer examination, which were shown through subtle word choices and specific phrasing. The addition and omission of particular aspects of each story was also an indicator of the source’s bias.

 

In general, the media (specifically more “trusted” sources) tends to be seen as reliable and straightforward, but as we take a closer look we can see that each source has their own spin on a story. This can be particularly harmful when we’re looking at foreign news because more often than not, we already are so removed by culture and geography that we don’t fully understand the context. Any small changes in information can drastically sway our overall opinion or impression without us even realizing it.  

 

In this particular instance, we see that most of the time, we are led to believe that Tibet is an innocent nation in need of saving, and that the immolations are a tragic cry for help or an intense act of justified protest. Even though we have examined so many sources, it is still hard for us to obtain complete comprehension of the circumstances. Regardless, this exercise has been an effective tool for making us aware of media biases, particularly as they pertain to Tibetan-Chinese relations and the increasing number of self-immolations.