Peace/Conflict Sensitive Journalism Insights by Steven Youngblood

2012-02-10T11:29:00.004-06:00

Thinking about Syria

I've done a lot of thinking lately about the situation in Syria vis-a-via peace journalism. As usual, I'm left with more questions than answers. How should websites and TV networks handle the inflammatory images from Syria? Are the consequences of not publishing these videos and photos worse than if they are shown? Do these images encourage peace or inflame war? Or, are they necessary tools in the overthrow of a tyrant? Stay tuned: I'll be writing at length about this soon.

Peace Journalism Center--Nuts and Bolts

By popular demand, I've pasted below some basic information about the just-approved Center for Global Peace Journalism at Park University.

Center for Global Peace Journalism--Information sheet

Mission:
The Center for Global Peace Journalism at Park University promotes the concepts of peace and peace journalism, including advocating non-violent conflict resolution, through seminars and courses both in the U.S. and abroad, through its website and magazine, and through partnerships with like-minded organizations and individuals.

What we do:
The Global Peace Journalism Center is a resource for Park University students, Park faculty, high school journalists, professional journalists worldwide, and like-minded organizations.

Activities:
1. The center launched a Peace Media and Counterterrorism program in Dec., 2011. The project brings together media and security officials in Uganda to establish frameworks of cooperation on anti-terrorism efforts. It is funded with a $150,000 State Dept. grant.
2. Center Director Steven Youngblood taught and coordinated a comprehensive Peace and Electoral Journalism Project in Uganda from July 2010 to November 2011. It featured seminars, a PJ reporting contest, producing peace-themed radio programs, etc.

Publications:
1. The center will be publishing an e-magazine, "The Peace Journalist", in April and November, 2012. This semi-annual magazine will feature articles and multimedia from peace journalism practitioners from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.
2. A chapter about the Uganda peace journalism project is featured in the just-published book, "People Building Peace 2.0" The story by Steven Youngblood was selected for the book as part of a "Stories of Peace" contest sponsored by the Peace Portal.

Looking ahead:
1. The Peace Media and Counterterrorism project will continue in May and June, 2012 as Steven Youngblood and Park Criminal Justice professors Ken Christopher, John Hamilton, and Carol Getty travel to teach in Uganda.
2. An official launch event for the center will be held in September, 2012 at Park University.
3. A peace journalism symposium will be held at a Park campus site to be determined in October, 2012.

--Follow me on Twitter @PeaceJourn--

2012-01-31T11:17:00.000-06:00

New Center for Global Peace Journalism takes baby steps

Park University’s newest innovation is just 10 days old, but already standing in the crib and clanking a metal cup along the bars.

First, a beta website has been posted. On it, you can find some basic info about the center and its activities. Be forewarned: the emphasis here is solely on the content, thus, you will notice that the design is somewhat lacking. Soon, this will be converted by a real designer into a presentable website. For the time being, your comments about the content would be most welcome.

Second, the center has made tentative steps in identifying and contacting potential partner organizations and individuals. I’ve already received encouraging responses from Uganda, Somalia, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Nigeria. I’ll be contacting soon potential partners in Romania and Moldova. One potential partner, the Stanford University Peace Innovation Center, has contacted me, and would like to discuss how a Peace Journalism Challenge they’re sponsoring might fit into the work done by our center. More on this soon.

Debating Peace Journalism

Yesterday in my PJ class, students debated the pros and cons of peace journalism. Their debate was centered around the academic arguments framed in a chapter from my book titled, “Peace Journalism—The Academic Debate”. Among the points of contention: Is PJ objective? Ethical? Is PJ “good” or “proper” journalism? Should journalists be patriotic? Don’t media have to be sensational to attract an audience? Are peace journalists biased, and does it matter if they are?

The debate was won by the pro-PJ faction. They will be feasting on free donuts during the next class courtesy of anti-PJ debaters.

--Follow me on Twitter @PeaceJourn --

2012-01-24T10:17:00.006-06:00

New Peace Journalism Center to be launched at Park University

On Friday, Jan. 20, the Park University board of trustees approved the establishment of a Center for Global Peace Journalism at Park University. The mission of the center will be to "promote the concepts of peace and peace journalism, including advocating non-violent conflict resolution, through seminars and courses both in the U.S. and abroad, through its website and magazine, and through partnerships with like-minded organizations and individuals."

Of course, there are a million details to be ironed out, including those concerning the official launch date, launch event/speaker(s), CGPJ magazine, partner institutions, fundraising, programming, etc.

Of the congratulatory messages I received, the most eloquent was from my colleague and friend Prof. John Lofflin, who wrote that the center will help define our role as educators. He said part of this role includes being in the "Peace Business".

To illustrate, Lofflin wrote, "Something happens every year in my feature writing class. The first time it happened, maybe 15 years ago, it took me by surprise, and I was really embarrassed. Now, I kind of expect it. I've had to learn not to be embarrassed by it. We usually read sections from "Blue Highways" in that class. At the close, Least Heat Moon writes something like this. "In a season on the blue roads, what had I accomplished? I hadn't sailed the Atlantic in a washtub, or crossed the Gobi by goat car, or bicycled to Cape Horn. In my own country, I had gone out, had met, had shared. I had stood at witness."

When I read that I tear up. Every time.

Emphasis on the word witness... not in the Baptist sense of witnessing but in the sense of seeing, being there, experiencing. And what did Least Heat Moon experience? The people. And what did he do with what he witnessed? He wrote about it... about them. He brought their stories to everyone else. True stories. Authentic stories. Not stories about the rich and famous. Stories about the people you would walk past on the sidewalk and never notice. And, I suggest to the students, what does that do? If you know them, if you "experience" them, it is harder to hate them and even harder to kill them. It is an act of peace-making.

So, a career like mine writing about people, thousands of people, telling their stories, is an act of peace making. It's a career choice I highly recommend to people who are not too jaded to actually believe we can make peace, some form of it, some bit of it, in our own world."

Once the Center for Global Peace Journalism opens up, I may engrave Professor Lofflin's wisdom on a plaque and put in on the door.

--Follow me on Twitter @PeaceJourn--

2012-01-16T12:16:00.003-06:00

Pacifist Journalism--Propaganda by any other name?

Like any good discussion, the one launched as a result of last week’s column (see below, “Peace or Pacifist journalism?”) has left me with more questions than answers.

Of course, I had plenty of questions to begin with. Most fundamentally, these deal with the logical extension of peace journalism to what my colleague Professor John Lofflin calls pacifist journalism—-journalists as open, unabashed, biased peace advocates.

Two comments about my column (posted on the Peace and Collaborative Development Network) were especially well stated. Thomas Saraiva Selistre wrote, “For me, pacifist journalism, the propaganda, according to you text, would polarize even more the society instead of creating an understanding among people. Am I right?”

I responded, “Thomas--A very insightful comment. Yes, those who may practice pacifist journalism would certainly run that risk. Thus, the question would be: is this a risk worth taking? As my column indicates, I'm not sure myself.”

Onnik Krikorian wrote that he agreed with Thomas’ assessment. He said, “Polarizing positions could actually lead to more conflict and make one or more sides more extreme. Moreover, I also tend to think that journalism in general should anyway be as objective and impartial as possible. In that context I consider 'peace journalism,' although I personally prefer the term 'conflict-sensitive reporting,' to be what journalism should be in the first place. That is, it should "avoid using inflammatory, demonizing, victimizing language so as to not further inflame or provoke those who might promote or engage in violence.

In fact, in the region where I'm based -- the Caucasus -- this is the main problem. The media has become a combatant and militaristic, xenophobic and often downright racist propaganda/misinformation machine in three frozen conflicts in the region, and rarely if ever are peacemakers or alternative voices quoted or given exposure, and if or when they are, they are usually demonized and labeled as 'traitors.'
No journalist should anyway resort to such reporting, but the counter approach in the definition of pacifist journalism you give isn't the answer and just a symptom of the same problem.”

There’s a lot of wisdom in Onnik’s comments. Pro-peace propaganda is still propaganda, even if it is created with a principled objective. Pacifist journalism, in essence, represents the old “ends justify the means” argument. I am still left pondering the fundamental question I offered at the end of my original column: Is extremism in the defense of peace no vice?

--Follow me on Twitter @PeaceJourn--

2012-01-06T11:48:00.002-06:00

Peace Journalism or Pacifist Journalism?

Peace Journalism is only a half-measure—a pragmatic compromise that tip-toes around the moral imperatives of non-violence and pacifism.

I hadn’t given this much thought until my Park University colleague Professor John Lofflin broached the subject recently during a discussion and later on his insightful blog.

Lofflin argues that perhaps peace journalism advocates should consider taking peace journalism to its “logical conclusion”, something he calls pacifist journalism. Lofflin writes, “Would that simply mean condemning all violence, from capital punishment to war and everything -- terrorism and guerrilla fighting -- in between? A tougher pill to swallow, eh? Martin Luther King, Jr. vs. Malcolm X., Gandhi vs. Che. “

Like a discussion with any good teacher, a conversation with Lofflin always leaves me with more questions than answers. For starters, what does this say about the ethics of peace journalism? As peacemakers, are we shirking our ethical responsibility by not doing everything in our power to prevent violence, even if this means discarding the rules of ethical journalism?

As we consider what pacifist journalism might look like, perhaps we should examine how pacifist journalism might differ from peace journalism. Here are some ideas:

A. Peace journalism gives peacemakers a voice alongside those who advocate violence. Pacifist journalism would silence warmongers and openly promote only peacemakers.
B. Peace journalists avoid using inflammatory, demonizing, victimizing language so as to not further inflame or provoke those who might promote or engage in violence. Pacifist journalism would embrace negative language and use it to demonize those who advocate violent conflict. Pacifist journalists would use sensational language and images as propaganda to negatively portray wars and warmongers.
C. Peace journalists seek to maintain their objectivity and to balance their stories. Yes, they are framing their stories differently, with an understanding that what they write and how they write it could trigger violence. A pacifist journalist, one supposes, would openly reject the notion of objectivity in favor of spinning information to promote an anti-war, anti-violence agenda.

