Save Darfur: Mobilizing Public and Political Support Through Media Exposure

Since February of 2003, 400,000 or more people have died in the Sudanese region of Darfur.[1] In addition, the crisis has produced over 3.7 million internally displaced people (IDP) and has sparked a refugee crisis in neighboring Chad.[2] Today there are over 584,000 Sudanese refugees in several neighboring countries.[3]

These people have been targeted by the government-back militia, the Janjaweed, and marked for ethnic cleansing. Only recently has the world recognized the situation as one constituting genocide. This realization has generated a response on the part of international organizations such as the United Nations (UN), states, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). One such NGO is the Save Darfur Coalition.The Save Darfur Coalition

The Save Darfur Coalition is a non-profit, non-governmental, umbrella organization, composed of over 130 million people and over 170 faith-based, advocacy, and humanitarian organizations.[4] The goal of the organization is to "raise public awareness about the ongoing genocide in Darfur and to mobilize a unified response to the atrocities that threaten the lives of two million people in the Darfur region."[5] The coalition fulfills its mission by employing "media outreach, public education, targeted coalition building, and grassroots mobilization to pressure policymakers and other decision-makers in the United States and abroad to help the people of Darfur."[6]Campaigns

The Save Darfur Coalition has launched numerous initiatives since its inception. The "Million Voices for Darfur" Campaign commenced on January 22^nd, 2006, the 55^th anniversary of the ratification of the Convention on Genocide. Its mission was to collect one million postcards, both hand-written and electronic, from Americans, urging President Bush to take a strong stance in support of a multilateral, UN peacekeeping force in Darfur. Postcards were collected at rallies, religious services, community events, and in classrooms across the U.S. On June 29^th, 2006, only six months after its initiation, the "Million Voices for Darfur" campaign's millionth postcard was signed by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and Senator Hillary Clinton.[7]

Another campaign lead by the Save Darfur Coalition was the "Save Darfur: Rally to Stop the Genocide" protest held in Washington, D.C on the National Mall on April 30^th, 2006. Simultaneously, activism groups around the country held similar rallies in many cities across the U.S. The rally was a success, attracting much desired press coverage. Over 800 stories were aired in the U.S. and Canada and articles on the protest were printed in newspapers around the world, reaching 31 million or more people internationally.[8] On September 17^th, 2006 another protest entitled the "Global Day for Darfur" was held in 41 countries around the world. This rally came on the one year anniversary of the UN's Responsibility to Protect pledge that vowed to defend people around the world from crimes against humanity.[9] The event was attended by over 25,000 people in New York City alone. This was just one of the 57 rallies held world-wide.[10] It included high profile political leaders, actors, and musicians such as Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, actress Mira Sorvino, and several musical acts.

The coalition's "Dollars for Darfur" contest is a current campaign that engages high school students to raise money for humanitarian efforts in Darfur and advocacy initiatives by the Save Darfur Coalition. This campaign encourages students to utilize Facebook and Myspace, two popular networking sites, text messaging, instant messaging, and email to educate fellow students, family, and friends on the crisis in Darfur and how they can help by donating to "Dollars for Darfur". When the contest ends, the winning high school will be recognized by the Save Darfur Coalition and receive a prize for their efforts. The end goal is for high schools around the country to raise a combined $200,000.[11]

"Tour of Darfur - Eyewitness to Genocide," was yet another campaign run by the Save Darfur Coalition. This event gave audiences in 20 different cities the chance to hear about the situation in Darfur from Former Marine Captain Brian Steidle, an observer with African Union peacekeepers in Darfur.[12] Also, the coalition supported a visit to Chad for actress Mia Farrow, who added a celebrity voice to the organizations cause.[13] Moreover, the coalition wrote to the chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law in order to make policy suggestions for the committees' first hearing on "Genocide and the Rule of Law."[14]

The Save Darfur Coalition has also sponsored a fashion show by "Designers For Darfur" and an inter-religious "Weekend of Prayer" for Darfur. Additionally, the coalition currently sponsors discussion groups, Congressional lobbying, and a weekly letter writing campaign. The organization also provides smaller groups with educational materials and assists them in finding speakers for local meetings on Darfur.

On November 7^th, 2006, the day of the U.S. midterm elections, the Save Darfur Coalition financed 30-second spots on network television. These spots aired between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. on the top 11 media markets to maximize exposure when audiences would be watching TV to see the election results. The "Be Their Voice" advertisements urged Americans to become active in the effort to effect change in Darfur and be the voice for the 400,000 who have lost their lives in the conflict.[15] The organization has also financed full page advertisements in newspapers and advertisements throughout the New York City subway system. These include signs on subway platforms that say, "400,000 killed. Millions uniting to SaveDarfur.org" (See Appendix A) and another advertisements in subway cars that says, "We are all African."

