The power of state media and human rights to land : an analysis of media content on large-scale land acquisitions in Vietnam

Abstract

This research looked into the effect of state media on the discussion of human rights in large scale land acquisitions in Vietnam, considering land as essential for enjoyment of other human rights. The thesis that state media is powerful in affecting public opinion through levels of exposure – is examined by analysing the discourse of state controlled media through content published during 2012-2020, and the consistency between that discourse and public opinion through a survey. The study also involved interviewing a number of government officials and journalists to explain the reason behind that discourse. While the general discourse does not necessarily affect audiences, as the media still has some autonomy and tries to be as neutral as possible, once the government set the objective to control the public opinion through any virtual public space, normally those involved in such spaces would easily submit to that view. It is also worth noting that the discourse molded are governmentcentered, with incidents and land claimants as substitute and human rights totally excluded from the discussion.