If the idea of pacifist journalism makes you uncomfortable, you’re not alone. Journalism ceases to be journalism when it takes such an extreme, one sided position. (What this says about Fox News, MSNBC, etc. is a question for another time). Of course, this begs the question, so what if pacifist journalism isn’t actually journalism? Thanks to technology, the lines between journalists and citizen communicators have been blurred or erased anyway. Does it even matter any more if you consider yourself a journalist? I would say yes, because true journalists still operate under a professional and ethical code that is sorely needed in this day and age of disinformation overload.

The journalist in me wants to reflexively reject the extremism of pacifist journalism, since it is not our role to advocate or propagandize. The peace activist in me wants to embrace the notion of pacifist journalism wholeheartedly, since I do truly believe that peace is the ultimate good.

Thus I am left with one vital question. With apologies to Barry Goldwater, is extremism in the defense of peace no vice?

--Follow me on Twitter @PeaceJourn--

2011-12-29T12:25:00.004-06:00

Postscript: First two peace media-terrorism seminars build bridges

They work together, but they usually don’t like each other. Yet, because of their working relationship, they need to at least display some superficial cordiality, no matter how difficult that may be.

They are journalists and government officials in charge of security (local leaders, police, and army personnel). Before our peace media and terrorism project came along, they would have never dreamed of spending three days together.

During two recent seminars in Kampala and Gulu, Uganda, the security officials and journalists came together to build frameworks of collaboration and cooperation for preventing and mitigating terrorism. My pitch was simple: although you have disagreements and even conflicts, you share the common goal of stopping violent extremism and, if it does occur, mitigating its effects.

Towards that end, we spent much time analyzing media, police, and army conduct during and after the July, 2010 terrorist bombings in Kampala. The consensus—mistakes were made by all. The government officials acknowledged that they probably were too restrictive and secretive with information, while the journalists admitted that they were too sensational and that their coverage was often superficial.

(These were just the first two seminars of the peace media and terrorism project, funded with a $150,000 in US State Department grant. The project will continue in May and June with more seminars, and will culminate in the fall of 2012 with an online course. Click here for more details about the project.)

On the last day of these initial seminars, the officials and journalists split into teams and drafted proposed agreements that outlined how they would collaborate on anti-terrorism efforts. Security officials agreed to be more forthcoming with information and to collaborate with journalists in developing messages designed to blunt efforts by terrorist organizations to recruit Ugandans. Journalists agreed to be more vigilant in verifying their stories and to consult security officials when stories may jeopardize efforts to prevent terrorism or prosecute terrorists. They all agreed to meet regularly to discuss issues surrounding media and terrorism and to continue working to develop protocols and procedures that would help each side do their job more effectively.

I’m still not too sure how much they like each other, but I sincerely believe that after the seminars that the participants had more respect for one another. At the very least, the journalists and security officials understood their joint responsibility to keep Uganda safe from attack.

--Follow me on Twitter @PeaceJourn --

2011-12-20T07:52:00.012-06:00

Security officials, media join forces to discourage potential terrorists

GULU, UGANDA--At the Peace Media and Counterterrorism seminar this week, participants (reporters, editors, and government security personnel) are working to bridge their differences and find common ground in the battle against terrorism. (For a photo album from the Gulu seminar, click here.)

Toward that end, the participants have created public service ads for printed media or the Internet. These ads are targeted at those who are at-risk for violent extremism--in other words those who may be targeted by recruiters for terrorist organizations. These ads are presented here.

The Peace Media and Counterterrorism project will continue through next September, and include seminars this May and June for security officials and journalists. An online course will also be taught next September by Park Univ professors.

2011-12-16T04:05:00.004-06:00

Security officials, journalists seek understanding

MUNYONYO, UGANDA--The often-strained relationship between government and media was put under a bit more pressure today as the first peace media and counterterrorism seminar concluded.

Specifically, government spokespeople from the army, police, and local government and journalists sparred over whether the Ugandan government was justified in banning live coverage of protests earlier this year, and restricting official updates of the investigation of the July, 2010 terrorist bombings in Kampala. Each side played its part, with the journalists crying foul at the heavy hand of the government while the security officials maintained that the moves were designed only to protect people and property. Predictably, no consensus was reached. I did express my opinion that the ban on live coverage represented a journalistic decision, and thus should not have been made by the government. (Photo-eager seminar participants)

As the State Dept-sponsored seminar wrapped up, however, the government officials and journalists did find agreement in their desire to prevent terrorism and mitigate its effects if it does occur. Towards that end, they jointly developed an agreement—a collaborative framework—that laid out their responsibilities vis-à-vis terrorism.

Within the framework, the journalists pledged to not use inflammatory language or engage in sensationalism, to verify information, the “preach the gospel against terrorism”, to respect security officials, and to provide a platform for the government to inform citizens about counterterrorism. For their part, the security officials agreed to look on journalists as their allies and to respect them, to make themselves available when needed by journalists, to collaborate with the media in identifying terrorist threats, and to protect the media when violence does occur.

I was thrilled to hear these frequent adversaries agree on the need to protect their fellow Ugandans. As the seminar ended, I lauded the participants for their commitment, and encouraged them to follow up by discussing their pledges with their colleagues in security and in the media. It’s my hope that we built some permanent bridges during the last three days that will ultimately benefit not only the participants but more importantly Ugandan society in general.

Click here for photo album of peace media-terrorism seminar.

2011-12-14T10:11:00.000-06:00

Stuck in the mud, searching for answers

KAMPALA, UGANDA--We started the day today stuck in some gloppy mud about halfway to our destination, a hotel in Munyonyo where we were needed to begin teaching the first day of our peace media and counterterrorism seminar. Fortunately, our stay in the mud was brief—just a minute or two.

The seminar went just fine, and the participants were energetic and engaged. At the end of the day, I think I can speak for the attendees (mostly journalists with a few security officials) when I say that that I was a bit in awe of the wide swath of issues that we covered in one day. As we wrapped up day one, we were left with many more questions than answers. These include:

What is terrorism? Is a terrorist different than a freedom fighter?
How do terrorists attempt to use the media?
Should journalists give terrorists a voice? Under what circumstances?
How does a peace journalist report violence and terrorism?
How well did Ugandan journalists report the July 11th bombings in Kampala? What did they do well, and how can they improve?
Should media self-censor to protect lives?
How should media collaborate with government officials regarding terrorism?

I’m hoping that we are able to extricate ourselves from the mire of these intractable questions by the end of the seminar. I just hope we’re able to find an answer as deftly as our driver did this morning.

2011-12-08T13:08:00.001-06:00

Jittery prof aims for mediocrity in commencement address

I’m all ready for Saturday’s Park University commencement address. My topic will be “Inciting Peace”. If you can’t make it to the ceremony, the speech will be recorded and posted online. It should be linked either at www.park.edu or www.park.edu/grads .

Most commencement speeches are dull, platitudinous, cliché-ridden monstrosities. I’m hopeful that mine can transcend the typical speech and achieve, at minimum, mediocrity. If I reach that goal, given the sorry state of most commencement speeches, perhaps my address will be remembered semi-fondly.

Peace media and counterterrorism project begins next week

I’m off to Uganda on Sunday to teach the first two seminars in a new peace media and counterterrorism project that I’m directing. The goals of the project are to discourage at risk people from being drawn into violent extremism and to create durable linkages between government, police, army, corrections, media, community and the at-risk population.

The first two seminars in December will be for members of the media. Seminars in 2012, which I will team teach with Park University criminal justice professors John Hamilton, Ken Christopher, and Carol Getty, will target police, military, and security officials.

For more details on the project, click here.

Stay tuned to this blog for dispatches from Uganda beginning on or around Dec. 13.

2011-12-03T11:20:00.003-06:00

Peace speech plug

I'm finishing last minute prep on my Park University commencement speech next Saturday, Dec. 10. (Click here for details). Hope to see you all there. If that's not possible, the speech will be recorded and posted online. Stay tuned here for details about how to access my speech, which is titled, "Inciting Peace".

Young peace journalist heads for Jordan

Park University PR and peace journalism student Andi Enns continues to demonstrate her promotional skills. The latest piece about her appears in the Independence Examiner. I wrote about Andi a few weeks back (see my post from Nov. 4). She will leave in a few days for her peace mission to Jordan. Good luck, Andi.

Professor pens peace piece

My colleague and friend Professor John Lofflin recently blogged about Andi (no surprise there) and peace journalism. (See the Henry Wiggen blog, Nov. 27th post).

Lofflin and I have spent hours discussing the principles and ethics of peace journalism, so I was not surprised to read that he is “not completely comfortable with the principles of peace journalism… The catch is this: peace journalism is about suppressing the inflammatory language in reporting, language which can lead to violence and death... The rub is I'm old school about journalism -- somebody said it, I report it. Somebody is angry, I report somebody is angry. ..But I see the other side, too, how inflammatory language can actually cause injustice and war. And, I haven't always been in love with the way journalism is done in the world. That's why I became a teacher. You can hide behind the idea of objective journalism only so long before you realize doing journalism ought to do more than line the pockets of a few corporations.”

I responded, “I am comfortable with the fact that you are uncomfortable about peace journalism. It is quite a leap, after all. You are correct in saying that peace journalists like Andi "don't sweat the principles". As I have written, debating these principles is healthy. However, let's not allow that debate to slow us as we strive to give our communities a chance at peace and development.”