Efficacy of Campaigns

There is no way to know the exact number of people the Save Darfur Coalition has influenced with its campaigns. However, we can glean some estimates from activity recorded by the coalition and public opinion polls. The organization reports that well over one million individuals have logged onto their website, www.SaveDarfur.org, since September 12^th, 2006. They also have had more than 750,000 people sign up for their mailing list, distributed over 131,000 Save Darfur wristbands, and collected over 35,000 online donations in 2006 alone. The coalition has also logged over 714,000 emails to President Bush, over 234,000 to Kofi Annan, and over 83,000 to congress.[16]

Public opinion polls have also shown that Americans are interested in and informed about the situation in Darfur. The Genocide Intervention Network reports that "awareness of [the] crisis [is] up sharply since 2004." [17] The poll by the Genocide Intervention Network showed that 62% of Americans believe that the situation in Darfur should be a top priority in U.S. foreign policy. This opinion of the American public may be due to the fact that 59% of Americans say that they know "a lot" or "some" about the conflict and 58% say they would give their time or money to end the genocide in Darfur.[18] Another survey found that 36% of Americans are following the situation in Darfur either "very closely" or "fairly closely".[19]

The Genocide Intervention Network poll went further and asked respondents what the U.S. government should do about the situation. Sixty-three percent thought that despite information Sudanese leaders may give the U.S. government on al Qaeda operations, their assets should be frozen for their participation in the genocide. Surprisingly, 50% of Americans would approve of sending U.S. troops to Darfur for peacekeeping operations.[20] Another poll found that an overwhelming 74% of Americans think the UN should stop the genocide with a military force.[21] Steven Kull, director of PIPA-Knowledge Networks, which performs many public opinion polls, says, "It is quite striking that Americans are as ready as they are to make such commitments..."[22]

Analysis of the Efficacy of Campaigns

The Save Darfur Coalition has launched many of its campaigns in the hopes of gaining maximum media coverage for the cause. Campaigns such as the 30-second spots during election time, subway and newspaper advertisements, and the use of celebrities have saturated the media with the coalition's message. They are aware that "in narrowly focused situations such as humanitarian emergencies, the media play a decisive role in informing the public and stimulating action."[23]

Global Media analyst, CARMA International, argue that there is no correlation between the size of a humanitarian disaster and the amount of media attention it attracts. In fact, according to their report, "The CARMA Report: Western Media Coverage of Humanitarian Disasters," interest by the media is close to none if a story does not encompass an economic or political issue. The report claims that the media is not interested in a story if "it is only about poor people suffering."[24] However, the crisis in Darfur entails neither of these components. The amount of media attention the situation in Darfur currently receives is arguably because the Save Darfur Coalition has created public awareness and in turn demand for news on the region, with its vigorous campaigns that are highly visible to the American public in everyday life: on the subway, in the newspaper, and on TV.

The CARMA report also found that "cultural proximity" played a large role in what stories were reported on in the media. They established that stories were reported on more frequently in Western media when westerners were affected by the situation.[25] For example, when Africans were questioned about the situation in Darfur, they showed higher levels of support for UN intervention than their American counterparts.[26] Perhaps the Save Darfur Coalition is keenly aware of this complex in the media and this why it launched its "We are All African" subway advertisements; to make Americans feel as if they do have a measure of "cultural proximity" to the crisis in Darfur.

The report by CARMA also recognizes the importance of elites on the stories that are reported in western media.[27] Currently, many causes have boasted celebrity endorsement such as Angelina Jolie as the UN's Goodwill Ambassador, Brad Pitt for the ONE Campaign, and countless other celebrities. The Save Darfur Coalition has worked with Mira Sorvino, Mia Farrow, George Clooney, and several other actors, using their celebrity to increase public awareness.

Another way that the Save Darfur Coalition has had an impact on the American public is that they have been there to fill the void with a stance on the situation in Darfur when the U.S. government has been ambiguous about its position. Studies show that the media has an effect on public opinion in situations where the government does not have a clearly defined policy.[28] Therefore, American's adopt the ideas that are shown to them in the media, namely the Save Darfur Coalition's call to end the genocide and urge policymakers to act. This assumes a 'bottom-up' method of foreign policy creation where the government makes its policy based on public opinion in a liberal democracy such as the U.S.[29] This model is known as the "CNN effect", where the media influences the public who in turn put pressure on the government to intervene in humanitarian crises. One study finds that the CNN effect matters when governments do not militarily intervene in situations where serious human rights violations are taking place.[30] This is clearly the case in Darfur where genocide, arguably the worst human rights violation, is occurring.Criticism of the Save Darfur Coalition

