Peace Journalism

Peace Journalism explains how most coverage of conflict unwittingly fuels further violence, and proposes workable options to give peace a chance.

Amid the ongoing and volatile debate over the nature and potential of peace journalism, this volume presents visionary insights from some of the most prominent scholars in the fi eld. Th e signifi cant empirical studies included here will provide foundation data for communication studies. Th e contributors broaden the purview and terrain of peace journalism to include new media, and off ers essays on the eff ects and the content of global communications. In sum, the thirteenth volume of Peace and Policy deepens our empirical knowledge of the nature and eff ects of confl ict, while underscoring the increase in numbers of participants and breadth of communications.

Long-time peace journalist Steven Youngblood presents the foundations of peace journalism in this exciting new textbook, offering readers the methods, approaches, and concepts required to use journalism as a tool for peace, reconciliation, and development. Guidance is offered on framing stories, ethical treatment of sensitive subjects, and avoiding polarizing stereotypes through a range of international examples and case studies spanning from the Iraq war to the recent unrest in Ferguson, Missouri. Youngblood teaches students to interrogate traditional media narratives about crime, race, politics, immigration, and civil unrest, and to illustrate where—and how—a peace journalism approach can lead to more responsible and constructive coverage, and even assist in the peace process itself.

This major new text explores and interrogates peace journalism as a significant challenge to this hegemonic discourse, which has been advocated and elaborated over the recent years in journalism, media development and academic spheres.

Peace Journalism, War and Conflict Resolution draws together the work of over twenty leading international writers, journalists, theorists and campaigners in the field of peace journalism. Mainstream media tend to promote the interests of the military and governments in their coverage of warfare. This major new text aims to provide a definitive, up-to-date, critical, engaging and accessible overview exploring the role of the media in conflict resolution. Sections focus in detail on theory, international practice, and critiques of mainstream media performance from a peace perspective; countries discussed include the U.S., U.K., Germany, Cyprus, Sweden, Canada, India, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines. Chapters examine a wide variety of issues including mainstream newspapers, indigenous media, blogs and radical alternative websites. The book includes a foreword by award-winning investigative journalist John Pilger and a critical afterword by cultural commentator Jeffery Klaehn.

This concise edited collection explores the practice of peace journalism in East Africa, focusing specifically on the unique political and economic contexts of Uganda and Kenya. The book offers a refreshing path towards transformative journalism in East Africa through imbibing pan-African institutional methodological approaches and the African philosophies of Utu (humanity), Umoja (unity) and Harambee (collective responsibility) as news values. Contributions from key academics demonstrate how media practices that are supportive of peace can prevent the escalation of conflict and promote its nonviolent resolution. The chapters cumulatively represent a rich repertoire of experiences and cases that skillfully tell the story of the connections between media and peacebuilding in East Africa, while also avoiding romanticizing peace journalism as an end to itself or using it as an excuse for censorship. This cutting-edge research book is a valuable resource for academics in journalism, media studies, communication, peace and conflict studies, and sociology.

In Debates in Peace Journalism, Jake Lynch traces the major controversies in this emerging field - philosophical, pedagogical and professional - and links his own contributions to them with important new material. The book is intended for those wishing to immerse themselves in the main conceptual currents of peace journalism, and to navigate their own path around some of its rocks and shoals.

Much is known about the media's role in conflict, but far less is known about the media's role in peace. Graham Spencer's study addresses this deficiency by providing a comparative analysis of reporting conflicts from around the world and examining media receptiveness to the development of peace. This book establishes an argument for the need to rethink journalistic responsibility in relation to peace and interrogates the consequences of news coverage that emphasizes conflict over peace.