Peace Journalism Training Manual

FOREWORD

Mosteffortsin the fieldof journalismeducationandtraininglie in the development of skillsin newsgatheringand reporting, or in otheraspectsof newspaper publishingand newsprogramproduction. They deal with the how-to of the craft or trade.Universities and colleges providecoursesin theseareas.With rapidchangesin technologyas wellaswith the growingcomplexityof problemsand issues, manyareasof coveragerequirecontinuingreviewand adjustment. Whatis clearnow is that therearea greatmanyareasof concernor newssubjectsthat canno longerbe reportedsimplyin storyformor in the briefbreakingnewsaccount.Whatis not soobviousisthe needfor journalists to keepup with the changingcontextof the news.Journalistsneedto acquirethe necessary knowledgeaboutthe background of the eventsthey cover,so that they can understandmorefully why eventshavecome to passand the issuesinvolvedin socio-political andeconomicdevelopments. Thisneedis easilyignoredin the dailynewsgrind.Journalists aretoo busyjust tryingto get storiesout quickly,hopefully,with accuracy.The paceof newsgatheringand deliverycan sidelinethe needfor context and interpretation.Everghingis reducedto the elementsof the event-thefirstof the W'swith littleattentionto Whyand How. Newsanalysis is left onlyto a selectedfew.Butit isour beliefthat every newsaccountshouldinvolvethe journalists in thinkingout the story and its meaning. (CMFR) Whenthe Centerfor MediaFreedomand Responsibility was established in 1989,it carvedout a specialareaof journalismtraining that would focuson the newsmedia'sneedfor more analysisin the process sotheycanprovidethe kindof accounts andcommentary that will introducethe readerto the issuesand helpthosewho wish for it moreunderstanding of theseissues. pEAcEJoURNALTsMTRAINING MoDute . 7

Theyearsfollowing1986-aperiodof politicalfermentin whichthe how recoveryof democraticinstitutionswas taking place-showed journalistsneededassistance quicklyin the to groundthemselves that figuredin the eventsofthe day. background of issues Its fundingmandateallowedthe Centerto organizebackground briefingsfor journalistsin the followingareas:the reportof the Davide Commission on the coup attempt of 1987,the reportof the negotiations the RP-US of the MilitaryBases, Councilfor Conversion on militarybasesand electoralreformand the first nationalelecWithoutcallingthesetrainingmodules tionsin 1992,amongothers. the needfor mediato in policynews,CMFRwas in fact addressing as a criticalaspectof good report more closelyon policy-making governance. launchedby the FidelRaIt alsobeganto examinethe peaceprocess of CorazonAquino's followingon the initiatives mos administration of policyand action PeaceCommission, trackingthe developments lt initiatedpolicydialoguewith mediaand on the partof government. involvedin the peaceprocess. the government agencies joinedthe effortsof a groupwhichcalleditselfAlliance ln 1994,CMFR (APC), with mean informalcollaboration for PeaceCommunicators includingRadioVeritas, NGOsand newsorganizations, dia-oriented Inc.andthe Philippine Centerfor Investigain Communication, Jesuits tiveJournalism. membersof the groupagreedthat Asjournalists andcommunicators, At the time,the the mediahad a roleto playin the peaceprocess. programfor nationalrecgovernment hadlaunched a comprehensive that urgedthe groupto explorethe posonciliation, a development "peacereporting" asa wayof coveringconflict sibilities of developing negotiations. andadversarial the WhileAPCremainedonlya name,the workit startedprojected program peace for as well as the signifiimportance national of the fosterin promotingan environment canceof the mediacoverage government peace. year, funding from In over a ing and favoring to agencies enabledthe APCto organizefive seminarworkshops journalists peace program government, the as on the of update peace peace well as NGO effortsand the difficultiesin coveringthe process. 8 . pEAcEJoURNALTSMTRATNTNGMoDULE

journalistsfound the voiceto expresstheir own felt In thesesessions, aspirations for peaceand their willingness to do their part to cover thoseaspectsof the peaceprocessthat were beingignoredin mainstreammedia.Theseincludedthe workof civiliangroupsto buildup "peacezones." "Peace-reporting" wasa strangegroundfor mostof the workingjournalists. Firstof all,therewasno suchbeatto cover;and it wouldtake timeto searchout sources who canprovidethe perspective of the differentcommunities journalists searching for peace.But significantly, aspublishers, editors,and reporters werereadyto hearout the problem,to listenandto learn. Otherincidentsor eventsforcedCMFRto alsoreviewthe journalistic response in otherareasof conflict.Thereportingof actsof terrorism, negotiations or eventsin the fieldof combathasalsoraisedcontentiousdebatewithinthejournalistic community. Terrorist attackswere reportedas ordinaryevents,coup attacksusuallytook on the color and hypegivento sportstournaments. It can be arguedthat the newsmediaindependence givesthem the freedomto simplyseekout the facts.And yet,journalists will be the firstto admitthat reportingcan be coloredby politicalbiasesor grouphostilities that will in turn fan the flamesof historic feuds.Worse,mediacansubmitto contendingsidesso that these can conducttheirwar of words,the forceof whichcan stillresult in hardeningthe will againstagreements to lay the groundfor peace. The character of newsalsodrivesjournalists to limit newsspaceto storiesthat are not aboutconflictor calamities. Givena peaceprocessor effort,mediaattentionwill perkup at the hint of adversarial confrontation, dwellon the collapse of negotiations, and reportthe breakdownon talkswhileignoringthe breakthroughs madetoward agreement andconsensus. Journalism trainingdesignedto connectreportingand commentary to largerpeace-building effortsin societyshouldbe seenasa significantstreamof effort in peaceadvocacy. programactson the CMFR's readiness of the mediato improvetheirown understanding of the issuesof peaceandthe complexquestions raisedin the courseof negotiationsor in inter-faith or inter-cultural discourse. pEAcEJouRNALrsMTRAININGMoDure . 9

prescribes a dis-interested modelforjournalism classical Thetraditional publicevents of interpreter and media,a so-calledobjectiveobserver in a more news media look at the Morecurrentviews andpublicissues. that information news and pro-activerole,a meansto communicate as environsuch formspublicopinionfor or againstcertainoutcomes, andthe resolutionof conflictthrough volunteerism, mentalprotection, peacefulmeans.Thislastthemeis profoundlyconnectedto the recognitionof pluralismasa positivedevelopmentin modernsociety. mustremain on radioandtelevision and newsprograms Newspapers program practice. press principles This of anchoredon the valuesand journalism all the good follows that is basedon the centralideathat and serve of the practicecanbe orientedtoward rulesand principles journalism provides First, the generalobjectivesof peace-building. the safeguardof good governanceor effectivepeaceprograms.Second, newscan alertthe restof societyto the "potentialoutbreaksof the pressmonitorsthe stateof humanrights, conflicti'Additionally, anotherwayof remindingthosein powerof theirduty to protectand on behalfof thosewho arevulnerable promotetheserights,especially to exploitation. peacejournalismtrainingprogramthereforeprovidedconCMFR's to updateaswellasto groundreportingon a shared tent information not only in the governmentthe issues, frameworkof understanding but alsoin the originsandrootsof insurgency initiatedpeaceprocess, with inputsfrom reThe agendaincludedsessions and dissidence. sourcepersonswho haveworkedon the thematicissuesas well as as well as efforts,includingnegotiations, the actualpeace-building who arekeepinga recordof developments and advocates academics of Theexperience aswell as history. of policyreference for purposes Asianregion the mediain variouspartsof the Southand Southeast will alsobe included. On the practicalside,the trainingwasdesignedto helpthe pressredescribing viewhow it hasbeendoingitswork,providingguidelines, for newscoverage to newswritingas well as strategies approaches that will reflectmoreconstantlythe problemsand issuesthat have history. sparkedconflictthroughthe country's of the CMFRtrainingprothe differentsessions Thisvolumepresents alsothe pointsmadedurgramin separate clusterthemes.lt includes Thepapersin the thatfollowedthe presentations. ing the discussions MoDULE TRAIN|NG 1 0 . pEAcEJoURNALTSM

secondpartof the publicationpresentedby resourcepersonsprovide the necessary backgroundand contexton the issuesof insurgency peaceprocess. and the development of the government's Thethird partcollectsthe sharingby fourjournalists aroundthe region(lndonesia,Nepal,Philippines, and Thailand)of their experiences, and as theydiscussed theirviewsaboutthe problemsof reportingbothconflict and peacein thesecountries. Altogether,the threepartsform the CMFRtemplatefor peacereporting.Thisisa workin progress andwe hopeto revisitthe issues andthe trainingneedsof the presscommunityin the Philippines. The program,which was conductedon November22 to 26,2007at the MeralcoManagement andLeadership Development Centerin Antipolo City,was madepossiblewith a grantfrom the RoyalMinistry of ForeignAffairsof the Governmentof Norway.Thesamesupported thispublication.