No one disputes the fact that the Save Darfur Coalition is making strides in raising public awareness about the situation in Darfur. However, many do object to the angle from which the organization approached the issue. Alan J. Kuperman argues that the coalition has misconstrued the conflict by portraying the Darfurians as innocent victims of genocide when they are in fact leaders of an insurgency attempting to overthrow the government. He argues that the rebels were actually the tormenters less than twenty years ago and now refuse to sign and uphold a peace agreement with the Sudanese government, who he argues has the right and duty to defend its sovereignty. "...The rebels believe that the longer they provoke genocidal retaliation, the more the West will pressure Sudan to hand [the rebels] control of the region...The rebels are wiling to let genocide continue against their own people rather than compromise their demand for power."[31]

There are still others who contend that what is going on in Darfur is not even genocide as the Save Darfur Coalition would have Americans believe. Instead, writers like Yoshie Furuhashi believe that the U.S., aided by the "propaganda" of the coalition, is interested in the conflict simply so U.S. companies can gain access to Sudanese oil that is now unreachable due to the ongoing conflict. To Furuhashi, oil is the reason that the U.S. has called the situation genocide rather than what it really is: a conflict between an insurgency and a government. Simply, a civil war.[32]

In another article Furuhashi says, "Some say America is addicted to oil, but America is even more addicted to war." He called the Save Darfur Coalition's "Save Darfur: Rally to Stop the Genocide" a "pro-war rally" held by the evangelical Christian and establishment Jewish movements. He points out that most of the members of the organization are white and the rally on April 30^th, 2006 was lacking representation from the African-American community, specifically the NAACP and Africa Action.[33]

Eugene Puryear expands upon Furuhashi's disapproval of the majority of "white organizations" represented by the Save Darfur Coalition. Puryear contends that the organization is not as inclusive as it claims to be. He believes this because the coalition's Executive Committee is comprised of 11 faith-based organizations, of which only one is Muslim though all combatants in the Darfur conflict are Muslim. He argues that the coalition has misinformed the public by telling them that the Sudanese government is Muslim while failing to acknowledge that the Darfurians are also Muslim. Puryear posits that this feeds off of American's distaste for Muslims and naturally makes Americans side with the insurgents.[34] One might argue such misinformation comes from a lack of understanding of the conflict on the part of the Save Darfur Coalition. Alan Whaites says that NGOs often comment on situations that they do not have proper expertise to comment on.[35]

Hugo Slim maintains that the real problem with organizations like the Save Darfur Coalition is how such organizations created a time frame which the Sudanese government can exploit while NGOs distract the world by blaming governments for their inaction. During this window, the genocide increases until the focus is brought back to the conflict itself. [36] He also believes that NGOs demand action but fail to realize that diplomacy can only go so far in negotiating the situation in Darfur.[37] Slim further criticizes NGOs that put pressue on governments to pursue both political and humanitarian approaches simultaneously as the Save Darfur Coalition does.[38]

Conclusion

Despite criticism, the Save Darfur Coalition has managed to make a great impact on the average American's awareness of the situation in Darfur. The coalition is an outstanding example of an effective NGO. Through comprehensive grassroots and media campaigns, the coalition has helped to make Darfur an important issue to Americans, even though the conflict occurs thousands of miles away from the average American. With continued efforts, perhaps it will be possible to "Save Darfur".

Bibliography

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"Darfur by the Numbers." Save Darfur Coalition. 23 Feb. 2007. .

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"Frequently Asked Questions." Save Darfur Coalition. 11 Feb. 2007 .

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"Leading Advocates Return From Chad to Report on Broadening Violence; Coalition Releases New Exclusive Footage of Conditions ; David Rubenstein, Actress Mia Farrow, Ambassador Lawrence Rossin Report on Continuing Atrocities After Visiting Refugee Camps In." U.S. Newswire 21 Nov. 2006.

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"Save Darfur Coalition Suggest U.S. Actions on Darfur in Letter to New Senate Human Rights Subcommittee Chair." Save Darfur Coalition. 23 Feb. 2007. < http://www.savedarfur.org/newsroom/releases/save_darfur_coalition_suggests_us_actions_on_darfur_in_letter/>.

"Seven in 10 Americans Say Genocide must be Prevented in Sudan." World Public Opinion. 23 Feb. 2007. .

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[1] "Darfur Backgrounder and Policy Talking Points," Save Darfur Coalition, 2007: 1.

