The Attention Economy of Aid: A Comparative Look at the Rohingya Crisis and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Elliot Blanckaert, Claudia Mamolo, Carola Nardini, Francesco Sburlati

Some humanitarian emergencies have historically received greater media attention than others. Moreover, in recent years several international organizations have reported a significant decline in the humanitarian aid available to address these situations. This article investigates these two phenomena by drawing on empirical data and examines the role that traditional and social media play in these dynamics. To this end, two humanitarian crises with markedly different levels of visibility and media coverage were selected: the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and the Rohingya crisis.