MELINDAQUINTOS DEJESUS ExecutiveDirector Centerfor MediaFreedomand Responsibility

pEAcE JoURNALtsM TRAINING MoDule . 1 1

Section1

OperationalFramework for Mediaand Peace-building MelindaQuintosde Jesus (Thispoperwaswrittenfor theNationolCentenniol Commission. lt hosbeenpublishedin the bookMediaand PeaceReportingwith minorrevisions.)

Introduction Likethe proverbial bad penny,the subjectof the mediakeepscropping up in discussions aboutotherconcerns. In the summit-conferencesor roundtablemeetingsorganizedto discuss variousnational problemsthe talk inevitably toucheson the roleof the media.Public perception seesmediaasa majorfactorin the courseof publicevents, whetherasa helpor hindrance, an allyor an enemy. of Unfortunately, thereis usuallyscantunderstanding of the character the media,especially the newsmedia.Thereis littleknowledge about how the publicreactsto news.Thereis alsolittleappreciation for the sensitivity of a freepressabouthavinga roleto play-unless it is the serviceof simplydelivering the news. Butwhetherthe medialikeit or not,theirpresence isa pervasive one, their reachextensive, if not universal. Clearly, thereis a basisfor presumingtheirinfluence and impact. In examiningthe roleof the mediain the formationof a cultureof peace, thispaperlimitsits scopeto the newsmedia,whichis my area of experience andconcern.The discussion willincludesomebasicconceptsabouthow the mediawork;and,sincegovernmenthasunderpeaceprogram,how policyis made.Bynews takena comprehensive media,we referto newspapers and magazines, to radioandtelevision newsprograms. pEAcEJoURNALtsMTRAINING mooulr . 15

Modelsof newsmaking in for news.Discussed concepts provideuswith normative Academics journalistic J. Spitzer, Robert by Policy, edited Pubtic Media & book, the at workmaynot practice thesemodels,althoughjournalists validates arecitedfrom in this section All references norm. of the be conscious book. the same merelya Themostacceptedisthe mirrormodelwhichregards"news"as it isi' While it like media simply"tell there.The reality out of the reflection gets news, into the what determine which or criteria therearestandards journalists observers. and disinterested as neutral projects thisconcept to this modelarethosewhichseethe mediaas'tonduits"of Related The media 1989). as channelsof newsmaterial(Graber, information, terms Other the news. disseminating provide of means the simply the conduct media how merely indicate suchas"neutraltransmitter" (Linsky, 1986)' generated others by programs, ideas and flowof events, the flow of communithe mediaact asa "funnelregulating Similarly, political system"(Schattin policymakers others and cationbetween 1975). sneider, Butthe ideais the same.Themediamakeup a neutralfactor,not an activistelementin the courseof events. Thesemodelsretaina truth about how the mediawork.Reporters dependon othersourcesor the news.Theyrelyon "leads"provided the mediado not inventthe by others.Byand large,and in principle, withpromote or makepeace, cannot news.In thiscontext,the media goals. those toward out otheractorsleadingthem

Mediaas policy actor morerecenttheoryprojectsthe mediaasan actorin the In contrast, process, policymaking as playinga rolein agendasetting(lyengar& Kinder,1987;Kingdom,1984). Themediamaywielddifferentkindsof effect.Theyeducatethe pubof ideasamongpolicyactorsin or out the exchange lic.Theyfacilitate andprojectscenarios the issues government. Themediaalsoorganize policyoptions public of certain ground acceptance prime the the to (Hawthorne,1994). TRA|NING MoDULE I 6 . pEAcEJoURNAL|SM

Themediaarenot governedbyjustoneframework. Whilereportsand accountsmaybe merelyreactive to what is happeningout there,the resultingpublicityand resonance of journalismexertinfluenceover policy the agenda.

The criteria for news Whateverthe model,newsselection takesplace.The selection involves standards of newsworthiness.These determine whatisincludedin the mirrorreflection, in thefunneltransmission, in the material that media channels carryout to the public. SeanMacBridein his MonyVoices, OneWorld(1980)citedthe criteria for news most commonlymentioned:"timeliness;" "wide interes!" 'but-of-the-ordinary" or'but-of-the-norm;" and finallythe elementof "conflict."Newscoverageis alsocued by eventsand tied to specific andisolatedoccurrences, ratherthanlong-termprocesses. journalismoftenmisses Drivenby events, out on the signsof crisisor the contextof controversy.Thus, thefaminegetsreported, but notthecauses, at leastuntilthe famineactuallyoccurs. Thefloodsarereported,but not the deforestation and erosionwhichcreatethe conditionsfor flooding. The simmeringfermentleadingto war may escapenotice,precluding the declaration of war.Inevitably, the possibilities of peacefallout of the news.Peacemaking isa process that isdifficultto trackasevents. It is in the characterof the newsthat the mediachoosestoriesof conflict,of confrontation, of collapsein peacetalks,of calamity.Assomeone put it,the biasisfor badnews.Suchan orientationdoesnotfavorpeace. Thisisthe realitythatwe haveto cometo termswith in askingthe media to playa role.To playa positiverolein buildinga cultureof peace,the mediawould needto re-orienttheirapproachto news,andjournalists needto re-inventa frameworkfor journalismso that newsaboutconsensus, aboutcompromise, aboutconflictavoidance andalternatives to warandviolencebecomeasnewsworthyin the eyesof the pressasthe newsfrom battlefield. A mediasensitive to the issuesof peaceprovide a newpublicconsciousness whichmaymakepeoplemorealertto the opportunities for peacefulsettlementof conflict. Of course,mediamakeup only one aspectof culture.Otherinstitutionsshouldbe just asactivein promotingthe valuesthat upholda cultureof peace. pEAcE JoURNALtsMTRATNTNG MoDutt . 17

Informationpolicyfor peace It mightalsohelpat thispointto reviewsomeof the conceptsabout policymaking andthe relationbetweenmediaand policyformation. We can learnabout policyby lookingfor textbookcasesof an orderly from sequence, activitywhich proceedsaccordingto chronological adoptinga policy,ima solution, the problem,formulating identifying 1993;Linsky, the policy(Borquez, plementingit, and then evaluating informaof necessary dependon the availability Theseactivities 1986). for allpolicyactors. of commonreferences tionandtheestablishment policymaking is often lessorderly. systems, In open and democratic with model"projectsthe fluidityof the process, The'garbage-can and advocacygroupsexertinginfluencein a variousconstituencies (Borquez, 1993). struggleof ideasand interests

Relationshipbetweenthe press, politicalactors,and policymakers The prevailingview amongjournalisticcommunitiesin democratic systemsseesthe press,on the one hand,and the politicalactors/ otherthan the policymakers, on the other,as havingno relationship havebeen in the Philippines media news interaction.The adversarial as an quickto interpretany effortto engagethem in a partnership press. In the of and autonomy independence on the encroachment the serve as asked to about being sensitive thesecases, the mediaare Thus,the usualmediareactionto mouthpiecefor officialmessages. "You do yourthing,we do oursj' is say the callfor role-playing to governing the a symbioticrelationship theoryperceives A contrasting the political in reality, press And actors. and interaction betweenthe reporter as in a relationship mediaenters mostindependent-minded journalists and of the media, theautonomy Despite dealingwithsource. perforin the publicofficials aremutuallydependenton one another needthe mediasothe public officials Government manceof theirtasks. arein government. canknowaboutsources. Quiteoften,thesesources

Whatthe newshold ideasandimagesprojected Thenewsholdssymbolsandstereotypes, public the climate mind.Theseindicate in the publicforumandin the MoDULE TRA|N|NG 1 8 . pEAcEJoURNAL|SM

of opinionwhich sumsup widelyacceptedviewsabout issuesand enduringvaluessharedwithina socievents. Thenewsalsopresents perceptions abouthow thingsare,aboutthe ety.Thereareprevailing environworksand what doesn'twork in the currentsocio-political ment. for policymakof the newsreveals a lodeof indicators Contextanalysis ers.Theycan reviewthe newsand find out how little peopleknow aboutthe SocialReformAgenda,a majorpeaceinitiativeof government.Thereviewof the mediacanbecomean effectivetool for polias an instrument with whichto shape cymaking, usinginformation policyor implementprograms. In a from government. A significantportionof the newsemanates playsa dominantrolein settingthe agengovernment way,therefore, da throughthe news.