The last word discussion-wise on Lofflin’s thought provoking piece came from a former student of ours, the wonderfully perceptive Tiffany Miller. She wrote, “When I was taking Peace Journalism I felt like I was fighting years of bad thinking and taking words for granted. I agree you have to report things the way they are said, but slant should be avoided if possible; even though we all argued in Ethics that it can't be avoided completely since we're all human and have opinions no matter how much we try and keep them to ourselves. Since Peace Journalism class I never read stories the same way, just like I can't watch the news since I've made television packages and know how edited and scripted they can be. All my journalism classes at Park taught me to be ever mindful of the world around me, and never to take information for granted. It's rare for me to find a source I trust completely…”

2011-11-25T10:33:00.002-06:00

Kansas City Star needs peace journalism lesson

NOTE: This was an editorial column that I sent last week to the Kansas City Star, my hometown newspaper. I have not heard back from them, so I'm assuming that they are not going to publish it. This is no big surprise since the columnn is pretty critical of a piece published by the Star about a member of the Phelps family/Westboro Baptist Church. For the uninitiated, this is the "Christian" church that hates just about everyone, and has even picketed funerals of gays and servicemen.

I wrote this column the day after the Star's story was published.

When someone is spewing inflammatory, hateful words, are we in the press obliged to report those words?

At a Conflict Sensitive Journalism workshop in Nairobi, Kenya earlier this year, journalists from around the world and I debated this very issue, which was raised by an attendee from Zimbabwe who asked if his newspaper should report the racist, destructive words of that country’s authoritarian president Robert Mugabe. The consensus response was that, as a conflict sensitive or peace journalist, the editor must report those words but then provide the context needed for readers to examine Mugabe’s language and decide for themselves if it incites hatred and encourages divisiveness and sectarianism.

I am hopeful that, at minimum, there was a similarly robust discussion in the editorial offices of the Kansas City Star as the decision was made to publish the story, “An heir to hate” (Nov. 20, 2011).

From the perspective of peace and conflict sensitive journalism, the decision to run this story, and the choices that were made about how to frame the story, were ill-considered.

Among other things, peace journalism asks reporters and editors to make choices that are conducive to peace, reconciliation, and development in their societies. This doesn’t mean abandoning their objectivity—it simply means that journalists should frame their stories in such a way to give peacemakers an equal voice to those who would spew hateful speech. Peace journalists also consider the consequences that occur as a result of their reporting.

This examination of the consequences clearly didn’t occur as editors crafted their approach to telling the story “An heir to hate”, which profiles Megan Phelps-Roper, one of the ringleaders of Topeka’s infamous Westboro Baptist Church.

First, while not flattering, the piece was unbalanced and insufficiently critical of Megan and her fellow hate-mongers. Most of the story is a matter-of-fact presentation of Megan’s life peppered with her quotes reflecting her philosophy. In fact, there are only several paragraphs in the story dedicated to criticism of her hateful beliefs (from the Southern Press Law Center), but these are precious few, and buried half-way through the piece. In the parlance of a Reporting 101 course, the story lacked balance.

Perhaps the lack of balance was a deliberate technique by the editors to give Megan enough rope to hang herself with her own ugly, ridiculous utterances. Assuming this is so, despite the laudable intent, this technique is too clever, too nuanced, to be effective. It’s dangerous, especially in dealing with an incendiary topic like this, to assume your readers will detect such subtleties. It’s just as likely that some will see the piece as tacitly approving of Megan and Westboro, even if this isn’t the intent.

Second, the decision to print this story at all, regardless of how it was framed, was a poor one. By publishing “An heir to hate”, The Star has simply provided a platform for promoting her church and her hateful beliefs, which are too distasteful to repeat here.

The Star’s decision to tell this story is not without its irony. The piece includes, briefly, the tale of one of Megan’s cousins who escaped from Westboro Baptist Church’s clutches, and is now happily married. The implication is that Megan, who is unattached and without any prospects, could escape and find a completely normal, married life just like her cousin. The irony is that by running this story, The Star has added a few minutes to Megan’s 15 minutes of frame, thus seemingly justifying with its media spotlight Megan’s decision to keep preaching hate even if it means that she probably won’t have a husband or family of her own. If Megan can get Sunday-paper publicity for her cause, then she must be doing something right.

In fact, I had been under the impression (perhaps mistakenly) that the media understood Westboro’s thirst for publicity and had tacitly decided to stop covering them. This is the essence of good peace journalism—refusing to give a platform to those who hate. Besides, do the rantings of a few dozen lunatics really constitute news? Many would argue no.

I will soon embark on teaching a peace journalism and terrorism project in Uganda for the U.S. State Department. In my workshops, I will be using “An heir to hate” as grist for a discussion about the symbiotic relationship between extremists/terrorists and the media. Surely, the Phelps gang is no better than other terrorists who seek to manipulate the media for their own purposes. My message to the Ugandan journalists will be to continue to report on terrorists when necessary, but to frame their stories in such a way as to not give “aid and comfort” to those who advocate hatred and violence.

Perhaps The Star would like to send some editors and reporters to my peace journalism and terrorism seminars in Uganda.

Steven Youngblood, associate professor of communications, teaches peace journalism, broadcasting, and reporting at Park University in Parkville, Missouri. He has taught peace journalism workshops worldwide. Youngblood will be delivering a commencement address titled “Inciting Peace” at Park University’s December 10 commencement.

2011-11-18T11:54:00.004-06:00

Ugandan students shine in online course

I always learn more from teaching than my students learn from me.

This was certainly the case with my just-completed online Advanced Peace Journalism course. The online course was the last activity of a 16-month, $270,000 US State Department/USAID-sponsored peace journalism project in Uganda.

The eight week course, team taught by myself and Ugandan peace journalist Gloria Laker, was “attended” by 10 radio journalists who had prior, face to face PJ training in Uganda. The students analyzed peace journalism case studies (in Gaza and Macedonia, for example), confronted the reservations expressed by PJ’s critics, and looked at how peace journalism can be applied to the reporting of current events like the Casey Anthony trial in the U.S. or the mass shootings in Norway. As a culminating activity, the reporters produced excellent radio stories with a peace journalism theme. (Click here to listen).

The students posted volumes of insightful comments, none more so than when we discussed if peace journalists should publish gruesome photos of ‘dead Gaddafi’. One wrote, “I would censor a photo/video that would cause violence because if the photo/video is too graphic it can escalate the conflict because the affected side, say if they see the mutilated body of their leader, may never forgive the opponents.” Another radio reporter wrote, “As a peace journalist, I do think that such a picture is inciting and results into violent and very unprofessionally published, Instead they should have torn down by fading face and publishing in black and white to reduce the sensitive of the image and the reducing violence.”

This led to a more general discussion about how to handle controversial and potentially volatile stories. A student wrote, “Most reporters do think that big news is controversial news… Sometimes reporters do forget that they judge and begin to nickname some one like murderer, thief, rapist, killer etc. making one side look dirty hence … bias minds toward one side. We should try as much as possible to be fair to all (because) emotions, discriminations and bitter statements may result in another war or even genocide because of the negligence of some reporters and editors.”

He concluded, “When media don’t provide complete, accurate information delivered with a dose of anti-government skepticism, they become little more than government propagandists.”

The online students unanimously agreed to the need for continued peace journalism training in Uganda. One wrote, “Peace Journalism is essential to journalists in Uganda if the current strife from the community and government is to be addressed. A number of journalists have been victim to the current accusation of bad journalism on Ugandan practitioners. Some have been imprisoned, some murdered in mob violence for ‘not being objective. We should not say journalists in Uganda are practising bad journalism but they only lack skills in Peace Journalism which will make them be appreciated as important people in the community.”

Another said, “The best way to reach my colleagues is to use case studies where peace journalism has worked. I would convince them about the utility (usefulness) and power of peace journalism by telling them that peace journalism is solution-orientated because it gives a voice to the voiceless. It also humanizes the enemy and exposes lies on all sides. I would also convince them that peace journalism highlights peace initiatives and also focuses on the invisible effects of violence, such as psychological trauma.”

The dedication of these students, who overcame some major technical obstacles in completing this online course (including brown-outs and typhoid), has stoked my resolve to continue teaching peace journalism in Uganda and elsewhere.

2011-11-11T16:39:00.003-06:00

A cheap oil change? We can do better

Is anyone else uncomfortable about the seemingly endless barrage of gratuitous Veteran’s Day offers from businesses? I’ve seen today a free meal deal at Applebee’s, a free car wash, and, strangest of all, a discounted $15 oil change for veterans that was advertised in the Kansas City Star.

Is saving vets a few bucks the only way to thank those who have sacrificed so much for us?

A better idea might be to support veterans when they get home, and not just with a few sweet deals. By support, I mean encouraing businesses to actively recruit vets for jobs, and actively (and vocally) supporting enhanced public and private sector support for vets struggling with the mental and physical after-effects of combat.

Of course, much has been written, but not enough done, about serving and saving homeless veterans. Vets make up 9% of the overall population, but are 15% of the homeless population.(LA Times)

The freebies are fine, but their effects are as fleeting as Veteran's Day itself. If we value the contributions of our veterans, we need to stand up and be counted, and not just one day a year.

Peace Journalism Podcast

I spoke at a recent Parkville (MO) Rotary Club meeting about my adventures teaching peace journalism in Uganda. The speech was especially salient for the Parkville Rotary, which has generously donated $4000 to feed hungry kids at a poverty-stricken school in Arua in northwestern Uganda. A week after my presentation, I was interviewed about Uganda and peace journalism for a Rotary Club podcast. Click here to listen to that podcast. (Be patient…the first two minutes of the show touches on other Rotary business).

2011-11-04T12:57:00.003-05:00

Peace journalism student readies for Jordan

The article below is about Andria Enns, who traveled with me on a short term study abroad program to Uganda in the summer of 2010 on a Peace Journalism mission. Congratulations, Andrea, on this great honor.

