Friday, February 27, 2015

Operation or war? Terrorist or freedom fighter?
(Dead Sea, Jordan)--Was the war in Gaza last summer an “operation?” Are those who attack the innocent freedom fighters, terrorists, extremists, or Islamic fundamentalists?

These questions about the use of language by media were on center stage today at a Conflict Reporting session that I moderated here at Gather +962, a meeting of peacebuilders sponsored by Seeds of Peace.

I told the attendees that peace journalists are always cognizant of the impact of the language they use. For example, I pointed out that media in Lebanon typically will not use the word Israel, substituting instead the term “the enemy,” a practice which is corrosive and counterproductive.

We also discussed a word introduced by one of my co-presenters. He used the term “operation” to label last summer’s Gaza war. I pointed out the connotations of the term operation—precision, surgery, sanitary, necessary. Does the word operation accurately describe the Gaza war, or, instead, is it a euphemism or even propaganda designed to sanitize what happened? These vital questions about the meaning of the words we use are central to any discussion about peace journalism.

Yossi Zilberman
My presentation concluded with a quick overview of the Center for Global Peace Journalism’s current project in Turkey, “Reporting Syrian Refugees: Building Communities of Understanding.” This project, I said, demonstrates the power of media as a tool for building bridges between communities.

The second Reporting Conflict panelist was Yossi Zilberman, until recently a presenter for Channel 2 News in Israel. Zilberman talked about objectivity and fairness in reporting, and how difficult both are for Israeli journalists. For example, he told a story about covering a provocative flag waving march by right wingers in an Arab city in Israel, and a subsequent clash between police and local Arabs. How does one assign responsibility in such a multi-layered incident without appearing biased?

The final panelist, Pakistani professor Muhammad Ali, presented his study of 9/11 coverage in Pakistani and British newspapers. The findings: The coverage was one sided in both countries, and biased (anti-war in Pakistan; pro-war in the UK). This study, Ali concluded, pointed out the need for peace journalism in both countries.

At the end of the session, one questioner correctly pointed out the obstacles to implementing peace journalism in the region and indeed the world.  I agreed with his assessment, while noting that, based on the use (or mis-use) of language alone, there seems to be little debate about the need for the peace journalism approach, regardless of how difficult it will be to put into place.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

East Africa inspires Arizona faculty to internationalize


(Tempe, AZ)--Peace journalism isn’t just for journalists.

That was my message on Friday at a Global Forum held at Maricopa Community Colleges conference center in Tempe, Arizona. The forum, titled, “East Africa—Conflict, Peace, and Reconciliation,” brought together about 50 faculty members from several MCC campuses along with a handful of students.

During my presentation, we talked about the need in East Africa (and elsewhere) for more responsible media that consider the consequences of their reporting while eschewing sensationalism and inflammatory language. One astute colleague pointed out during the Q&A that the term “peace” is itself weighed down with all kinds of meaning, and can lead to assumptions about PJ practitioners having an agenda. I agreed, noting that it is indeed ironic that the word peace is itself inflammatory.

My session followed several informative morning presentations about the geography of East Africa and the history of conflicts in East Africa, and an excellent afternoon panel of teachers who gave examples of how they internationalize their curricula. One great example is an annual Genocide Awareness Week held at MCC’s Scottsdale Community College campus.

The goal for all the presenters was not just to inform faculty about East Africa, but to give faculty ideas about how they might infuse content about the region, about peace media, or about genocide awareness into the courses they teach. Based on our vibrant discussion at the conclusion of the forum, I’m confident MCC students will soon be enjoying even more internationalized courses.

NEXT WEEK: Reports from "Gather +962", a meeting of peacemakers at the Dead Sea, Jordan.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Call for Papers--hurry!
If you're interested in getting your peace journalism related article published in The Peace Journalist (see call for papers below), you'd better hurry. Stories are streaming in, and it would be to your advantage to get yours in even before the deadline.

February: ACE, Global Forum, GATHER
Starting tomorrow, I'll be on the road much of February. My first stop is DC this weekend for the ACE Internationalization Collaborative. We'll be discussing ways to internationalize university curriculum--something near and dear to my heart.

Stop two next week will be Phoenix, Arizona. I'm the keynote speaker at an event sponsored by Maricopa Community College called "Global Forum: East Africa conflict, peace, and reconciliation."

My final February stop will be at an event called GATHER+962 held in Jordan. The event will bring together peacebuilders and funders from around the world. I am honored to be speaking at this event.

Of course, stay tuned for details.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Call for Papers—The Peace Journalist magazine

The Peace Journalist magazine is seeking submissions for our April, 2015 edition. The Peace Journalist is a semi-annual publication (print and .pdf) of the Center for Global Peace Journalism at Park University in Parkville, Missouri. The Peace Journalist is dedicated to disseminating news and information for and about teachers, students, and practitioners of peace and conflict sensitive journalism.

Submissions are welcome from all. For the April, 2015 edition of The Peace Journalist, we are seeking short submissions (300-550 words) detailing peace journalism projects, classes, proposals, academic works in the field, etc. We also welcome longer submissions (800-1200 words) about peace or conflict sensitive journalism projects or programs, as well as academic works from the field.
The Peace Journalist will not run general articles about peace initiatives or projects, but rather seeks only articles with a strong peace media/peace journalism/conflict sensitive journalism angle.

Please submit your article via email to steve.youngblood@park.edu. Also send a 2-3 sentence biography of the author, as well as a small head and shoulders photo of the author. In addition, please submit photos and graphics that could accompany your article.

The submission deadline is March 7. However, given the limited space available in this issue, it’s recommended that you submit your article early.

A copy of our previous edition, October 2014, is linked here.

Thank you in advance for your interest in the Peace Journalist.

Steven Youngblood
Editor, The Peace Journalist
Director, Center for Global Peace Journalism
Park University
www.park.edu/peacecenter
@PeaceJourn