Picturing destruction at home and abroad: a comparative visual analysis of icons and news values during disaster

This study uses news photographs and interviews with journalists to explore how Australia’s unprecedented 2019–2020 bushfire season was depicted for Australian non-Australian audiences in order extend transnational understanding of iconicity’s tenets values vary across contexts. It does so first by examining the Sydney Morning Herald’s coverage over 3 months then contrasting this international that began early 2020 once issue spilled onto world stage. focused intensely on human actors involved disaster while vast numbers affected animals were virtually absent. In contrast, media visually as an environmental ecological global consequences. The results suggest a need definition iconicity is inclusive non-human inanimate forces are personified. also extends our cross-cultural visual expression values.