Next step: Jordan (click here for full article)
By Rob Roberts-- Lee's Summit Journal

"Andria Enns, a junior at Park University from Lee’s Summit, is getting to see lots of the world she wants to change through better communication.

Enns, who is majoring in public relations and broadcasting, will be leaving next month for a nearly month-long stay in Amman, Jordan, most of which is being financed through grants from the Creative Learning foundation and United Planet. In August, Enns was awarded a $1,000 scholarship from America’s Unofficial Ambassadors, a Creative Learning initiative aimed at enhancing the capacity of local organizations around the world to improve lives in their communities. More recently, she won the $2,000 grand prize in the 2011 United Planet Day Contest for an essay she wrote about her 2010 trip to Uganda, where she worked on a peace journalism project. In Jordan, Enns will work for Friends of the Global Fund, a nonprofit organization aiming to end malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS in the Middle East and Northern Africa. Toward those ends, she will be writing grant proposals, creating marketing materials and doing video journalism."

Andi's essays (blogs) about Uganda were outstanding. You can click here to see her blog, which is incredibly insightful. Of everything Andi wrote about Uganda and Peace Journalism, this was my favorite:

"Today was the first day on the trip that I felt angry. I have been enamored with the friendliness of the people, the beauty of the land, the differences of – well – everything! I’m not even sure what I’ve eaten, I just take what I’m handed. But I’m not just angry with the corruption that dominates the lives of Ugandans. I am angry – maybe even more angry – about life in America. (Photo-Andi Enns and friend in Uganda)

In America, we throw everything away because it costs us more (or so we say) to reuse and recycle than to just get a new one. Paper plates, plastic bottles, soda cans. Ugandans use everything over and over. Trash cans aren’t a common sight – there is very little to throw away. Glass soda pop bottles are recycled. Dishes are ceramic. Clothes are used within an inch of their life.

More than angry even, I am ashamed. I am embarrassed that I ever complained about living in Dearing. It’s a paradise compared to what the average Ugandan lives in. In Dearing, I have as much clean water and hot water as I want, reliable electricity, indoor plumbing that always works, air conditioning, constant internet… I probably can’t name all of the things I took for granted. Those things aren’t all present in the nicest hotel in Fort Portal. Imagine going to a hotel in the States and even one of those items missing. You, and admittedly I, would throw a fit. Unimaginable that even the Motel 6 not have hot water or wireless internet.

We live in opulence. And we complain about it. We are so self-centered.

Let me rephrase. I am so self-centered. I am so immature. I am so ungrateful."

2011-10-28T11:14:00.003-05:00

Controversy may distract from peace message

One of the leaders of the peace journalism movement is getting into some hot water over comments he’s made about a research forum his Australian university is having with Israeli academics.

The research forum, “Shared Challenges, Future Solutions”, will be held next week, and will “bring together academics from the University of Sydney and leading Israeli institutions to discuss research innovations in key thematic areas including medicine; water, food and agriculture; pedagogy of teaching second languages and Dead Sea Scrolls; energy and information technology.”

Peace Journalist and Associate Professor Jake Lynch has urged his colleagues to withdraw from the research gathering, and the university administration to cancel it.” Why? Because he says that the event may offend Muslims, since the forum involves Israel.

In The Australian newspaper, Lynch said, “"The university risks sustaining reputational damage if the forum goes ahead." Dr. Lynch believes that the university “risks being seen as condoning the complicity by Israeli universities in Israel's breaches of international law and indirectly raises problems with the university's social inclusion policy."

I greatly admire and respect all the work that Lynch (among others) has done to legitimize peace journalism, and am concerned about the controversy that has been generated by these comments. I disagree with his stance, incidentally, but that’s not the point.

For me, the lesson that I take away from this controversy is to pick your battles. I won’t shy away from controversy if it is generated while I spread the word about peace journalism. However, I’d hate to generate any dispute over anything that isn’t peace journalism. For example, when I lived/worked in Uganda, I could have publically railed against that country’s proposed (and reprehensible) anti-homosexual law. I bit my tongue, however, because I knew that my tirade about the law would have only distracted from my peace message.

Given this, I wonder if Professor Lynch regrets disturbing this hornet’s nest.

2011-10-21T09:16:00.003-05:00

Graphic Gaddafi images feed cycle of violence, retribution

The publication of photos and videos of Gaddafi’s demise raise a number of peace-journalism related issues.

I asked my Park University students if they would print or post graphic photos or video of dead Gaddafi. Some said yes, some no. I asked them to be thoughtful and deliberate in their choice, regardless of whether they would publish the photos/video or not. I also asked the student-journalists to consider the consequences of their actions. (This is particularly salient for media in the Arab world and in Libya itself). Would publishing these images inflame an already volatile situation (perhaps inter-tribal conflicts)? Would these images, if seen publicly, feed a cycle of retribution (violent act leads to retribution leads to more violence, ad infinitum).

I also “discussed” the Gaddafi death images with my online peace journalism students who are all Ugandan radio reporters. Here are some of their comments:

Stephen: “The photo is shocking and horrific! I even saw it in the national vernacular daily (Bukedde) and failed to give it a second sight! Such photos hardens the heart of the reader for more violence. No wonder, many people all over the world suggested that they would rather have Gaddafi tried than killed. Possible reasons for this could be due to the photos and footages shown on the killing of Libyan former president."

Mathias: “The picture is in bad taste, the media and news-wire administrators may not all be sensitized in peace journalism/conflict sensitive journalism approaches. But this cannot exonerate them from ethical level of responsibility required in handling gory scenes of this nature. Remember the ethical questions in publishing, and I do not need to recount this here. Always ask the question: what will it achieve, does it add value to the information already available to the reader/ listener? The 'Shock and Awe' style of journalism is exiting out the corner.”

Betty: Publishing dead Gaddafi's photos is just too inflammatory. If it was for assuring the world that he is dead, it would at least be a decent body, not naked and with all that blood oozing from every part of his body. So irritating to look at indeed.”

As the editor of an American or online publication, I would have probably posted some of the less bloody-images. As the editor of a Libyan publication, I would not have run any of these pictures or video because such images would feed a cycle of inter-tribal conflict and might even contribute to violent retribution. Certainly, Gaddafi's tribe and the rest of Libya now need to reconcile, and I believe publishing these images would make this reconciliation much more difficult.

2011-10-14T09:16:00.001-05:00

History repeats itself in lynch-mob mentality media

Irresponsible, rumor mongering journalism, as an outstanding piece in the Kansas State Historical Society magazine reminds us, is hardly a new phenomenon.

The article, “A Public Burning: Race, Sex, and the Lynching of Fred Alexander” by Christopher C. Lovett, reminds us that the kind of writing and reporting that encourages hatred, inflames violence, and ignores or disdains peaceful conflict resolution is a hardly a creation of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Lovett’s piece chronicles the case of a lynching in 1900 in Leavenworth, Kansas that is a noteworthy lesson for journalists about the terrible power we had, and have, to create an atmosphere conducive to conflict and even mob violence.

What is truly fascinating is how applicable the principles of peace journalism (like not spreading rumors, understanding the consequences of what you report, and giving peacemakers a voice) would have been over a century ago.

Lovett’s article chronicles the racially motivated lynching (actually, ritual burning at the stake) of a rape/murder suspect, a black man named Fred Alexander, and the media’s role in encouraging this vigilantism. The article stated, “In the late summer and fall of 1900, right before the election, rumors spread throughout the city that a number of white females had been sexually assaulted by unknown black males. E. W. Howe of the Atchison Daily Globe, writing after Alexander’s lynching, put the number of alleged assaults at thirteen. A review of arrest records does not support this claim. Even still the Leavenworth Times made no effort to dispel the rumors…Even though it reported this was “the only instance,” the Times and other papers did nothing to refute the popularly held belief that a black male was roaming Leavenworth streets preying upon vulnerable white females.”

As I teach peace journalism, we talk a great deal about atmosphere—specifically, a journalist’s responsibility to help create an atmosphere where peace and non-violence can flourish. Clearly, the opposite occurred in Leavenworth in 1900. Lovett wrote, “The reports of Pearl Forbes’s death (for which the mob murder of Fred Alexander occurred) appeared in all the local papers, but it was especially the Times that fomented the public’s outrage and escalated the racial prejudice that captivated Leavenworth.”

Not only were the newspapers guilty of nurturing a lynch mob atmosphere, they even went a step further. “…The newspapers fabricated and encouraged the assumption that the assailant was black, with no hard evidence to support that supposition, particularly when the Times reported ‘a colored man well known in the southwestern portion of the city who was seen walking west on Spruce street about the time of the murder . . . is behind bars and . . . he had in his pocket a handkerchief with the initials of the girl on it. Like in many police inquiries, rumors and impending arrests proved to be untrue,” according the article.

Think this is all behind us, that we’re too sophisticated today to repeat the Leavenworth Times’ errors from 110 years ago? I believe the media-induced lynch mob is alive and well, and exhibit A is Nancy Grace and Casey Anthony, who hasn’t been lynched but is undoubtedly the target for any number of potential vigilantes thanks to hateful press coverage. Exhibit B are the many sad examples of media induced violence worldwide in places like Kenya (2010, following presidential elections), Uganda (tribal/racial violence stirred by radio in 2009) and even Rwanda, where radio played a large role in the 1994 genocide.

Moreover, I would argue that an anti-terrorism (some would say anti-Muslim) frenzy whipped up by an irresponsible media has in part created an atmosphere where Americans are indifferent or even tolerant when our government chooses to murder terrorists (including an American citizen) abroad rather than dealing with them using non-violent means.

