Speaking under duress: visual and verbal elements of personal and political messages in captive videos

Videos of living captives presented in the media are extremely influential and have broad implications even beyond the boundaries of the countries involved in the depicted events. This study is the first to present a comprehensive analysis of the visual and verbal contents of captive videos. This analysis of eleven videos of captives involved in seven abductions in three countries between 1986 and 2014 describes recurring media patterns, both visual and verbal, and suggests the functions they perform. Based on a multi-layered theoretical and analytical framework, the analysis reveals a unique genre consisting of four polar opposites reflecting both personal and political messages: visibility vs concealment, free expression vs scripted and coercive text, collective memory vs public agenda, and newsworthiness vs culture. The study delineates their unique co-existence in the generic identity.