The coverageof the peaceprocess an aspectof the goverThecoverage of the peaceprocesspresents nancethat hasa continuingrealityapartfrom the visibleevents.As framedby government, the promotionof peaceis a comprehensive, process. Butthe mediatrackthe process complex,and multi-faceted Theemphasis on eventsexplainsthe predomionly throughevents. nanceof "war"and"battle"news,of bombingsand ambushattacks, biasfor bad of failednegotiations. Onereasonliesin the journalistic War,despiteits increasing experience newsand the 'but-of-norm." abnormal. all overthe world,remainsa conditionthat is considered Peace,however,is a presumedcondition.Thereare alsofew peace that canbe captured events,apartfrom the signingof peaceaccords easilyin the news. Canthe mediaexertits influencein the creationof an environment we presumeits influence moreconducive to peacemaking? Because on publicopinion, theanswermustbeyes.Butit canonlydo somuch. In a sense,both government andtheircounterparts of the otherside medianeedto workwith of the conflictbecomethe majoractors.The "sources"in news.Butgiventheir thesegroupsto pushpeace-oriented own rolesin the conflict,muchof the newsflowingfromthe governpeacementevenasit relates to the peaceprocess, arenot necessarily whenthe militarybecomethe primarysourceof oriented,especially in the countryside. newsor intelligence aboutpeace-and-order p E A C E J o U R N A L T s M T R A T N T N G.M 1 o9 DuU

Thecontentanalysis ofthe peaceprocess doneby the ofthe coverage for sixmonthsin 1994 Centerfor MediaFreedomand Responsibility lt focused examinedreportingand commentaryin 11 newspapers. peace on threethemesidentifiedin the FidelRamosadministration's program:Peace Reforms.The andOrder;PeaceTalks; andGovernment pressfilesdemonstrate that on all the threethemes,and thiswould probablyholdfor everyaspectof the peaceprocess, the mediaturn to governmentastheir majorsourceof news.In mostthe "pathsto governmentis the peace"identifiedby the Ramosadministration, majorinitiatorof activities. Thissuggests that governmentneedsto inrefinetheirorientation towardthe newssothat theycanestablish formationprograms to makemoreinteresting to the mediasignificant breakthroughs in peacemaking. Contextanalysis on the regionin Mashowsthatthe militarybriefings nila remaina significantsourceof newsaboutthe terroristattacksor bombingsin Mindanao. Butthesebriefings do notincludea civilianperspective, carryinglittlenewsaboutthe restof the area,aboutschoolsor business, with littlementionof effortto bringreliefto victimsof attack aremilitaryin focusanddo or thosedisplaced by war.Thesebriefings not mirrorthe moregeneralconditionof lifein placesundersiege. in itsimplemenBecause the peaceprograminvolves several agencies tation,theseagencies mustcoordinate the informationcomponents aspartof implementation.This is necessary for coherence in actionas wellasin publicstatements. At the sametime,coverage of ongoingmilitantinsurgency alsowork with othernewssources at paritywith governmentasinitiatorsof news. Asantagonists however,government, the NewPeople's Army-National Front-Communist Partyof thePhilippines, theMoroNationDemocratic al LiberationFront,the Moro lslamicLiberationFront,the Abu Sayyaf Group,and the Rebolusyonoryong AlyansangMakobonsa-Young Offifor peacenews,unlesseicers'Union arenot likelyto providestimulus Whilethe negotiations thersideisreadyto signa peaceagreement. are goingon,thesealsousethe mediato win publicopinionto theirside. Suchnewssources tendto playto the media'snosefor conflict.

Lessvisiblepeaceadvocates But,of course, thereareotheractorson the scene. Inthe Philippines, non(NGO)peaceadvocates governmental organization and other service 20 . pEAcEJoURNAL|SMTRATNTNGMoDULE

providea differentperspective deliverers to ongoingconflict.Theirstoriesincludethe creationof "peacezones;'the formationof peacegroups engagedin the activequestfor understanding amongthe communities. "Silsilah"takes TheZamboanga-based the pathof inter-religious dialogue in a movementthat bringstogetherMuslimsand Christians for mutual exchange abouttheirfaithsand beliefs. Peace Advocates of Zamboanga (PAZ)isa Catholicorganization whichisdevelopinga peaceprogramby consolidating strongMuslim-Christian relations. In the creationof a "peaceculture," suchgroupsneedto be ableto access theirnewsto the media.Thisisan easytask.Theiractivities are process-oriented and mediahavedifficultyframingsuchlong-term programsinto news.Buttherearewaysof doingthis.And it mustbegin with peaceadvocates buildingalliance-networks with media. "blindspot"that citizenand NGOpeaceefforts It is typicalof media's receiveso littleattentionasnews.Suchactivities arenews,especially in the contextof the strifethat hasafflictedthe communities of Zamboangafor so long. Peaceeffortsin theseplacesexudethe "out-ofnorm"condition,and as suchdeserveto be reported.Indeed,the failureof the mediato publicize theseactivities indicates how deeply imbeddedthe newscultureis in the cultureof conflict.

TheAlliancefor PeaceCommunicators: A mediaexperimentfor peace (APC)has remainedonly a The Alliancefor PeaceCommunicators name.Butit standsfor an efforton the partof somejournalists to explorethe possibilities for"peacenewsi' In overa year,sincelate1994,the APC,a groupof journalists andgovernmentinformation officers, hadorganized, with supportfromsome governmentagenciesinvolvedin the peaceprogram,five seminar workshopsto updatejournalistson the peaceprogramof government,on NGOpeaceefforts,as well asto discuss theirdifficulties in coveringthe peaceprocess. A concernechoingthroughthe workshops toucheson the lackofcapableand crediblespokespersons on the "peaceprocess" especially when it involvesthe militaryand other peace-and-order situations. Journalists alsonotedthe dilemmaof mixingadvocacy for peaceand the business of news. p E A c E J o U R N A L T S M T R AMToNDTuNl eG . 2 1

journalists for acknowledged theirown aspirations In thesesessions, process. peacemaking peaceand theirwillingness But help in to the "peacereporting"wasa strangegroundfor mostof them.However, theywerereadyto hearout the problem,to listen,andto learn.These pregainreadyattendance peaceseminars generally fromjournalists, peace-and-order issues sumablybecauseof the high newsvalueof and peacenegotiations. It is clear,however, that the mediacando a lot to improvetheirown understanding of the issuesof peaceand of the complexquestions for raisedin negotiations. The background of the Tripoliagreement, who weretoo youngto is lostto a generation of journalists example, There of peacearecomplex. remember whenit wasforged.Theissues areconductedbehindclose is no "peace" beat,assuch.Negotiations it is easierto countthe casualties doors.Workingagainsta deadline, andthe deadbodies.

Peacetraining for the media whichcaninThereis a needthen to developshorttrainingcourses structthe mediaon the issues that arethe heartof socialand armed they comein conflictsin the country.In learningabouttheseissues, apartfrom who maygivethema perspective touchwith newsources or terrorists aboutwhat needsto be the militaryand the insurgents journaldone.There isa needfor readingmaterialthat will familiarize of Mindanaoandthe Cordilleras. istsaboutthe differentcommunities to other Thereisa needfor sourcebooksthatwill helpleadjournalists in the NGOs, and in lessvisiblegovernment sources in the academe, the "process" agencies, whoseexperience canhelpthem understand that liesbehindthe event,the underlyingtermsthat makeconflict which moreunderstandable. At the veryleast,a levelof competence reportingcanhelpreducethe warwillensureintelligent andaccurate mongeringsensationalism whichcolorsthe reportsof conflictin the field. Perhaps, will alsodevelopa newsensitivity among a greaterexposure journalists, communities healing a greaterinterestin the"news"about themselves of the woundsof pastwars,who riseabovethe hostilities but whichhavesetthemapart.lt will be a differentkindof journalism; the kind,perhaps, that isfor peace.

