The importance of hate radio pervades commentary on the Rwandan genocide,
and Rwanda has become a paradigmatic case of media sparking extreme violence.
However, there exists little social scientific analysis of radio’s impact on the onset
of genocide and the mobilization of genocide participants. Through an analysis of
exposure, timing, and content as well as interviews with perpetrators, the article
refutes the conventional wisdom that broadcasts from the notorious radio station
RTLM were a primary determinant of genocide. Instead, the article finds evidence
of conditional media effects, which take on significance only when situated in a
broader context of violence