The media’s reporting of war crimes trials and its impact on post-conflict democracy in Sierra Leone and Liberia

Abstract

The application of international humanitarian law (IHL) to conflicts in Africa has been the subject of some scholarly and much journalistic discourse about the ending of ‘impunity’ and an extension of the normative principles of transitional justice. The trials conducted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) were brought to audiences in both countries by a media that has had scant experience in grap - pling with such weighty jurisprudential concepts. A research project is examining attitudes towards the reporting of two of those trials. This article discusses prelimi - nary findings from the research and argues that the media is performing a wider role in legitimizing post-conflict governance by providing a platform for civil society organizations.