22 . pEAcEJoURNAL|SM TRA|N|NG MoDULE

lf the newsmediaareto playa role,theneffortsmustbe madeto help Press them througha learningprocess. and politicsinteractandtheir policies programs for peace. interaction shapesboth and who mustbe Thatprocess mustengagethe resources of government readyto shareinformation for peacemust andwhoseown orientation communicated itsprograms throughan information component.That processmustincludethe NGOadvocates who mustfind the time to sharetheir experience and to demonstrate their beliefthat thereis much"peacenews"thatremainsuntold.

Thepeopleand the media In conclusion, that processmustincludethe publicwho mustprove that peacenewsand peacestoriescansellnewspapers aswellasthe newsof disaster andof war.

Center MELINDA DEJESU5, executive directorof the Manila-based QUINTOS (CMFR), hasworkedas a journalistin for MediaFreedomand Responsibility Inthe 80s,sheworkedasa bothprintandbroadcast mediain the Philippines. criticallyof the Marcosregime.Later,she columnistfor BulletinTodoy,writing editedVeritas NewsWeekly, one of the publicationsin the'hlternativepress" that playeda rolein topplingthe dictatorship. Sheorganized CMFRin 1989 acto protectpressfreedomand to promoteethicsin presspractice.CMFR's Now the tivitiesincludemediamonitoring, awards,and trainingprograms. publisherof CMFR's publications, Review(PJR) and the Philippine Journalism PJR Reports, trainingprograms on mediaandthejusshehasalsodeveloped reporting, and other tice system,peacereporting,mediaand gender-based in the newsagenda. emergingissues

pEAcEJoURNALTsMTRATNTNG MoDur-e . 23

Section2

Mediaand Pluralism MelindaQuintosde Jesus (Thispaperwaspresented at theJournolismAsiaForum2005,"MedioEthics ond Pluralismin Asiai'heldon Jonuory27-30,2005in Bangkok,Thoiland.)

Understanding Pluralism Pluralism is an old aspectof the humancommunity.Diversityhas alwaysbeenpartof humanexperience. Fromthe beginningof time, differences wereevidentasa matterof color,race,laterlanguage, ethnicity,and religion.Pluralism hasmadethe world more interesting. lmagineif we wereallthe same. Ingrainedin humanexperience, pluralismhasalsobeenobservedin the heartof manypainfulconflicts. Diversitysharpens the senseof personaland group identification the"l"and"youi'the"us"and"them."Diversity givesriseto complexity of humanexchange andinteraction. Astravelandmigrationincreases, as globalization markstradeand laboractivities, so haveculturaldiversityor pluralismbecomemoreand morepartof how humancommunitieslive.And yet,thereremainhugegapsin our knowledgeof one anotherand in the acceptance of our differences. Thelinesthat separateus can at timesleadto alienation, if not outrighthostility. Therearemanyreasons for this. Butthisdiscussion takesup the role of the pressmediaor the practiceof journalismin mediain thisdevelopment. Journalism orthepressoriginated in simplertimes. ltscanonsandconventionshaveheldthroughradicalandmassive changes in communicationtechnologyalongwith paradigmshiftsin customsand mores, in attitudesand in thought.Butascommunication hasexpanded, the established criteriaof newshold newsaccountsto limitedscopes. pEAcEJoURNALISMTRAINING MoDuu . 25

Newsincludesonlythosestoriesand imagesof thosewho arepromiand releof significance nent,eventsthat standout as out-of-norm, vance.Thesechoicesaremadeby a selectcommunity- significance decidedby thosewho are engagedin the gathering and relevance of news.Thiscommunity,moreoftenthan not, is and dissemination partof the establishment. the hassomehowprevented Someglitchin the growthof newsrooms to mirrorthe capacityof journalismto adequatelyreflectdiversity, Asinto ourselves. of ourjoinedhumancommunities vastdifferences hascausedthe worldto shrink,makingphysical stantcommunication and Internethave ashighspeedtravel,telephony, distanceirrelevant, peopleall aroundthe world-govand borders, brokendown barriers and individuals and corporations, ernmentsand states,associations -engageone anotherin an unprecedented manner,at a levelthat couldnot be imaginedin the past,includingthe gatheringof different state,or country. peoplesin one place,in onesociety, of andreflection Yetthenewsmediahavelaggedbehindintheprojection viewthat Mostnationalmediastillcarrythe establishment thisdiversity. of or the marginalization a societyor countryto the exclusion dominates thishasto do withthe useof of others.I wouldarguethatfundamentally of powerandaspectsof power;ownermediaand newsasinstruments powerof the politicalclass. andthe decision-making shipof resources moreinteresting makesocieties It is our positionthat thesedifferences The societies. asa markofprogressive of differences andtheacceptance failureof the pressto tell asmanystoriesascanbe told to reflectdifferto restrain encesisto holdbackthe spreadof freedomanddemocracy, of theworld' sharingof poweramongthe peoples theappropriate Thefailureof the mediato mirrorthisdiversityor pluralismisto contributeto the discontentof thosewho are left out. Thisfailurealso beliesor makesfalsethe claimthat "news"is a windowto the worlc of the mind,new picturesof life outside,openingup new landscapes parts directly experience. we cannot in of the world of thetruthof journalism hasbecomea touchstone In a way,pluralism yet measure of how well the news presenting another in our times, find themselves. which readers reflectthe realityandsituationin Thereareotherimplications. MoDULE TRA|N|NG 26 . pEAcEJoURNALTSM

the asa youngMuslimstudyingin Manila.Reading Pictureyourself morningpapersor watchingthe newson televisionin the evenings, you will not find muchthat will tell you aboutyourcommunityor in the publicsphere Thisinvisibility yourselfas a MuslimFilipino. weighson your senseof yourselfas a Filipino.And the exclusion dialogueraisesquestionsaboutyour placein from the mainstream thissociety. and isolation Thestudyof discontent Theimplications aresignificant. of minoritygroupsshowsup everywhere.In 1981, of communities longbeforethe GulfWarandthe attackagainstthe WorldTradeCenof the the ethnocentrism EdwardSaidhadquestioned ter in NewYork, dominantWesternmediawhichdeterminedhow the worldseesthe "worldof lslam,with its morethan800,000,000, its millionsof square in AfricaandAsia,its dozensof societies, milesof territoryprincipally geographies, cultures." states,histories, as to applyto othercommunities Thatquestioncan be re-phrased portrayed of comin the channels not see themselves well whichdo our senseof solidarity municationthat wouldotherwiseconsolidate participant theirown quickaudit here can do Each in the 21'tcentury. press. groups in are invisible the or of whatcommunities Because the underlyingissueis power,and becauseinformationhas we beentoutedto be a sourceof powerto whichall musthaveaccess, journalism press world disthe or around needto examinehow the andgroupsof the samesociety. empowers segments ls pluralism in the mediathe answer? aboutwhatiswrongwith the world,the Aswith manyof ourconcerns responserequiredis not just one answeror one solution.But more and more,societylooksat the pressandthe mediaasa criticalfactor, the roleof whichbegsto be understood. Thissectionfocuseson pluralismin the media,and this meansthe newsmedia,asa wayof startingup a continuingdiscussion.

UniversalFrameworksof Pluralism comand conventionsof the international The universaldeclarations on TheUniversal Declaration fundamentalprinciples. munityrepresent pEAcE MoDutt . 27 JoURNALTsMTRATNTNG

of the UnitedNaCulturalDiversity adoptedby the GeneralConference (UNESCO) at its tionsEducational, Scientific and CulturalOrganization assigned 2,2001recalled oneof the purposes 31'tsession on November - to"recommend agreements asmaybe suchinternational to UNESCO necessary to promotethe freeflow of ideasby wordand imagel' proclaimed "culturaldiversityas the common Thusthe Declaration Thedocumentrecognized asa policyimperaheritageof humanity." and participation of allcitizens asguartivethe needfor the inclusion the vitalityof civilsocietyand of peace.As anteeingsocialcohesion, framework. froma democratic such,it cannotbe separated It makesthe protection of culturaldiversity asnecessary to the human is in the naturalrealm,and makesits protection raceas biodiversity callfor a matterof criticalurgencyasit is embeddedin the universal respectfor andpreservation of humandignity. whichstudiedthe roleof the press Inthe US,the Hutchins Commission in Americansocietyupheldculturaldiversityasa valueto whichthe pressmustcommit.Amongthe fivetasksit assigns to the pressis"(t)o pictureof the constituentgroupsof societyl' offera representative Andyet,the coverage of newsprovidesdailyevidencethat the press variousgroupswho do not belong continues to leaveout of coverage of the Howmanyareleftinvisiblebecause to the majoritypopulation. blindersappliedin the newsagenda?

