Covering stories in foreign countries with different cultures and privileges can be difficult for journalists to navigate and do ethically, as it can often be perceived as the ‘white saviour complex’.
This is when white people portray themselves as saviours, undermining the agency of others, and perpetuating negative stereotypes among people of colour and different cultures.
It is important for journalists to consider this and properly plan their stories to tell them fairly and accurately.
Furthermore, to avoid coming across as a white saviour, journalists should not act like they know what’s best, and learn to truly understand the people they are reporting on.
Liam Cochrane, is a university lecturer at Melbourne University, but has previously worked as a foreign correspondent for the ABC, and for more than 20 years reported upon stories in the Asia Pacific.
During his time overseas, he covered many stories and made documentaries exploring the lives and issues faced within underprivileged communities.
His documentaries include Poppyland, which reports upon poppy farms in Myanmar which focusses on those who are producing the crop as their main source of income, as well as the negative effects that the opioid industry has had on the population.
Dr Dim Dim is a documentary that follows a white Australian doctor, Doctor Barry Kirby, who helped pregnant women in Papua New Guinea give birth, as well as educate nurses on how to deliver babies safely, due to many women not surviving childbirth in the country.
Cochrane says to prepare for such large and complex stories he makes sure to “understand as much as possible about the issues” and work out the logistics of getting to certain places and who to interview.
In the creation of Dr Dim Dim, when he went to the various locations he would “get a feel for who was confident, who spoke English confidently and was, you know, happy to be in front of our camera,” and this lead to his team finding other people to interview creating a “snowball effect.”
When asked about journalists having a white saviour complex, Cochrane said it was something he had considered “it’s really good to be aware of that and avoid it where possible.”
He made sure to “emphasise the strength of people in their own communities and what they’re bringing to their own struggles, to give them a voice, literally and figuratively.”
When asked about Dr Dim Dim, Cochrane acknowledged that the final story could come across as an example of the white saviour, but said that “most people who would actually watch the story would probably understand that’s not the motivation of Doctor Barry, and it certainly wasn’t our motivation in telling the story.”
These documentaries include many moments of community, people singing, talking together, and living their lives, which not only “adds amazing colour and flavour” and the feeling of the film, but also is “a way to be respectful to people’s lives and how they live.”
The people having their stories told should come first and foremost, and journalists must accurately represent that.
The white saviour complex is harmful and when journalists find themselves covering stories that may come across as such, they must acknowledge it, and aim to tell a story that is fair and honest to the people it’s about.
Feature photo: Liam Cochrane on the streets of Port Moresby while filming A Bloody Boycott for ABC Foreign Correspondent.
