Abstract Considering the pervasiveness of social media platforms that foreground visuals over text and the consequent rise of visually acculturated publics, this study examined the visual frame building strategies employed by international news media and organizational communication personnel in their coverage of war, conflict and humanitarian crises. Findings generated through 15 in-depth elite interviews with senior media and communication practitioners drawn from large, international news and multilateral organizations revealed four main visual frame building strategies. These strategies include audience-centered strategies of (1) using strong narrative pictures to create a compelling visual hook (2) selecting humanized and personalized images to cut through compassion fatigue, and (3) scripting to the visual; and humanitarian organizations’ character-centred strategy of (4) eschewing negative imagery in favour of framing the characters using positive frames of agency and dignity. These rich insights are explained by the simultaneous influences of traditional and social media, particularly the trend of humanization and personalization of subjects in war and conflict stories, a development largely effected by social media logics. Implications for public relations theory and practice are discussed.

中文翻译：

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视觉传播和公共关系：战争和冲突故事中的视觉框架构建策略

摘要 考虑到社交媒体平台普遍将视觉效果置于文本之上，以及随之而来的视觉文化公众的兴起，本研究考察了国际新闻媒体和组织传播人员在报道战争、冲突和人道主义危机时采用的视觉框架构建策略。通过对来自大型国际新闻和多边组织的高级媒体和传播从业人员进行的 15 次深度精英访谈得出的结果揭示了四种主要的视觉框架构建策略。这些策略包括以观众为中心的策略 (1) 使用强烈的叙事图片来创建引人注目的视觉钩子 (2) 选择人性化和个性化的图像来消除同情疲劳，以及 (3) 为视觉编写脚本；和人道主义组织的以人物为中心的策略 (4) 避开负面形象，支持使用积极的能动性和尊严框架来塑造人物。这些丰富的见解可以通过传统媒体和社交媒体的同时影响来解释，特别是战争和冲突故事中主题的人性化和个性化趋势，这一发展很大程度上受社交媒体逻辑的影响。讨论了对公共关系理论和实践的影响。主要受社交媒体逻辑影响的发展。讨论了对公共关系理论和实践的影响。主要受社交媒体逻辑影响的发展。讨论了对公共关系理论和实践的影响。