The Structureof Powerin Societyas in the Newsroom Theapplication a process of examiningor of thisframeworkrequires and the expansion of news auditingthe newsroomfor its personnel minoritygroups,theirneeds selection to includethe storiesreflecting andconcerns. met in Washington DCin pursuitof ln 20O4,7,000 minorityjournalists a long advocacyto makemorediversethe staffsof the nation'snewsgatheringorganizations. Theircountshowedthatonlyonein 10journalistscoveringthe capitalof Americanpoliticsis a minorityperson. With the growthof minoritypopulationsin the US,the presscorps workingin the countryhasremainedpalein color. With the press peopledmostlyby membersof one dominantcolorgroup (white), presented the perspective in the newswill mostlikelyshowup asthat MoDULE 28 . penctrouRNALrsM TRATN|NG

of the white population. Theissueis no longerlimitedto the separation of blackandwhite.Themovementfor culturaldiversityin the US newsrooms wasrootedin the under-representation of African-Americansor blacks, but now pushesfor the inclusion of all peoplescoming from differentpartsof the world.

NewsSelectionfor Diversity The mostfundamental frameworkhasto do of coursewith a not so subtlemodification of the newscriteriawhich reflectthe long-held conventions injournalism.Prominence isoneof thevaluesthatweigh heavilyon the selection.lf the personis importantenough,he or she will get intothe news,whateverthe raceor religionof the subject.But asminorities aremostlyon the fringesof poweror prominence, these newssubjectswill be few and will at somepoint end up as a token ratherthana totemof diversity. Prominence resultsin a ratherlimitedgroupconsidered to be"newsworthy"perse.Thereareonlya few who areknownand recognizable to the many.Individuals whodo significant things, startingup important movementsaroundthe world,willfind it difficultif not impossible to get news attention,until or unlessthey are involvedin eventsor developments whichhaveothernewsvalues, suchastheout-of-norm or relevance. To leaveculturaldiversitywhereit is,un-notedand un-observed, will castto invisibility manymembersof a societyto the tribe of the excluded,peoplewho do not seethemselves, theirexperiences or concernsrepresented in the news. Suchgapshavea politicaleffect.The issuesof pluralismarea matter of policyconcern. Theneedsof the poor and powerless canwell remainon the backburnersof policymakingor in the inactivefilesof the bureaucracy. The mediapolicylink may not be a clearone,but most studiesdo pointto casesthat showhow mediaand newsattentionhavecaused policymakersto attendto a problemor needafterthe presshaspublicizedthe issue, eitherin reportingor in commentary. On anotherlevel,the communitythat doesnot seeits newsin the mediagets cut off from the dialoguethat servesas society'sglue. Thesegroupswill not be partof the commonreference thatjoinsthe pEAcE JoURNALTsM TRAINtNG rvrooulr . 29

canleadto deep fromthe mainstream manyintoone.Suchde-linking or the mutualalienationof differentgroups.The misunderstanding publicoutlookwill be formedaccording to uninformedstereotyping. Evaluating the largerpicture,the pressthat doesnot includeminorior tiesin the newsagendafailsthe ethicalmandatefor truth-telling, tellingthe completestory. oftentakes Theliterature on mediaand culturaldiversityor pluralism quantifyingspaceand of stories, up datathat showscontentanalysis the themesof distime givento minoritygroupsaswellasexamining course. Let me note at this point that we cannottakeup pluralismwithout of women,whichin the aboutthe coverage somekindof observation earlynineties, becamepriorityissuefor advocacy.Howwerewomen coveredin the media?Whatkindof genderbiasdrovethe selection wherewomenasa groupremainvoiceIndeed,in countries of stories? lessand powerless, the presswill needto examineits performance haveimprovedthe andstudywaysby whichothernewsorganization reporting.

The EthicalMandatefor Pluralism for truth requirethat the news Theethicalandeditorialrequirements andthe storycomplete.lf the newsmeaccountshouldbe accurate providea thenthe newsthat excludes dia hold up mirrorsto society, prejudicially decidesthatsomepeople falseimageof who arethereor do not matter. asa qualityof insistson pluralism A framework of socialresponsibility journalism that includes callsfor Socialresponsibility newsselection. includingthosewho aremimembersof a society, allthe constituent of norities.Otherwise, the recordof currenteventsisa falserendering the realitythat isthere. aswell as In thisway,pluralismis requiredby ethicsof the profession the needto treatasequalsthe differentmembersof society.

TheCulturalDiversityof AsianSocieties a challenge to all newsorganizations in the mediapresents Pluralism population runshighin this of basedanywherein Asiaasthe diversity 30 . pEAcEJoURNALTSMTRA|N|NGM0DULE

Dartof theworld.lt hasalsobecomeclearthat internalaswellascross borderconflictsarefueledby ethnicandracialdiscontents. Canjournalism mediaplaya rolein promotinggreaterpluralism in Asiansocieties? lf so,whatisthe bestwayof doingthis? Trueto the character of mostjournalism, this programdoesnot set out to comeup with answers and solutions.Rather, it hopesto raise questions andencourages the echoingof thesequestions in otherforumsincludingthe newsrooms of organizations represented here.

. \''

populaJournalists shouldseethe greaterdiversityof the Philippine tion aspartof its strength.Butit canremaina strengthonlyif the nationalcomunityisableto acceptandembrace thisthroughthecustom of the countryandthe application of law.lt isour beliefthatjournalists playa criticalrolein promotingsucha development.

pEAcEJoURNALtsMTRAINING MoDuu . 31

{

i

lllores: Drscusstott The discussion focusedon concernsin two areas:(1) how the mediareflectdiverseor evenconflictingviewsand (2)how the pointsraisedwere: mediareporton Mindanao.The o

Blogsand onlinenewsdo not promotethe senseof connectionamongdifferentgroups.However,it was noted by peopleworkingfor the onlinenewsorganizations that rethisissue. in the Internetcouldaddress centinnovations in the coverage of Mindanaohasshowna dilmprovement and morespaceand time givento versification of sources affectedby conflictratherthan just the the communities combatants andthe military. Howevetthe relianceon purelymilitarysourcesseemsto be continuingin thoseareaswherethe CommunistParty People's Army-National Democratic of the Philippines-New ArmedForces. Frontisengagingthe Philippine to enablethem to diversify A retoolingof journalists'skills their sourcesand to shift their focusfrom battlefieldaccountsto the impactof conflictand war on the communitieswassuggested.

TRATNTNG MoDULE 32 . pEAcEJoURNALTSM

Section3

SkillsandValues LuisV.Teodoro challenge Warand conflictreportinghasbecomea majorjournalistic Kolko).The centuryof war"(Gabriel in a centurythatcouldbe"another (e.9., fromvariousgovernments mediaasa wholeareunderpressure the US)with a stakein the outcomeof warsand conflictsto reportin theirfavor,andagainsttheirrivals. Underlining the powerof the mediais the factthat reportinghasin somecasesalsoinfluenced events(e.9.,taxpayerapprovalof the US is thus especially appropriattackon lraq).Theterm"warjournalism" haspromotedwarover in thatthiskindof journalism atein suchcases, peace.

