Peace journalism: An innovative approach to global challenges
I was honored to be one of the presenters at last week’s Forage Center for Peacebuilding and Humanitarian Education's virtual conference, Innovative Approaches for Global Challenges. (see agenda here.)  

The innovative approach I discussed was peace journalism, naturally. We had a lively discussion about the nature of peace journalism. One interesting question was about who gets to decide what is and is not peace journalism. My reply was that this depends on the local context. I’ve taught PJ in 40 countries and territories, and what constitutes peace journalism, and more broadly what constitutes ethical journalism, depends on the country and the situation. What is ethical from a PJ perspective in Cameroon, during a civil conflict, certainly differs from what might be considered ethical journalism in Austria. It's up to local journalists, not me, to evaluate whether media content is consistent with the principles of peace journalism. 

To further this discussion, we looked at some images of the Israel-Hamas war, and discussed their appropriateness from a peace journalism standpoint. This image particularly stood out. Without judging whether it crosses the line or not, I asked the attendees to consider these questions: Does the image accurately portray the event? Is the image merely sensational, used for click bait? Is the image exploitative, and does it re-traumatize victims? A peace journalist, I said, would ask these thoughtful questions before publishing any potentially inflammatory images.

As always, it was a pleasure interacting with the Forage Center. Its president, David J. Smith, is a friend and colleague. Smith has worked for years in higher education (Georgetown and other universities) and with professional groups to promote effective conflict resolution and peacebuilding. His Forage Center does admirable work offering hands-on trainings, simulations, and seminars for peacebuilders and humanitarian responders. They’re building a global community of emerging leaders in peacebuilding and disaster response--something sorely needed today.