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Writer's picture21020683 - Muhammad Salman

Should Journalism Promote Peace in Conflict Zones?

Updated: May 9, 2021



When APS2014 happened, there was a wave of fear spread across the country. Swat Radio Mullah episode had a similar effect earlier. The Media was exact in reporting the number of casualties, the impossible situation for girls education, and the threats that await schools if situation doesn't change.


There are two sides of the argument this blog proposes: First says that media should instead promote an atmosphere of peace to facilitate peace building. The other side says that it is the consumer's job to sort the news and select that which promotes peace . This is also seen as the major role of Media in the classical schools of journalism i.e. to report the news as it is. Raw. Commenting and giving opinions is not the job of a journalist. Their job is "truly concerned with a truthful, balanced and fair account of events. In order to achieve this journalists have to stay clear of judgmental representations and describe reality without embellishment. If democracy is to work properly, society needs access to news and information; analysis of the status quo, debate, practical information and exchange as well as entertainment are needed and provided by the media"


If we apply this debate to the situation when APS tragedy or Swat Taliban episode was still fresh, what would your expectations be of journalists and media channels? Should it be to report news in a way that is in line with peacebuilding? What are the potential drawbacks on either side of the debate? Motivation: Pakistan, especially before 2016, was knee deep in conflict. Honestly, this is why this course Education and Conflict has an extensive yet unfortunate applicability to Pakistan. My dad threw the television out of the house twelve years ago. We just couldn't take our eyes off it even during our board exam. This was also the day his mom passed away all of a sudden in the adjacent room. He came back to his room a few moments later and saw that Chaklala Air base had been attacked and the television was red mercilessly. Out of the doubled up frustration and the realization that media was doing no good to the situation at home and it meant nothing in front of news of his mom, he decided that was the last day we would have television in our room. Was TV even doing any good to our mental health? How should media play its role in conflict zones where people crave for any positivity on the television.


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3 Comments


Not entirely sure about my stance on this but there needs to be sensitive reporting on such issues! Great read!

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22110032
May 06, 2021

Amazing debate, which requires a lot of thought. I think journalism by its nature is meant to report the "truth" - that which often news channels fail to do, without propaganda. They are what the audience turn to when they find no other credible source.

When a horrifying event takes place, I don't think it's okay for individuals to turn a blind eye. In fact, we've seen numerous examples of conflict situations where the media fails to report it, or chooses not to, often led by certain propaganda. This often is more dangerous than them reporting it, because while it may result in peace for the rest of the world, it also silences the victims and their tragedy - and…

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Well thought out, indeed! The default reliance on media also is because of less societal participation or weakened social connections. Previously, our social groups in the neighborhood would bring in the news and because the news would come through them, then it would not have that big a shock factor. Example is that if my neighbor would bring me a report of a conflict situation arising, they would know our family, our situation and would choose their words carefully in terms of what to report and how to report.


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