PeaceJournalismValues journalismwasproposedby the Norwegian and acacademic Peace to warjournalism. tivistJohanGaltungin the 1970sasan alternative Theconcepthasbeenfurtherdevelopedby JakeLynchand Annabel (Peace 2005). McGoldrick Journalism, Galtungbelievedthat journalismhad developeda biasfor war - i.e., by"warjournalism." the mediahadbeenoverwhelmed peacefulrather Peacejournalismprefersreportingthat encourages lt isa form conflictsin humanaffairs. thanviolentmeansof resolving journalismbasedon peaceasa desiredanddesirable huof advocacy manvalue. from the assumption Criticismof peacejournalismusuallyproceeds Thiscriticismforgetsthat that advocacyviolatesmedia'bbjectivity." PEACEJOURNALISMTRAINING MODUU . 33

on bodycounts,winners,and losers, the usualnewsmediaemphasis etc.,focusesonly on certainaspectsof conflictand ignoresothers.lt alsoignoresthe fact that officialand governmentsourcesareoften exclusively usedby the newsmediawhencoveringconflict. Lackof 'bbjectivity" hasbeenraisedasa criticismof peacejournalism. newsroom standard, the notionof 'bbjectivAlthougha conventional Newsis not a mirrorof realitybut a representation ity" is misleading. process involvedin all denythe selective of it. Notionsof 'bbjectivity" one setof facts involvedin emphasizing writing,andthe subjectivity overothers. as'bbjectivei but in most fancythemselves Manymediapractitioners casesdo presentone set of factsoverothers,and from the national valandclassperspectives that shapeeditorialpolicyandpractitioner official,governues.Galtungarguedthat Westernmediaemphasize declaringthat "(t)hereis hardlyany discrepancy ment perspectives, producedby (Westbetweenthe officialpolicylineandthe discourse ern)mediai' is distinguished by cerWhatGaltungreferredto as"warjournalism" Amongothers,it: taincharacteristics. o o o o o o o o

"thosefor us"asthe good sideand"thoseagainstus"as ldentifies evil; againstus"; lmpliesa moralneedto choosebetween"us"and"those lgnoresthe complexity andcontextof conflicts; isusuallydisguised underthe mislsitselfa formof advocacy-but 'bbjectivity"; leadingclaimof Paintsconflicts andin blackandwhiteterms-thegood asdualistic (us)vs.the bad(them); that leadsto conflictsand Emphasizes the eventoverthe process wars; Decontextualizes conflictin violationof a majorjournalisticresponsibility; and Despiteclaims Prioritizes actionsand policies. officialstatements, governments, warjournalismis practiof mediaautonomyfrom callyofficialjournalism.

but warjournalismpretendsto be objective, As a form of advocacy, reality(e.9.,the coverageof the Vietoften distortsand misrepresents journalism. namWar)- the very"sins"attributed to advocacy 34 . pEAcEJoURNALTSM TRAIN|NG MoDULE

Advocacyjournalism journalismcan distortand misrepresent Advocacy realitythrougha varietyof means.lt cannotcompletely represent reality;no craftor art can.Butit canrepresent realitymoremeaningfully if committedto the basicjournalistic responsibility of respectfor the factsandto looking into publicissueshonestly, systematically, andextensively. Peacejournalismas advocacydoes more than relaynews of peace agreements and the cessation of wars.lt presents conflictsin all their complexity, andthuspaintsa complexpictureof theworld.lt emphasizescontextasthe keyto understanding conflicts. lt reportsongoingconflictsas rootedin history,and reportssimmeringconflictsbeforethey becomewars.Byexamining the conflicting claimsof protagonists and thoseaffectedbeforeandduringwars,peacejournalismsubjectsthese (suchaspatriotism). to analysis withoutideological andotherbiases journalism Peace doesnotendwiththeendof war.lt continues to report on reconciliation and reconstruction efforts,and attemptsto find out if the rootcauses of conflictpersistandcouldleadto futureconflicts.

Beyond"good" and "evil" o o o

journalismlooksat the partiesin conflictbeyondconvenPeace tionalgoodandevilformulations journalismassumes "isthe ultimatesocialill" Peace thatviolence peace Byencouraging mutualappreciation of eachother'spositions, journalism parties prefer peaceoverwar in conflictto canhelpthe

Non-partisanship o o o

Peacejournalismis non-partisan in that it encourages looking ("untruths": intoalIparties'claims Galtung) journalismstrivesto identifyfactorsthat mayconvinceunPeace partiesto seekotheravenues reasonable Peacejournalismdevotesas muchattentionto the other party andto peacemakersasmuchasto governments

Goodjournalism Theemphasis on contextconformswith the International Principles of Professional Ethicsin Journalism adoptedin a 1983meetingof p E A c E J o U R N A L T s M T R AMToNDTuNuG . 3 5

and CulturalOrganization Scientific, the UnitedNationsEducational, (Factsmust be "reportedin their propercontext"so as to provide"a pictureof the world in whichthe origin,natureand comprehensive andstatesofaffairsareunderstood"). ofevents,processes essence for all Peacejournalismskillsarethe sameas thoseusuallyprescribed pitfalls journalists. and emphasizing Buttheseincludeavoidingcertain knowlandextensive of conflictthat areoftenignored.Research aspects skills. conflictsarealsonecessary edgeof the natureof contemporary

ProfessionalStandards Peacejournalismexploresthe multipleaspectsof conflictand proing:accuracy). videscontext(truth-tell o o . .

of information lt consultsmultiplesources fairness lt presentsboth or all sidesinvolvedin conflict(justice: andbalance) lt seesthe partiesinvolvedashumanbeingsratherthanascaricacompassion) tures(humaneness: journalistic autonomyfrom politicalandeconomic lt encourages interests(freedom)

The values Peacejournalismis thus ethical,competentjournalism. journalism ethical and peace with the are consistent skills of and Peacejournalismcan be more professional of journalism. standards whichhasbeen thanwarjournalism, completeand moreinformative war "the otheri'andencourage knownto distortreality,misrepresent andviolence.

isthe deputydirectorof the Centerfor MediaFreedomand LUlSV.TEODORO publi(CMFR) andthe editorof its monthlymedia-monitoring Responsibility Review ilippine )ournalism of the Ph He is also the editor cation,the PJRReports. journalism journalof the CMFR. at (PJR), Teodoro teaches the annualrefereed in Diliman Collegeof MassCommunication the University of the Philippines on HigherEducation wherehe hasservedasdean.Hechairsthe Commission (CHED) Education and is alsomemberof on Journalism Technical Committee Sciences.Teodoro andthe Social Panelon Communication theCHEDTechnical currentlywritesa columnfor BusinessWorld. TRAINING MODULE 36 . PEACE JoURNALISM

DtscusstonNorcs: Thediscussion focusedon whetherpeacejournalismwaspossiblegiventhe pressure from varioussourceson journalists to producestoriesthat will eitherboostratingsor circulation. Therewasconsensus that: Mediaowners,publishers, and editorsshouldbe moreinvolvedin the promotionof peacejournalism.But some participants expressed doubtsthat ownerswouldcommit to makingpeacereportinga matterof policy. Professional standards demandthat an eventshouldbe coveredprofessionally, and according to the ethicalstandardsof journalism, which meansprovidingcontextand lookinginto the situationof the communities affectedby conflict. Correspondents-who are usuallyon the frontlines-lack supportfrom their mediaorganizations in termsof adequatepay,or evenhazardpay,and mustoften spendtheir own moneyto get to and stayin an areaof conflict. Diversification of sourcesis now possiblethrough the useof new communication technologies-such as mobile phonesandthe Internet-tocontactall partiesinvolvedin a conflict,ratherthanjournalists'being limitedto citingthe militarybecause they areusuallythe onesavailable.Even rebelsnow havemobilephonesand Internet-capable laptops. Peacejournalismactuallydemandsno more than what journalismusedto be - that is,complete, accurate, fair,relevantand contextualized reporting,which amongother requirements demandsthat reporterspresentboth sides involvedin an issue,or,asin thisinstance, conflict.

pEAcEJoURNALTSMTRATNING MoDuu . 37

Section4 a

SomeDo'sand Don'ts MelindaQuintosde Jesus

\-

A good presshelpspeopleto think and engagesthem in dialogue. Good,well-researched storieshelppeoplethinkand promotemutual understanding amongvariousgroups. o

ldentify/Understand the peaceprocessinitiatedby the government

o

Knowwho the participants are

o

Understand, if any,the terms/framework of negotiations

o

Establish the landscape, the terrainof conflict

o

Search out otheractorsin the field,innocentvictims

o

Contextualize conflictin realityof the place,effecton dailylife o Writeabout the 'dailiness" of life,what staysthe same,coping mechanisms duringcrisis.Militaryperspective shouldnot be the onlyperspective in the press o