[2] "Sudan Complex Emergency," US Agency for International Development, 23 Feb. 2007, .

[3] http://www.unsudanig.org/docs/USAID%20Sudan%20Situation%20Report_12%20Jan%2007.pdf.

[4] "About Us," Save Darfur Coalition, 11 Feb. 2007, .

[5] http://www.savedarfur.org/section/about/

[6] "Frequently Asked Questions." Save Darfur Coalition. 11 Feb. 2007 .

[7] "Previous Initiatives," Save Darfur Coalition, 23 Feb. 2007, .

[8] http:www.savedarfur.org/pages/previous_intitiatives/.

[9] "Tens of Thousands Rally in Central Park for 'Global Day for Darfur'," Save Darfur Coalition, 23 Feb. 2007, .

[10] "Darfur by the Numbers," Save Darfur Coalition, 23 Feb. 2007, .

[11] "Dollars for Darfur," Save Darfur Coalition, 23 Feb. 2007, .

[12] http:www.savedarfur.org/pages/previous_intitiatives/.

[13] "Leading Advocates Return From Chad to Report on Broadening Violence; Coalition Releases New Exclusive Footage of Conditions ; David Rubenstein, Actress Mia Farrow, Ambassador Lawrence Rossin Report on Continuing Atrocities After Visiting Refugee Camps In," U.S. Newswire, 21 Nov. 2006.

[14] "Save Darfur Coalition Suggest U.S. Actions on Darfur in Letter to New Senate Human Rights Subcommittee Chair," Save Darfur Coalition, 23 Feb. 2007, < http://www.savedarfur.org/newsroom/releases/save_darfur_coalition_suggests_us_actions_on_darfur_in_letter/>.

[15] "Darfur Advocates Use Election Coverage to Spark Activism; Election Day TV Spots Planned for Maximum Attention; Preview of 'Be Their Voice' 30-Second Spot Available at SaveDarfur.org," U.S. Newswire, 7 Nov. 2006.

[16] http://savedarfur.org/pages/darfur_by_the_numbers/

[17] "Survey Reveals Despite Iraq, Americans Want United States Action to Stop Genocide in Darfur," Genocide Intervention Network, 23 Feb. 2007, .

[18] "Results: Genocide Intervention Network/Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Poll on Darfur," Genocide Intervention Network, 23 Feb. 2007, .

[19] "Sudan," PollingReport.com, 23 Feb. 2007, .

[20] http://www.genocideintervention.net/educate/polls/ginet-gpr-results.php.

[21] "Americans on the Darfur Crisis," World Public Opinion, 23 Feb. 2007, .

[22] "Seven in 10 Americans Say Genocide must be Prevented in Sudan," World Public Opinion, 23 Feb. 2007, .

[23] Olsen, Gorm Rye, Nils Carstensen, and Kristian Hoyen, "Humanitarian Crises: What Determines the Level of Emergency Assistance? Media Coverage, Donor Interests and the Aid Busininess," Disasters, 2003: 112.

[24] Franks, Suzanne, "The CARMA Report: Western Media Coverage of Humanitarian Disasters," The Political Quarterly, 2006: 281-282.

[25] Franks 2006: 283.

[26] "The Darfur Crisis: African and American Public Opinion," World Public Opinion, 23 Feb. 2007, .

[27] Frank 2006: 283.

[28] Olsen, Carstensen, and Hoyen 2003: 111.

[29] Olsen, Gorm Rye, "European public opinion and aid to Africa: is there a link?" Journal of Modern African Studies, 2001: 649.

[30] Jakobsen, Peter Viggo, "Focus on the CNN Effect Misses the Point: The Real Media Impact on Conflict Management Is Invisible and Indirect," Journal of Peace Research, 2000: 132.

[31] Kuperman, Alan J, "Save Darfur Coalition Has Made Situation Worse," The Arab American News, 2006: 8.

[32] Furuhashi, Yoshie, "Who Wants Peace in Darfur?" MR Zine, 11 Feb. 2007, .

[33] Furuhashi, Yoshie, "'Save Darfur': Evangelicals and Establishment Jews." MR Zine, 11 Feb. 2007, .

[34] Puryear, Eugene, "Darfur, Imperialist Intervention and Anti-Arab Hysteria," Socialism and Liberation, 11 Feb. 2007, .

[35] Whaites, Alan, "NGOs, disasters, and advocacy: caught between the Prophet and the Shepherd Boy," Development in Practice, 2000: 508.

[36] Slim, Hugo, "Dithering over Darfur? A preliminary review of the international response," International Affairs, 2004: 815.

[37] Slim 2004: 826.

[38] Slim 2004: 821.