Unfortunately, the kind of irresponsible journalism practiced by the Leavenworth Times in 1900 is still thriving today.

Also see: http://www.kshs.org/publicat/history/2010summer_lovett.pdf

2011-10-07T11:39:00.005-05:00

Are peace provocateurs ethical journalists? Does it matter?

Journalists in conflict situations are constantly toeing the line between journalistically ethical and unethical behavior.

I for one have been in conflict or post conflict situations wondering if I should fork over some cash to help ease things a bit for a poor victim. I usually donate that money, but often ask myself if I should do more to assist, even if this means crossing the line, journalistically speaking.

An interesting case has just surfaced in Indonesia wherein citizen journalists may--or may not--have crossed the line. Social media wielding citizens calling themselves “peace provocateurs” are taking action to defuse a volatile situation in Ambon, Indonesia.

Part of what they are doing—verifying stories and discrediting potentially inflammatory rumors—is classic peace journalism. That this is being practiced in the social media is especially noteworthy, given, for example, Twitter’s tremendous potential to spread both constructive and destructive information.

However, some of the peace provocateurs’ activities (like connecting neighborhood leaders) probably cross the line of what traditionalists would consider ethical journalistic behavior. These activities involve the provocateurs in the story to the point that they are no longer observers and reporters, but active participants.
Whether they are ethical journalists are not, these peace provocateurs are nonetheless ethical citizens who are striving to prevent violence in their community.

The following report is from The Interpreter-Lowry Institute.

…”Last month in the Indonesian city of Ambon, the suspicious death of a Muslim motorcycle taxi driver led to clashes between Muslims and Christians in this provincial capital and raised fears of a return to the communal fighting that wracked the region from 1999 to 2002. At one point, rumours swirled by SMS and word of mouth that a Christian child had been killed (she had not). Muslim houses were set on fire, and retaliation against Christians soon followed.
By the time it stopped, the two days of violence had left seven dead and dozens wounded. Over 150 homes, roughly split between the two communities, were burned to the ground.

What is most remarkable is not that violence re-occurred (something sadly all too common in post-conflict societies), but how it was stopped, in part, through some far-sighted networking and deft thumb work by a group calling themselves 'peace provocateurs' who worked across communities and together with local officials to calm down a volatile situation.

It was an extraordinary effort by a group of about ten people, Christian and Muslim, who decided, at enormous risk to themselves, to go into the areas where violence had erupted to seek truth and then text, upload, and share it.

Every time they heard a rumour, for example, that a church was burned down or that a mosque had been damaged, they went and took photographs of the actual site. With even provincial capitals well serviced by mobile telephone and data services, it was then not hard for them to circulate this proof on Twitter and Facebook using their mobile phones. Given that Indonesians are some of the world's most avid users of these social media, it was an inspired strategy. They sought to calm the level of violence, and it worked.

…They identified influential 'strategic partners' in border neighbourhoods and put them in touch with one another to help coordinate the dissemination of information. They were very conscious of the impact national media could have on the way the unrest was being portrayed outside Ambon and designated one person to monitor the reporting and send clarifications as necessary to the relevant journalists. Their activities focused on collecting and verifying reports of attacks, threats, street blockades, injuries or crowds massing, and then trying to defuse the threats.
Had it not been for their messages, tweets, and posts, the violence would have been infinitely harder to bring under control.”

2011-10-02T12:08:00.002-05:00

Goodbye, Parkville Luminary

NOTE: The following is the "obituary" I wrote in the last edition of my hometown newspaper, The Parkville Luminary, which was one of the best weekly newspapers anywhere. Thanks, editor/publisher Mark Vasto, for giving me, and peace journalism, a voice.

No flowers, please

From the Parkville Luminary

There’s nothing I hate worse than our society’s death rituals, which run the gamut from maudlin to nearly barbaric.

I, for one, refuse to walk past an open casket to see the dead guy. I’d prefer to remember the live person, thankyouverymuch, even though everyone at a funeral always comments on how good the corpse looks. In fact, my aunt and I have a macabre pact. Whoever goes first, the survivor is required to march past the stiff and then pronounce, very loudly, “man, he looks like sh&*.”

I also hate the custom of wasting hundreds (thousands?) of dollars on flowers. Although I like flowers as much as the next guy, I do not want them when I am dead, since I will not be able to enjoy them as much. If you’d like to send me flowers now, I’ll gladly accept them (Park University, Copley Hall, room 210). However, if you waste one cent on flowers for me when I’m vertically challenged, I’ll haunt you.
Overall, our death rituals make a bad situation worse.

Keeping this in mind, I will neither send flowers nor stroll past the casket as we say goodbye to our good friend The Parkville Luminary this week. Instead, in the spirit of a good Irish wake, I’d prefer to remember the good times.

The best times, from a journalistic perspective, are surely the Luminary’s unswerving opposition to the cabal that runs downtown Parkville from the shadows. As a Parkville resident, I only hope that enough light has been shed on this situation to render it transparent, or more transparent, than it was before the newspaper’s crusade. I worry about who, if anyone, will be left to point out conflicts of interest and cronyism in our fair town.

There were also some awfully good times in the Luminary courtesy of the paper’s emeritus columnists Bill Grigsby and Nancy Jack. Some of my favorite times with Nancy were during the Luminary Hour, a radio show that aired on KGSP 90.5FM. I initially thought the Luminary’s publisher was picking on Nancy (“here with a comment is the Luminary’s hip-hop correspondent Nancy Jack”) until I learned that Nancy was as defenseless as a mountain lion.

The Luminary also provided an important forum for our local glitterati. I loved Dr. Don Breckon’s last piece rightly criticizing the decision not to place the KC Zoo issue on the ballot, and scratched my head at Catherine Bleisch’s column about a free-thinker’s conclave in New England. Bill Gresham appeared too infrequently, but always had something important to say. I sincerely hope their voices will not go silent.

Of course, during the last six years or so, the Luminary has also provided a platform for my odd musings, most of which had little or nothing to do with Parkville. In what other weekly community newspaper could readers hear about Ugandan orphans or my holey underwear? (My wife was accosted by a stirred up patron at a local grocery store who inquired about how she, my wife, could send me to the Republic of Georgia with only three pairs of shredded underwear).

One of the things I admire about the newspaper is its commitment to provide a range of opinions, even though the publisher clearly sits right of center politically. Thus, during the last presidential election, I was allowed to rant on about the qualities of Barak Obama even though this nauseated the publisher and most of the Luminary’s conservative readers.

So as we say goodbye to our old friend, let us remember these good times, and thank the Luminary’s publisher Mark Vasto for showing the world that newspapers are still viable, and vital, to the health of our communities. I’m sure Mark would appreciate a thank-you cocktail. However, the family requests no flowers, please.

2011-09-23T10:30:00.003-05:00

Peace Portal Picks People for Publication

Got some good news this week: A story I wrote about the Uganda peace journalism project will be featured in an upcoming book to be published by the Peace Portal. The story will be included in the book "People Building Peace 2.0" which includes tales from around the world about peacemakers and peace projects. Click here to get a sneak preview of some of the featured stories.

Peace Journalism online course enters second week

Week one of our online course for Ugandan peace journalists was a success. We held a lively discussion, and the students worked on a peace journalism guide that they will share with their colleagues. I've combined the best elements of their individual guides into one publication, which is posted below. Good work journalists!

Peace Journalism:
Peace Journalism is simply responsible reporting. It is reporting that requires a Journalist to present facts about an event or an issue giving due consideration to the salient tenets of ideal journalism. As Journalists, we have an obligation to the people we report about, and to the society to whom we report the news.

Peace Journalism is the trade of gathering, analysis and dissemination of information through any media that is aimed at creating peace rather than fuelling conflict and orchestrating violence. As a Peace Journalist, one has an obligation to study and understand conflict and conflict resolution generally before reporting on it.
—Julius

• We have a duty to establish the background and case of the conflict this bearing in mind that even perceived grievances are important to perpetuating and in resolving the conflict.--Stephen
• The language used in reporting also counts a lot is Peace Journalism. Understand the language you use in reporting; having in mind the aspirations, traditions, norms and customs of your audience. Choose you works carefully, select images that don’t cause hullabaloo amongst your audience. Avoid words used by parties in conflict that exaggerate events.—Stephen
• Journalists are also expected to desist from partisan politics because they are expected to be the voice for the voiceless through expressing people’s opinions—Anatory
• Media houses should Endeavour to own whatever is said and done; must ensure social responsibility. --Anatory
• You should fight to stick on your core values. Do not let money overpower your ethics. Make that politician who is trying to bribe you or any other person that you are not working for him but for the good of the people.--Alison
• Identifying the goals of the various parties involved directly or indirectly in a conflict, and possible contradictions between them.--Ruth
• A Peace Journalist should expose the truth / untruth on all sides and try to name all wrongdoers and treat equally seriously allegations made by all sides in a conflict without exaggerations and propaganda.--Betty
• Talk show host especially political or panellist even moderators should avoid using bad languages in their show and even controls callers from using bad languages during their shows.--James
• PJ represents the trauma and experiences of all the parties in the conflict. This is done in a very professional, balanced, fair and non exploitative approach --Emmanuel
• A journalist shall not originate or encourage the dissemination of information designed to promote or which may have the effect of promoting tribalism, racism or any form of discrimination.--Felix
• A peace journalist must practice impartiality to avoid taking sides in any conflict. Peace journalists should never take bribes, hand outs, free machinery as these acts could distort the news.—Gilbert
• As a Peace Journalist, you ought to give a wide ear to those involved in bring peace. Report on the efforts of those working on peace and reconciliation every bit as much as those who exacerbate the conflict. Seek wide explanations and analysis from those outside the conflict like experts. Get their view on the causes of the conflict and also seek their views on how a conflict can be resolved peacefully.—Julius

2011-09-16T11:35:00.005-05:00

Afghan peace journalist inspires

In an inspiring piece in the LA Times, Afghani journalism Emal Haidary writes about his experiences as a journalism fellow in the US, which he calls a “strange paradise”. Haidary's column works on many levels, but it was the conclusion that I found most compelling.

