Pakistani, Indian journalists: How We Use Peace Journalism
It’s always gratifying to see planted seeds spout.
Such is the case with my Indian and Pakistani journalist colleagues who are participating in an East-West Center cross-border reporting project, one component of which is peace journalism. We met four months ago to discuss peace journalism, and then again last week on Zoom to reinforce some PJ concepts and update one another on the journalists’ cross border reporting projects.
To see if our seeds had indeed sprouted, I asked the 50 or so gathered how they had employed the principles of peace journalism in their daily work. Their answers not only confirmed that our seeds were flourishing, but can provide a useful guide for journalists working in conflict areas. Their responses, below, warmed my heart.
HOW WE USE PEACE JOURNALISM
-The E-W Center project will continue later this year when we get together in person (Covid permitting) in Nepal to continue our work.
--How have you used peace journalism in your work during the last four months?
--Collaboration in fact checking work and made it cross-border practice to debunk misinformation
--Covering the communally polarising issue (redacted) in India, I looked at the impact the hateful politics and the impact it has on the minds of children who are being taught to hate their classmates and friends from other faiths.
--I am working in a conflict area, but I tried to cross check from both sides of LOC
--Coordination for cross boarder stories
--I try to stop the sharing or spreading of hate content on different social media platforms especially
--Look at yourself as an independent observer and not partisan to any side giving the other side a disadvantage
--In December, I did a story … holding both the Indian and Pakistan states accountable for the region’s volatility and not just peddling one state’s narrative
--Restrained using inflammatory words
--More selective about language/ tend to do more personalize stories/talk about people’s life
--Be careful reporting on conflict zone
--Fact checking and excluding all hate incidents was the core of my stories.
--I work for (an Indian daily newspaper). In our daily meeting, I have become the kind of 'Voice of Pakistan’ after attending our meetings
--We are writing about India sending vaccines to various countries including Pakistan under the Covax initiative. Interdependence is one of the important reasons for peace
--Fact checking during COVID rumours, especially ones that stigmatised a community or profession
--We in our group of three (from both sides) covered the story of farmers in detail.
--Try to add all voices instead of giving one side of the story
--Have been more aware of the words I use in my copy to not make it provocative/inflammatory but focused on giving information
--I've used it for my college academic writings. It was helpful to look at security studies through the lens of peace journalism.
--I have stopped writing words like Hindus and Muslims during conflicts, instead say two groups of different religion
--I write about climate change often and I’m much more mindful now of reiterating how both the issues and solutions have to involve multiple countries.
--Working on cross borer water conflict but try to avoid word "Indian Water Aggression".....
--More sensitive towards facts, language
--Language during suicide reporting - not using stigmatising words and reducing graphic details
--Worked on finding positive stories like those about people to people links, medical treatment across borders, etc.
--Being a Kashmiri Journalist I was used to blame India for everything happening on LOC and Kashmir. after my First Workshop I avoid harsh words and my personal feelings into my news stories.
--An effort to find and report more human interest stories, especially those relating to the voiceless
--Balancing the report with all people involved.
--I have become more conscious of the need of "balancing" the story in my daily work.
--I started using soft words in my stories and tried to highlight commonalities between the peoples of two countries.
