Journalists have important role in reporting Omicron
As we’re flooded with news about the Covid Omicron variant, it’s important to remember our role as journalists in not speculating, fueling misinformation, or spreading panic.

On Nov. 30, the Washington Post wrote about the media are “freaking out” over Omicron. “Over the weekend, a debate took shape, among experts and journalists, as to whether all the coverage was too much. David Dowdy, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University, accused fellow scientists of shamefully overselling fears about Omicron despite the paucity of hard data on the variant; Erin Biba, a freelance science journalist, tweeted that it is “completely and utterly exhausting” when “doomsday headlines and uninformed reporters create mass hysteria before we even have any details or information.”

Meanwhile, SFGate discusses how Omicron is reviving “old conspiracy theories…as widely shared social media posts falsely claimed the omicron variant was nothing but a cover-up for darker agendas.” These false claims included that Omicron was invented as an excuse to change voting laws, or as a distraction from the Ghislaine Maxwell trial, or that Omicron was made up by President Biden to scare Americans. 

Others, however, praise the media for their Omicron coverage. Tom Jones writes at Poynter.org that “If you’re a news consumer, the coverage — for the most part — has been comprehensive and responsible.” He cites thorough interviews with experts who have cautioned that answers to most of our Omicron questions are several weeks away. Jones said the media have “turned to experts who have been quick to relay what we know and, most importantly, what we don’t know.” 

I agree with Jones. In this instance, the "what we don’t know" should be the headline. Toward this end, I recommend the article over the weekend in The Atlantic (Should you be panicking? No, but you should be paying attention). 

As a peace journalist, I offer these tips for responsible Omicron reporting:

1. Accuracy is paramount. Initial reports can be exaggerated. Facts can be slippery in mid-crisis. Don’t speculate. Check, double check, triple check facts with experts like virologists and epidemiologists. (Remember, politicians are not experts.)

2. Don’t prematurely jump on the “blame” bandwagon, or to conclusions. This variant isn’t South Africa’s “fault.” In fact, South Africa should be lauded for its openness in revealing and discussing Omicron.

3. Avoid inflammatory, sensational language that exacerbates the situation. Never embellish stories.

4. Don’t be shy in saying, and repeating, “We don’t know.”

5. Research the possible treatments, cures, and vaccines, so you know the background and can be sensitive to contested narratives and misinformation (vaccines are dangerous, hydroxychloroquine is a cure, lockdowns aren’t necessary, eg).

6. When reporting about the Omicron variant and the pandemic in general, journalists should give a voice to the vulnerable, marginalized voiceless in their societies—minorities, the poor, homeless, prisoners, immigrants, etc. How will they potentially be impacted by Omicron?

7. Reject partisan framing of Omicron, and call out partisan, polarizing framing in other media outlets.

 

Sahel journalists discuss violent extremism and media
There are few more challenging environments for journalists than the Sahel region of northern Africa, and few subjects more difficult to cover—and more important—than the terrorist threats present in the region.

It’s against this backdrop that I’ve been meeting with about 20 journalists from the region via Zoom as part of a project titled, “Strengthening the Role of Media in Countering Violent Extremism.”

The first of  the project's eight zoom sessions was held last week, and included discussions about problems with traditional media coverage of conflicts, and media and terrorism, including social media.

Yesterday, the journalists and I had a robust discussion about how terrorism is covered in their countries. One participant from Chad said that journalists want to be seen as patriotic, and therefore shouldn’t give the microphone to terrorists for comment. Several reporters talked about the difficulty in covering terrorism stories that include traveling to hard-to-reach or dangerous attack sites and getting information from non-government sources.

One interesting and unanticipated discussion was about the role of international media in terrorism reporting in the Sahel region. One journalist noted that news sources will speak only to international media, while another from Mali stated that the local media are not listened to, and that only international media have credibility. Others discussed laws that restrict what and how journalists can cover (no live coverage at the scene of terrorist attack aftermaths in Burkina Faso, for example) and the lack of resources or training (“competence,” in the words of a participant) as impediments to better, more comprehensive locally-produced coverage about terrorism.

Our conversations will continue in the coming weeks and include discussions about storytelling and narratives, media literacy, and peace journalism. The project will culminate with a face-to-face seminar in Cote D'Ivoire in January.

“Strengthening the Role of Media in Countering Violent Extremism” is organized by Equal Access International, with financial support from the U.S. Embassy in Algeria. Journalists from Mauritania, Mali, Chad, Cote D’Ivoire, Morocco, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Algeria, and Niger are participating.

 

 

Virtual project enlightens journalists from Kosovo
Journalists in Kosovo “on average strive to initiate positive peace,” according to at least one participant in today’s Zoom session.

The session was the second segment of a two part training on "Dealing With the Past/Conflict Sensitive Journalism" sponsored by forumZFD, a German development NGO, and the Center for Global Peace Journalism. The first session was held last month. 

Our discussion today began with a presentation touching upon journalists’ role in fostering positive peace, which is defined as “a more lasting peace that is built on sustainable investments in economic development and institutions as well as societal attitudes that foster peace. It can be used to gauge the resilience of a society, or its ability to absorb shocks without falling or relapsing into conflict.” (positivepeace.org).

How do journalists in Kosovo contribute to positive peace? One participant commented (in the Zoom chat), “Kosovar media reported about an Albanian taking care of an elderly Serbian lady, who was living alone. He would bring her food and everything else. In this sense, Kosovrn media should engage more in initiating positive peace.” Another added, “The media can contribute to positive peace just as they contribute to conflict. information is enough to break down all the barriers first.”

Following up, I asked if Kosovar media fuel conflict. One journalist observed, “Media in Kosovo contribute to conflict as much as for war. We could use an example the simplest news related to Kosovo police. While the police mention nationality for technical reasons, in cases when there was a traffic accident between Albanians and Serbs, media would use their ethnicity to make news even when such an accident/conflict was not an ethnic one.”

We also discussed media as a tool for reconciliation. Responding to media’s role (or lack thereof) in reconciliation in Kosovo, one journalist noted, “I don’t think Kosovar media are impeding reconciliation. For example, the Constitutional Court of Kosovo decided in favor of Decani Monastery of the Serbia Orthodox Church, and the Kosovar media reported about it.” Another added that Kosovar media build neither bridges nor walls. He wrote, “(Each year) from January to June, there are anniversaries of massacres almost every month. It is attended by state leaders, there is suffering that is normal from family members. So in this case, the media certainly need to be careful how they report. These are the cases when the media should promote peace, not hatred. Perhaps the journalists themselves have cases when they are motivated by different stories of family members who have lost their loved ones. But, here the professionalism and the intention for peace must be proved.”

Today’s session concluded with a discussion of peace journalist’s role in battling social media hate speech and disinformation. One journalist recommended that her colleagues use social media to fight stereotypes, myths and misconceptions; to make government and  businesses accountable for their actions; and to connect reporters who are interested in pursuing peace journalism.

From the Times of Israel

In the previous session last month, I covered the basics of peace journalism, and the need for peace journalism in Kosovo, especially in online networks that spread hate. We discussed examples of traditional war journalism vs. peace journalism, including stories and a photo about a recent Israeli attack on Gaza. After the attack, one Israeli newspaper ran this photo of a small brush fire in Israel that they said was caused by a “balloon borne incendiary device” launched from Gaza, rather than photos of the much more substantial damage done in Gaza by Israeli warplanes.

The organizers hope to continue the trainings in person in Kosovo and elsewhere in the Balkans in 2022.