“No one knows what will happen as the U.S. pulls out of Afghanistan. Will the Taliban run the country again?

But I still want to pursue what I call "peace journalism" in Afghanistan. Rather than running from bombing to bombing, writing almost entirely about sadness and destruction, peace journalism tells about the struggles and triumphs of a place. It tells of history, hope and happiness.

I can see peace journalism in my mind's eye. I must make it happen.”

It is because of Haidary and his journalistic brethren in the developing world that I continue to spread the word about the benefits of peace journalism. These journalists have all the ability in the world, and all they are lacking are the tools to transform their reporting into something constructive rather than destructive.

I have seen first-hand how peace journalism principles brought together former adversaries in the Republic of Georgia and prevented media induced violence in Uganda. Imagine the positive impact that a dozen or a hundred Afghani journalists like Haidary "touting triumphs and hope" could have on their society?

Earlier this year, I was flirting with seeking a media training grant to go to Afghanistan, but decided against it for security reasons. After reading Haidary’s piece, if another offer came my way to go to Afghanistan to teach peace journalism, I’d have a hard time saying no.

2011-09-09T09:25:00.003-05:00

Post 9-11, Media Embrace Conflict, Shun Peace Journalism

EDITOR'S NOTE: Part I of this piece appeared last week. Here are Parts I and II together, and revised as well.

As we examine the first 10 years after 9/11, one can’t help but wonder if the media have learned any lessons. Would we respond to another terrorist attack with the same facile, xenophobic coverage, or would we offer our viewers and readers a more nuanced perspective? Would journalists again be seduced by the superficial beauty of war without, in the words of the old hippie anthem, giving peace a chance?

While the first 48 hours of 9/11 coverage was almost universally praised, many agree that the media in the days and weeks after the attacks were characterized by reflexive vitriol. These statements, compiled by Accuracy in Media in 2001, appear shocking in retrospect:

"There is only one way to begin to deal with people like this, and that is you have to kill some of them even if they are not immediately directly involved in this thing."
--former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger (CNN, 9/11/01)
"The response to this unimaginable 21st-century Pearl Harbor should be as simple as it is swift -- kill the bastards. A gunshot between the eyes, blow them to smithereens, poison them if you have to. As for cities or countries that host these worms, bomb them into basketball courts."
--Steve Dunleavy (New York Post, 9/12/01)
"America roused to a righteous anger has always been a force for good. States that have been supporting if not Osama bin Laden, people like him need to feel pain. If we flatten part of Damascus or Tehran or whatever it takes, that is part of the solution."
--Rich Lowry, National Review editor, to Howard Kurtz (Washington Post, 9/13/01) "Time to take names and nuke Afghanistan.”
--Caption to cartoon by Gary Brookins (Richmond Times-Dispatch, 9/13/01)

These are just a few of hundreds of such hateful, irresponsible statements trumpeted by the media post-9/11. (Yes, these are all right wingers, but there was plenty of pro-war propaganda coming from the left, too. I’ll detail this momentarily). Before disseminating such bellicose statements, the media would have done well to take a deep breath and consider peace journalism, which is when editors and reporters make choices that improve the prospects for peace. One of the principles of peace journalism is to avoid airing inflammatory statements (vengeful comments that appeal more to emotion than to reason) since these statements can induce a rush to war. Post 9-11, not only were these hateful statements published, they were met by nothing but nodding agreement by the public and media. (Osama graphic from sodahead.com)

Aside from bitter statements, media coverage post 9-11 has been often superficial, painting only a one-dimensional picture of terrorism. Robert Hackett from Simon Frazier University writes, “Mainstream media are far more likely to focus on the destructive actions and future threat of insurgent terrorism, rather than on its grievances or even the social conditions that breed it.” (wacglobal.org). Peace Journalism teaches that a failure to examine the underlying causes of violence creates an atmosphere where violence tends to repeat itself.

Superficial and hate-filled coverage contribute to a cycle of violent retribution, which is easy to justify in a sensationalism-saturated media environment featuring patriotic “us vs. them” coverage. Peace journalism teaches that conflicts are never as simple as just “us vs. them” and that patriotism should have a different meaning for journalists. The most patriotic thing a journalist can do is to arm citizens with complete, accurate information that they can use to function in a democratic society. Did Americans have the full story before we rushed into war during the last 10 years?

When media don’t provide complete, accurate information delivered with a dose of anti-government skepticism, they become little more than government propagandists. Indeed, many journalists assumed an unfortunate cheerleading role in the run-up to the violent retribution inflicted by America during the last decade. A number of journalists have expressed regret about this reflexive rush to war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Bill Keller, former executive editor of the New York Times, wrote that “the suddenly apparent menace of the (post 9-11) world awakened a bellicose surge of mission and made hawks of many — including me — who had a lifelong wariness of the warrior reflex.” (NY Times, 9-6-2011). His was an anti-Iraq bellicosity shared by a group of liberal journalists he calls the “I can’t believe I’m a hawk club” that included unlikely war proponents Thomas Friedman, Fareed Zakaria, George Packer and Jeffrey Goldberg, Richard Cohen, and Christopher Hitchens. Keller said he and his liberal brethren were “still a little drugged by testosterone. And maybe a little too pleased with ourselves for standing up to evil (Saddam’s Iraq) and defying the caricature of liberals as, to borrow a phrase from those days, brie-eating surrender monkeys.”

Thus, with pro-war propaganda coming from both the left and the right, the public inevitably got the message that the Iraq and Afghan wars were both desirable and, most frighteningly, inevitable.

Peace journalism teaches that journalists must resist the propaganda, put aside the testosterone and bellicosity, and help our readers and listeners understand that there are options other than war. We in the media have the responsibility to soberly present our viewers and readers the full story, especially when society is drunk with rage. This full story includes putting peaceful solutions on the table, and giving peacemakers a voice while being careful not to lead a rush to violent retribution. Being a peace journalist means promoting neither peace nor war, but at minimum presenting the peaceful and non-peaceful solutions as equals, thus arming our audience with the information they need to make informed choices. The people may still choose war, but at least we will know that they have done so after considering a range of possibilities.

Keller believes that the media have learned a lesson from the mistakes they made during the pre-war, post 9-11 period of the last 10 years. He cites more responsible coverage of the Libyan revolution as evidence to support his thesis. “This time we all — president, public and press — picked our way more carefully through the mess, weighing the urge to support freedom against the cost of becoming part of a drama we don’t fully understand,” Keller said. “That is the caution of a country feeling more threatened these days by our own economics than by foreign enemies. But for some of us it is also the costly wisdom of Iraq.”

While Keller is correct about the improved coverage of Libya, I’m not convinced that the media have turned a corner in terms of practicing responsible Peace Journalism. I’ve witnessed first-hand too much irresponsible, war-mongering journalism in places as diverse as the Republic of Georgia, Kenya, and yes, the United States. In one example, the bitter witch hunt against Casey Anthony demonstrates the lack of maturity in the media, which seemed far more interested in inflammatory sensationalism than in quashing our primitive retributive instincts. In another example, a just-released study of U.S. and U.K. newspaper coverage of violence in Somalia detected a strong preference for war journalism (characterized by inflammatory and demonizing language, “us vs. them”, elitist sourcing, etc.) over peace journalism. (Global Media Journal, Spring 2011). Author/researcher Tewodros W. Workneh wrote, “This study portrays how war, conflict and violence, remain the primary raw materials for international journalism…(The) model of peace-oriented reporting has not yet made an impact on international journalism. These observations and concerns suggest the question of whether the drafting of a strategy for a “peace journalism intervention” into the practices of international journalism should be considered.”

This “peace journalism intervention” will succeed if it gets journalists from the biggest daily to the smallest mom-and-pop radio station to ask this: can the news, even when it’s violent, be reported in a less inflammatory way? Can we, as journalists, frame our stories in a manner that presents peace as a possible (and even desirable) outcome?

If American journalists had embraced the concepts of peace journalism, perhaps the last decade would have been a less violent one.

Steven Youngblood, Associate Professor of Communications at Park University in Parkville, Missouri, is a two-time J. William Fulbright Scholar. He is the director of the State Department’s 2010-2011 Peace Journalism Project in Uganda. Youngblood is putting the finishing touches on his first book, “Professor Komagum: Finding peace and losing my sanity in Uganda”. Connect with me on Twitter @PeaceJourn

2011-09-02T17:53:00.003-05:00

What I get for whining

After my last blog (below) whining about the dehumanizing process of finding a literary agent for my book, lo and behold I got a serious nibble this week from an interested agent. Not only does she want to read the entire manuscript for Professor Komagum: Finding peace and losing my sanity in Uganda, she wants an exclusive submission. This means that she doesn't want me to send the manuscript to any other agents while she examines it. It's not a done deal, but it is very promising. I'll keep you updated.

Has 9-11 taught media the value of Peace Journalism?

Part I (Part II will appear next weekend)

As we look back at the first 10 years after 9/11, one can’t help but wonder if the media has learned any lessons. Would we respond to another terrorist attack with the same facile, xenophobic coverage, or would we offer our viewers and readers a more nuanced view, one that, in the words of the old hippie anthem, gives peace a chance?