Storyshouldbe basedon factsthat youyourselfvalidated

o

Providebackground andcontextto anyoutbreakin hostility

o

Avoidsensationalizing violence

o

Storyshouldprovide a context,not be presentedasisolatedrandom incident

o

Cleanout text of stereotypes

o Writeabout peaceefforts o Writeaboutdifferences asa fact of nationalsocialreality o

Provideoptionsfor peace, conflictmanagement, and resolution p E A c E J o U R N A L T s M T R A I N I N G M.o D UU 39

.

storiesout in the press Getthe children's

o

Get the viewsof all thoseinvolvedand affectedby violenceand war

o

Reportsempowerthe public in the endeavorto resolveconflict to trucethat opensup meaningfullevelsof and bringantagonists peace-building

40 . PEACEJoURNALISMTRAININGMODULE

Section4 b

SomeDo'sand Don'ts LuisV.Teodoro

Theviolencethat attendsconflictsin the modernworld is only the tip of the iceberg. Butthe mediaoftenemphasize violenceto the exclusionof the history,aswellasrootsof,conflict.Journalists canhelp readers/viewers/listeners better understandconflict by keepingthe followingin mind. o

Tracethe conflict's originsto the past;it did not happenonlyyesterday

o

Findout whoseinterests areinvolvedin conflictandwhatconsequences theremaybe for affectedpopulations

o

Whatlessons doesthe conflictpotentially provide? Cantheselessonshelppreventfutureconflict?

o

Do not portraya conflictasconsisting solelyof two parties

o

Examine othergroupsandtheirgoals.Dotheseaddup to an outcomemorecomplexthanwhat is conventionally (e.g. assumed? the Mindanaoconflict:arethereonlytwo partiesandtheirgoals involved?)

o

Do not categorizethe partiesinto "us"and "them"- or into "self" and"the other'iwhichdividesthe contenders into good (us)and evil(them)

o

Findout how differentor how muchthe samearethe"good"and the"evil"

o

Do not makeopinionsoundlikean established fact

o

Reporton remainingissues,if any,evenaftera peaceagreement hasbeenconcluded pEAcEJouRNALrsMTRAININGMoDule . 41

. o

o

wherpeaceproposals and initiatives Exploreand takeseriously evertheycomefrom,notjustthosefrom'burside" Do not reportan act of violenceto contextualize. Contextualize, andthe remedyfurther suggestthatthe causewaspastviolence, violence Havepeopletriedotheravof the violence? Whatarethe causes blocked? or frustrated been and enues

o

assignblamefor violence Do not arbitrarily

o

Do not focuson only one party'ssuffering,fears,and grievances whatdo theywant and grievances: Inquireintothe parties'goals andwhy? Howwill the populationbe affectedby thesegoals?

o o o

maybe sharedvaluesand divisions.There Do not overemphasize goalsbetweenor amongthe protagonists

o

do not focusexcluevidence, Unlessyou haveunimpeachable sivelyon the humanrightsabusesof onlyoneside and nameall seriously Treatall claimsof humanrightsviolations wrongdoersif evidenceexists

o o o o o o o

Do not demonizegroupsthroughthe useof termssuchas"viand"barbaric" ciousi"'brutali' Whenquoting,proReportwrongdoingascompletelyaspossible. reliability of the source's a sense videreaders/listeners/viewers "fundamentalDo nottakesidesby using"extremist,""fanatici'and ist"recklessly the Reporton what peoplehavedoneandcanstilldo to address in a conflict issues terms(e.g.,"pathetici' Do not describepeoplein disempowering "devastatedi"'defenseIess") words(genocide, useof emotionally-laden Avoidthe imprecise youarecertaintheyapplyto the event unless terrorism) massacre, youarereporting

MoDULE 42 . pEAcEJoURNALTSMTRA|N|NG

DtscusstouNores: Thecoverage of conflicthastendedto worsendivisionsin societyratherthan healthem,amongotherreasons because the traditionalconceptof newsemphasizes casualties, damageto property,and reportson which sideis winningor losing.The participants agreedthat: .

Bodycountsdesensitize the publicand reduceconflictto a numbersgamein whichreaders/viewers/listeners tend to think that conflictis only all aboutwho is winning.Body countsarealsounreliable, sinceeachprotagonist tendsto exaggerate the otherside'scasualties and minimizetheirs.

o

Coveringconflictshouldconsistof more than reporting the casualties on bothsides,andit is necessary to attribute properly.lt waspointedout that whileeditorsusuallyask for body counts,the reportingshouldalsoincludepeace efforts. The commitmentto deepencoverageby, amongothers, includingpeaceefforts,conflictmediation, and resolution, aswellasthe impactof conflicton the communities should be madeat all levels, from the reporters on the groundto the editorsat the desk. Conflictanalysis-what the causesof the conflictare,what eachsidewants,etc.-isa necessity in providingthe public the reportsthat will enableit to understand conflict. Reporters shouldnot allowtheirbiases to intrudeintotheir reportingby reportingopinionasfact,or by commenting on whatheor sheisreporting- principles basicto the practiceof professionaljournalism. Onlyin the op-edpagesis the latterpermitted,whileadherence to the factsis at the verybottomlineof journalistic responsibility. In reporting, it is necessary to presentthe readerthe factswithoutbias andadornmentsoasto allowhim or herto drawhisor her own conclusions.

p E A c E J o U R N A L I S M T R A I N I N G M .o D4U 3U

Section5

ReportingMindanao: lssuesand Problems LuisV.Teodoro

(CMFR) TheCenterfor MediaFreedomand Responsibility conducted studiesof selectedPhilippinemedia'scoverageof the "Mindanao problem"in 2000and 2003,and of Mindanaoin 2006.lmprovement wasevidentin 2003and 2006,but certainproblemspersisted in the coverage.

The 2000Study Following a government militaryoffensive in Mindanaoin March2000 againstthe Moro lslamicLiberationFront(MILF)and the hostagetakingby the Abu SayyafGroup(ASG), CMFRlookedinto the March to June coverageby five Manila-based broadsheets(BusinessWorld, the ManilaBulletin,thePhilippineDailylnquirer,The PhilippineStar,and Today).The studycoveredboththe newsand opinionpagesof these newspapers.

Findings Extentof coverage o o

o o

1,633articlesappearedin the fivebroadsheets duringthe March to Juneperiodstudied Therewas a steadygrowth in the number of articlesas the fightingintensified: 179in March;220in April;543 in May;and 691in June Moreandmorearticles foundtheirwayintothefrontpages- from 67 in Marchto 370in June Columns on the crisisnumbered 112;editorials 102 pEAcE JoURNALTSM TRATNTNG MoDule . 45

Subjectmatter o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

317 JolohostagesBattlefieldreports-279 hostages-180 Basilan andotherkidnappings-136 Bombings policies-108 Government 97 PeacenegotiationsNationaleconomy-80 and unity-66 Peace 9 Soldiers48 situationMindanao TheMILF-46 TheAbu Sayyaf-37 23 Localbusiness24 EvacuationsWomenandchildren-8 23 Federalism-

Sourcescited o o o o o o

andmilitarY-1,055 Government The AbuSayyaf-72 TheMILF-67 18 communitYThebusiness Civilsociety-37 sector-38 Thereligious

Treatment o o o o

(news)-government andthe military Positive (news)-the ASG,the MILF, and Muslimsin general Negative MuslimsandMuslimpersonalities Mixed(editorials)Negative(editorials)-government

Contextualization o o o

material 22 out of the 1,633articleswerebackground/historical editorials and Theseweremostlycolumns and Only one broadsheettried to get the MILF'sgrievances Salamat Chair MILF interviewed itself: it fromthe MILF intentions Hashim

MoDULE 46 . pEAcEJoURNALISMTRAINING

Coverage issues o o o o o o o

Virtuallyone-sidedsourcingresultingin lack of fairnessand balance Lackof backgrounding /contextualization wasalsoevident Therewassomeevidence of bias/prejudice Paucityof articleson policyissues wasa majorweakness Emphasis on battlesand otherviolenceobscuredthe causesof the conflictandappealed to commonprejudices and bloodlust Exposure of ASGon the samelevelas the MILFtendedto make theseorganizations co-equal Callsfor extermination in somearticles wereespecially disturbing

Consequences \-

o o o

lncreased prejudice anti-Muslim Narrowappreciation of Mindanaoreality Possibility of continuingmisunderstanding and conflictrather thanpeace

The 2003Study CMFRlookedintothe three-month (February coverage 3 to May5) of just beforethe militaryoffensiveagainstthe the samebroadsheets MILFandafterthe bombingsin Davao. Therewere 2,894articleson the "Mindanaoproblem,"indicating increased coverage.