While the immediate coverage of 9/11 was almost universally praised, many agree that the media in the weeks and months after the attacks was characterized by reflexive vitriol. These statements made in and by the media, compiled by Accuracy in Media in 2001, appear shocking in retrospect:

"There is only one way to begin to deal with people like this, and that is you have to kill some of them even if they are not immediately directly involved in this thing."
--Former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger (CNN, 9/11/01)
"The response to this unimaginable 21st-century Pearl Harbor should be as simple as it is swift -- kill the bastards. A gunshot between the eyes, blow them to smithereens, poison them if you have to. As for cities or countries that host these worms, bomb them into basketball courts."
--Steve Dunleavy (New York Post, 9/12/01)
"America roused to a righteous anger has always been a force for good. States that have been supporting if not Osama bin Laden, people like him need to feel pain. If we flatten part of Damascus or Tehran or whatever it takes, that is part of the solution."
--Rich Lowry, National Review editor, to Howard Kurtz (Washington Post, 9/13/01)
"Time to take names and nuke Afghanistan.”
--Caption to cartoon by Gary Brookins (Richmond Times-Dispatch, 9/13/01)
"At a bare minimum, tactical nuclear capabilites should be used against the bin Laden camps in the desert of Afghanistan. To do less would be rightly seen by the poisoned minds that orchestrated these attacks as cowardice on the part of the United States and the current administration."
--Former Defense Intelligence Agency officer Thomas Woodrow, "Time to Use the Nuclear Option" (Washington Times, 9/14/01)
"This is no time to be precious about locating the exact individuals directly involved in this particular terrorist attack.... We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. We weren't punctilious about locating and punishing only Hitler and his top officers. We carpet-bombed German cities; we killed civilians. That's war. And this is war."
--Syndicated columnist Ann Coulter (National Review Online, 9/13/01)

These are just a few of hundreds of such hateful, irresponsible statements trumpeted by the media post-9/11. Before airing such statements, the media would have done well to take a deep breath and consider peace journalism. One of the tenents of peace journalism is to avoid airing inflammatory statements, and if they must be aired, to analyze them critically. Not only were these statements disseminated, they were met by nothing but nodding agreement by the public and media.

Aside from being inflammatory, the coverage was often superficial, painting terrorists as one dimensional, cartoonish bad guys. The important question is this: Did this inflammatory reporting feed a cycle of violent retribution, and indeed contribute to a societal culture that demanded war? We will examine those questions next week in Part II of our look at 9-11 and peace journalism.

--Follow me on Twitter @PeaceJourn

2011-08-27T13:04:00.005-05:00

Thinking about 9/11 and media

As the 10-year 9/11 anniversary approaches, I've been thinking a lot lately about the role of the media post 9/11 in encouraging what I believe was a rush to retribution. The stampede to embrace war rather than even considering peaceful alternatives was fueled by the media, I believe.

I am working on a column next week on this subject, so stay tuned. In the meantime, check out this fascinating piece about media complicity in terrorism.

Literary Agent Blues, or, Rejecting Rejection

From the Parkville Luminary

I can’t string together three words without some fatal syntax error. I write like a glue-sniffing seventh grader. I never saw a cliché I didn’t like.

OK, the feedback I’ve been getting from literary agents hasn’t been that bad. It just seems that way.

For the past month or so, I’ve been shopping around my book, Professor Komagum: Finding peace and losing my sanity in Uganda, to literary agents in hopes of getting them to represent me. It’s possible to get a book published without an agent, but very, very difficult, perhaps akin to selling one’s house without a realtor.

This agent acquisition process is more painful than a root canal, more tedious than a city planning and zoning commission meeting, and more degrading than fraternity initiation rites.

The process begins with a query letter wherein you grovel (without outwardly begging) for representation. In one page, you’re supposed to catch the agent’s attention, summarize the book, and provide a brief bio of yourself. This is the first part of my query:

“During the 10 months I lived in Uganda, I was almost flattened by a startled two-ton rhino and menaced by swooping bats in a tree house in the middle of the jungle. I also taught hundreds of Ugandan journalists how they could lay a foundation for peace by utilizing the techniques of peace journalism. In addition, I met, befriended, and became surrogate father to a half-dozen orphans. Oh, and I also ate some dried ants. (The wings were removed, since these are apt to get stuck between your teeth).”

My letter’s opening is probably too cute by 50%, but it does get their attention, at least I thought so. However, I have no idea if my query is any good from an agent’s standpoint because agents pretty much refuse to communicate with prospective clients.
I’ve sent out 30 queries. I have received three actual responses—one from an agent who said she’d like me to send the rest of my book (woo-hoo), one from an agent who wanted me to clarify if my book is a travel memoir (yes, it is), and a third from an agent who gently rejected me. This kind agent wrote, “Thanks for letting me take a look. I'm afraid this doesn't seem like the right project for me, but I'm sure other agents will feel differently. Best of luck placing your work.” Kudos to you, Liza Dawson, for taking two minutes to send me a nice note that lifted my spirits and renewed my hope for my literary career and mankind in general.

Unfortunately, Liza Dawson seems to be the exception in the literary agent world, where they’ve discovered that it’s easier to email a form rejection letter than to actually engage in messy human contact. You know it’s an auto-rejection when you see the words, “Dear Author”. This phrase is usually followed by a direct “no thanks” line. This is my least favorite let down, although it does offer some comic relief: “Alas, the query wan't (sic) quite intriguing enough to inspire me to offer representation or further consideration of your project.” Hey agent: at least have the decency to spell-check your snarky form rejection letter before you send it out! (WaSn’t)

The most irritating auto-rejection line is “please forgive the impersonal nature of this response.”

Dear Agent: I do NOT forgive the impersonal nature of the response. Take two minutes, write two or three sentences (like Liza), and tell me that my query is stupid, or my book is unmarketable, or that my writing is idiotic. If you don’t have time to respond to queries, then don’t accept them. But if I have taken the time to write to you, common courtesy dictates that you write me back.

Of course, I’ve received no response whatsoever from 23 out of 30 agents to whom I’ve sent queries. Suddenly, the robo-rejections don’t look so bad, at least the ones where everything’s spelled correctly.

2011-08-20T12:55:00.003-05:00

Humanitarians bring hope to the hopeless

They dig ditches, help the elderly, empower the poor to create their own wealth, teach the underprivileged, and show the world the true American spirit of friendship and camaraderie.

They are America’s 8,655 Peace Corps volunteers spreading goodwill in 139 countries. They deserve our support, our thanks, and our congratulations on World Humanitarian Day (Aug 19).

Over 200,000 Americans have served their country in the Peace Corps since its inception in 1961. While most are young people, 7% of the volunteers are over 50. My wife and I, in fact, are future PC volunteers. According to Peace Corps data, 37% of the goodwill ambassadors volunteer in the field of education, with 22% working on health/HIV/AIDS initiatives, 14% on business development, and 13% on environmental projects. I have witnessed their efforts firsthand (including organizing a youth baseball league in rural Moldova and teaching in isolated Uganda), and have been amazed by their enthusiasm and by the impact they have on the world.

These Peace Corps volunteers, of course, represent only a small percentage of the angels who are engaged in humanitarian efforts worldwide. As we commemorate World Humanitarian Day, spend a moment to reflect on how they make the world a better place. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said it best when he wrote:

“On World Humanitarian Day, we honour these aid workers and thank them for their dedication. And we pay tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice – in Afghanistan, Haiti and beyond. Too many have died, or suffered their own loss, in the course of duty. We pledge to do all we can to ensure the world’s humanitarians are kept safe to do their essential work.

This is also a day to examine our own lives and consider what more we can do to help -- to reach out to people enduring conflict, disaster and hardship. Let those we honour today inspire us to start our own journey to make the world a better place and bring our human family more closely together.”

2011-08-13T11:14:00.002-05:00

Classes to begin; Students brace for dull lectures

Classes begin Aug. 15 at Park University. I'm really looking forward to seeing my students and getting back into the classroom. I hope they'll interested in hearing about my Uganda peace journalism project. If not, it couled be a long semester.

Political homophobia thrives in U.S.A.

From the Parkville Luminary

Despite society’s belated recognition of homosexual marriage rights, political homophobia is still alive and well in America.

Exhibit A is a press release that found its way into my email in-box, leaving a slimy trail in its wake. This release is from Larry Klayman, founder of Freedom Watch and Judicial Watch. Freedom Watch’s website is equally fascinating and alarming. In one spot on the site, visitors can view a documentary that “exposes the ‘new world order’ that is being pushed on to humanity, a world order that will destroy national sovereignty in favor of a one-world government.”

When Klayman’s not pushing paranoid conspiracy theories, he’s spouting anti-gay hatred. His press release, titled “Political Hererophobia and its Consequences”, is classic political propaganda. Certainly, the last thing we need is more inflammatory language fueling the raging flames of what used to be known in polite circles as political discourse. It’s vital that we expose the haters on both the right and on the left for what they are—demagogues who at minimum seek to divide and frighten us to advance their political agenda. Toward this end, let’s take look at Klayman’s email (my comments are in parenthesis):

The press release begins, “In an effort of destroy the presidential campaign of Rep. Michele Bachmann, the only true Christian conservative (who defines true Christianity or conservatism?) in the Republican primary race, the activist ultra left gay and lesbian "community" (they’re not a community?) has sharpened its vicious (demonizing language) talons. Garnering the complicity and support of the leftist mainstream media (at least he didn’t say “lamestream”), they have been foaming at the mouth (dehumanizing language) about her candidacy, which they see as a threat to their agenda - which in large part is to indoctrinate (brainwash) our children into the normalcy and thus "advantages" of a homosexual lifestyle. (Do people choose homosexuality, or are homosexuals born that way? Do you, Mr. Klayman, get to decide what is normal?)