Findings \,

Subjectmatter o o o o o o o

Policeinvestigations, body countsand ongoing violence-33 reports Business andeconomy-546 policies-590 Government Militaryassault on the MILFstrongholdin Pikit-167 Evacuations123 Davaobombings-310 Balikatan-related stories-265

PEACE JOURNALISM TRAINING tr,tOOUU. 47

{

-,

Contextualization o o

material-135(5percentof totalcompared Background/historical to 1 percentin 2000) wellascolumnsandeditorials Includednews(112 or 83percent)as (13)

Sourcescited o o o o o

mentioned and military-2,087out of 3,550sources Government (therewasmoremulti-sourcing in 2003) Civifsociety-477 wasinterviewedoften) TheMILF-324(Spokesperson sector-252 Thereligious Foreign-127

Treatment Negative: Abu Sayyaf-73 percent 80 percent MILFand MILFpersonalitiesGovernment-68 Percent lssuesin the 2003coverage o o o

sources useof government Overwhelming presence of storieswithoutsources Pronounced on violencecontinueddespitethe waningof violent Emphasis incidents

Improvements o o o o

wasevident Multi-sourcing articlesincreased Thenumberof background Civilsocietysourceswereconsultedmoreoften Threefourthsof the materialwasneutral

governmentwas still the overBut despitethese improvements, was still inadBackgrounding/contextualization source. whelming continued. violence also on Emphasis equate.

The 2006 Study Thecoverageof Mindanaoduringthe periodMarch1 to April30 of the studied.The plusManiloStandardTodoywas originaffive broadsheets studyincludedbutwasnot limitedto conflict,andwasmeantto find out MODULE JOURNALISMTRAINING 48 . PEACE

t

o

Therewere996articles how Mindanao asa wholewasbeingreported. duringthe periodstudied. aboutMindanao in the sixbroadsheets

Findings Subjectmotter o o o o o o o

Business andtheeconomy-157 affairs-121 Government Militaryconflicts-86 Police-83 Crimes-79 Hostaging-3 festivals, humaninterest)-143 Others(tourism,

Sourcescited o o o r o o

421 GovernmentMilitary-145 Police-119 Civilsociety-89 "Manon the street"-48 Familymembersof victimsof violenceandcrime-12

Consequences o o o

of Mindanaoissue Possible improvement of readerappreciation possible that not all of understanding The coveragemade Mindanao isengulfed in violence negativebiasagainstMuslims Continued

Coverageproblems o o o

of government Limitedaccess to "the otherside"and availability sources needto producestoriesthat sellhasledto emphasis Commercial and bodycounts- violencesells on firefights Majority biasesare reflectedin some journalists'reports/ comments

Proposedsolutionsto the limitations of mediacoverage Giventhe findingsof thesethreestudies,it wouldseemthat despite remainsa problem,togetherwith improvements, contextualization . 49 pEAcEJouRNALrsMTRAININGMoDule

the focus on violenceand minimalattentionto peaceinitiatives. that the pressmayadoptarethe following: Amongthe solutions o o o o

expertsandgrassrootsorganizations Consulting Assigningmoreand morein-depthbackgrounding educatereaders lessfocuson violenceto gradually Encouraging problem" "Mindanao in journalist the roots of the Emphasizing briefings

with the supportof mediaadvocacygroups, Academicinstitutions, canhelpby: o o o

Offeringpeacejournalismas an electivein journalismcollege programs for in continuingeducationprograms Includingpeacejournalism journalists programs to demand the publicthroughmedialiteracy Educating bettermediacoverage

50 . pEAcEJoURNAL|SMTRA|N|NGMoDULE

\-,

DtscusstonNores: Thediscussion focusedon issuessuchaswhetherthe Center (CMFR) monitorsof Minfor MediaFreedom andResponsibility danaocoveragemadea distinctionbetweenwire and local journalists'reports, the needto includethe communitypress in futuremonitors,whethertherehasindeedbeenimproveand the non-publication of storiesthat ment in the coverage, weresubmittedto the nationalpapersbut werekilledby the that: desk.Therewasa consensus Therewereeffortson the part of someMindanaocorrestorieson the Mindanspondents to previdebackground ao conflictin 2000soasto providea contextfor readeisto understand events. However,the centraldesksof the Manilanewspapers or elserewritethem to emwouldoften kill suchstories, phasizeencountersand casualties. Therewas general with the rethat this happensin manycases, agreement portersnot havingany controloverthe finalversionsof the storiesthat carriedtheirbylines. Whatreallymattersis what finallyappearedin print,and it is impossible for anymonitorto tracethe development of a storyfrom the time it isfirstsubmitted,untilit is proand printed. cessed of elections CMFRmonitorsneedto includethe coverage of conflict by the communitypressin 2010.Thecoverage comcouldalsobe so monitored- i.e.,to includeselected in addition to the munitypublications andnewsprograms nationalpress.

pEAcEJoURNALIsMTRAINtNG laoourr . 51

Section6

TheRoadAhead: in ConflictAreas Journalists

.

LuisV.Teodoro

journalistsin conflictareasneedto ask Thefundamentalquestions themselves are: (1) Shouldjournalists helpbringpeaceto society? (2) Canthey? (3) lf the answerto both questionsis yes,how canthey help bring peaceto society? Peacejournalism o o

Usesconflictanalysisto meet the journalisticimperativesof accuracy, balance, andfairness practical guidefortheresponsibleexerciseofjournalistic Providesa intervention andpower

What is needed \-.

o

o

o o

Coveragethat helps readers/viewers/listeners understandthe causesof conflictby tracingtheir rootsto the way the social, economic,political,and culturalsystemshavedevelopedover time (historyandcontext) Coverage that includes allthe partiesthat havea stakein conflict, as well as their goals,ratherthan a focuson the most visible (e.9., protagonists government and rebels) Coveragethat givespeaceinitiativesand suggestedsolutions prominence regardless of theirorigins Coverage that helpsequippeoplewith the meansto distinguish betweenthe statedand actualgoalsof the protagonists so that theycanact in theirown behalf(empowerment) pEAcEJoURNALTsM TRATNTNG MoDule . 53

I

Are the;ccpossiblein the context of o

Themediaenvironment -Theownership system -Thelegalsystem - Journalists' stateof preparednes

o

Thepoliticalenvironment

54 . pEAcEJoURNAL|SMTRA|N|NGMoDULE

Norcs: Drscussron on how The concludingsessionelicitedseveralsuggestions couldfocuson peacejournalismas the mediaorganizations wellason whatshouldbe covered. wasto train deskpeopleand editorsin One suggestion peacejournalism, sincethey edit reportsinto finalform. lookintoalternative It wasalsosuggested thatjournalists outletsfor storiesthat don'tget published. it As far as what elseshouldbe coveredwasconcerned, in the waspointedout that therewasa lot of restlveness militaryand that,in additionto the conflictbetweenthe governmentand the MoroNationalLiberation Front,the Army, Front,andthe NewPeople's MorolslamicLiberation in the militaryshouldalsobe exploredand the divisions reported.This is importantbecausethe militarycould andadversely or positively changethe politicallandscape democracy. impactPhilippine policies on conflict,aswellasthe rootsof reGovernment and reported, aswellas bellion,alsoneedto be examined and suchissuesas mining,whichaffectthe environment Another which couldtriggerunrestin the communities. necessary subjectof coverageis the armedstrugglein and its rootsin povertyand in the Luzonand in Visayas, landproblem.Therearealsoissuesof tribalconflictsand issues and international localpoliticalalliances.Regional -for examplethe"waron terror"-should alsobe reported suchasgovbecause theyaffecteventsin the Philippines, to inviteU5troopsintothe country. ernmentdecision journalists shouldvisitconflictareas. Todeepencoverage, Echoseminars on peacejournalismwerealsosuggested, aswellasa directoryof expertson conflict,briefingpapers groupfor sharing for journalists, anda journalists'online information.

PEACE TRAINING tttOOUlr . 55 JOURNALISM