Before I go further, let me make one thing clear. I am not a homophobe. (Nixon: I am not a crook; Clinton: I did not have sex with that woman). I know and work with gays who are nice, decent, intelligent, hardworking. productive and respectful people. (And some of my best friends are black). While I do not endorse or condone their lifestyle (joining a garden club is a lifestyle choice; sexual orientation is not), my gay friends (I’d love to speak to one of them) do not try to push their unfortunate situation - which is obviously both difficult and painful for them and their families - on others. (Difficult primarily because of discrimination and derision from right-wing society)… God intended sex to be between a man and a woman. (Did He tell you this?) Otherwise, He would have equipped us differently…When man has strayed from this anatomical fact of life, bad things health-wise have happened; AIDs is just one example. (This is a Golden Oldie—a vengeful God striking down sodomites. Question: does your God also hate those who contracted HIV through transfusions, or babies born with the virus?)

Michele Bachmann and her husband, Marcus, have for years tried to help homosexuals find their way to the Lord (Rep. Bachmann: Do you subscribe to the views in this press release?)…If truth be told most gays and lesbians, if their communities allowed them to speak out, would probably praise the Bachmann' s efforts...” (Absurd)

A few paragraphs later, Klayman writes, “It is because we have been in an intense culture war in this country; the left - now led ironically by its pro-Muslim (implied-Muslim=evil) president, Barack Hussein (this middle name must mean that he’s a bad person) Obama, wants to squeeze the teachings of the likes of Jesus and Moses from our public schools (where they obviously belong) and our society in general. By pushing government as our God (down on your knees before the altar of Obamacare), and having the government condone and endorse the homosexual lifestyle through such institutions as "gay marriage," they want to…hand over our mores and values to the devil. (who is gay and Muslim and wants to raise taxes).”

In 20 years, society will look back on Klayman and his allies with the same disdain with which we now judge civil rights opponents from the 1960’s—as foolish, narrow minded bigots.

2011-08-06T10:22:00.004-05:00

Please forgive the impersonal nature of this response

Ending week 3 in my search for a literary agent for my new book, Professor Komagum—Finding peace and losing my sanity in Uganda. A couple of nibbles (“this is interesting, send me a couple of chapters”), a couple of automated rejection letters (“please forgive the impersonal nature of this response”), but mostly silence thus far. For an impatient person, this is indescribable torture.

Update from Ugandan correspondent

Just received an interesting letter from our intrepid Ugandan correspondent Tabu, who is one of the smartest, most well informed people I know, despite the fact that he continues to stubbornly support Uganda’s corrupt president Yoweri Museveni.
Some highlights of Tabu’s dispatch:

Weather and witchcraft: Worse of all the rains were accompanied with thunder and lightening/ Schools were much affected. One school 5 kids were struck dead at ago-at another 6 and teacher struck dead. Most of the schools were affected and in Gulu. 30 kids were struck dead recently- terrible- terrible. But right now it is back to very hot sunshine. Grass trees, withering. Some people here who still believe in witchcraft were interpreting the lightening deaths as spells inflicted and induced by evil spirits. Some of us still live in/with Stone Age ideas.

Peace journalism: (In reference to post below from July 18) It is surprising Steve despite his efforts there are still those in the U.S.A who don’t see how their reporting can be detrimental and talking about mob- justice, you have seen nothing about it (compared to Uganda). Nancy Grace has only to visit Uganda and watch one of our local TV’s, she will revise her reporting almost instantly. (Regarding mob justice), on T.V we see no less than five people being torched to death (by a vigilante mob) using blazing tires. This is on only suspicion. The police have tried to sensitize the public on not talking justice in their own hands to no avail...

Thanks, Tabu. Stay safe and well.

Bloggers put themselves at-risk during Arab Spring

Also getting my attention this week was a survey commissioned by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting.. The key findings from the survey, conducted in May, were:

1. The survey respondents, primarily bloggers residing in the Middle East and North Africa, experienced a remarkably high incidence of security incidents related to their online activity over the past year, including cyber attacks, personal threats, arrest, and detention.
2. Survey respondents reported a wide range of methods employed to mitigate the risks of online activity, including self-censorship, obscuring their identities, and writing in ambiguous language.
3. Design and ease of use, rather than security-related features, are reported to be the most important considerations in choosing online platforms.
4. Even within this set of at-risk bloggers, only a small number reported that they understand or implement best practices related to online security.

The survey clearly demonstrates the need to integrate security issues and best safety practices into trainings for online journalists. I know in my seminars, I have begun to broaden my discussion of journalists’ safety.

For a complete look at the IWPR survey, click here.

2011-07-30T13:12:00.004-05:00

Of Miscellany and Men

Hooked up—I just ran my Facebook account through a website run by Western Union that calculates how connected you are. I found out that I have 52 international Facebook friends in 26 countries, and that if you map the connections between my friends and I, it would cover 553,000 km. On something called the world index, I am the 1,352nd most networked person. Of course, that probably means that 1,400 users have gone on this site to analyze their connectedness.

The coolest thing is that I actually have met and know each of these international FB users. My goal is to eventually have 100 international Facebook friends.

A Ugandan tragedy—The maternal mortality rate in Uganda is shameful. While I was over there, I talked to many women about this, and they relayed to me the very understandable fears that women have about not making it out of childbirth. The New York Times, in an excellent piece published today, examines this tragedy.

Peace Portal—I have entered a contest on a Dutch website called the Peace Portal wherein the winners have their articles published as part of a book on peace and peacemakers. The piece I wrote is below. You can go to the Peace Portal website to vote on your favorite article.

Project brings Peace Journalism to Uganda
By Steven Youngblood

This is great, but it’s not enough.

As I taught Peace Journalism in Uganda for five weeks in 2009, I kept hearing this mantra repeated. The journalists in my seminars said they liked and needed what I was teaching. However, the reporters emphasized that Uganda needed many more peace journalism lessons as the 2011 elections approached.

At the urging of the journalists, we put together a proposal for a comprehensive Peace, Development, and Electoral Journalism project for 2010-2011 in Uganda.

If approved, the project would require that I teach radio journalists to understand and practice Peace Journalism, a term coined by journalists Annabeth McGoldrick and Jake Lynch. I define Peace Journalism as when editors and reporters make choices that improve the prospects for peace. These choices promote the positive development of societies recovering from conflict while they create an atmosphere supportive of peace initiatives and peacemakers and conducive to reconciliation. For the radio journalists, PJ means among other things avoiding the use of inflammatory, inciting language.

Our project, consisting of three major parts, was pitched to the U.S. Embassy-Kampala and USAID, and approved shortly thereafter. The $270,000 effort consisted of holding 30 seminars across Uganda for radio journalists and managers, launching a Public Service Announcement campaign with a “no election violence” message, and organizing Peace Clubs, groups of Ugandans working with media to ensure a violence-free election.

The principal goal of the Peace, Development, and Electoral Journalism project was to prevent media induced or exacerbated violence during the 2011 election cycle.

The project was needed because of a legacy of violent elections (Kenya, Ivory Coast, Zimbabwe) and of hate radio in sub-Saharan Africa. Hate radio, the use of the airwaves to encourage sectarianism and/or violence, was used as a destructive tool during the Rwandan genocide (1994), during post-election unrest in Kenya (2008), and even during riots in Kampala (2009). Many believed this volatile mix of campaign/electoral turmoil and hate radio, combined with the fact that Uganda is still recovering from a 20-year civil war, made the 2011 election a potentially dangerous one. It was against this backdrop that the PJ project began.

The project, which ran from February 2010 to April 2011, was highlighted by 30 seminars, 25 for journalists and the remainder for radio station managers. At the journalist seminars, we discussed the basics of peace journalism (frame stories to discourage violence, give peacemakers and everyday people a voice, avoid inflammatory language). The radio reporters also produced peace-themed radio reports and PSA’s which aired on their local stations. The seminars were held throughout Uganda, as evidenced by the 9,222 miles that Project Assistant Gloria Laker and I traveled during the project.

Our sore backs and chronic fatigue did not go unrewarded.

By any measure, the project was successful. Ugandans in 14 towns formed Peace Clubs. These clubs joined forces at a summit in Kampala in March, and formed a national organization to promote peace. The Public Service Announcement project also succeeded in getting peaceful messages broadcast on dozens of Ugandan radio stations.

Most telling, there were no incidents of media induced or exacerbated election violence in 2010-2011. The strongest evidence of a dearth of media induced or exacerbated violence can be seen in results from a survey we conducted of 40 radio journalists/presenters and 20 radio managers during the first two weeks of March. Among other things, those surveyed were asked if anything (news, talk program, panelists, telephone callers) broadcast by their radio station encouraged or incited violence. All 60 responded no.

Can our peace journalism project take credit for this lack of media induced violence? The journalists who attended our post-election follow up meetings weren’t hesitant about crediting our project with preventing violence. The journalists said the workshops lead to more responsible and balanced reporting that carefully avoided inflammatory language or irresponsible, sensationalistic stories.

The survey results confirmed what the journalists told us. Respondents were asked to rate the effectiveness of the peace/electoral journalism trainings for radio journalists, announcers, and managers (on a 1-5 scale) in preventing broadcasts that might encourage or incite violence. Five is very effective, and one not at all effective. The average for this question was 4.38, somewhere between effective and very effective. Those surveyed were also asked to rate the effectiveness of the peace/electoral journalism trainings in improving the professionalism of election coverage. The average was 4.33.

The project succeeded because of the dedication of Project Assistant Gloria Laker and the Ugandan journalists who committed themselves to improving their professionalism and making their communities a better place.

It’s our hope that this peace and electoral journalism model can replicated elsewhere, since it proved to be such a powerful tool for peace and reconciliation in Uganda.

2011-07-23T10:34:00.005-05:00

Peace Journalism to be put to the test in Norway

It’s easy to say that you’re all for peace journalism—not inflaming or exacerbating conflicts while nurturing an atmosphere of peace and reconciliation—when all is well. The challenge is to practice these principles in times of violence and crisis.

Such is the case now in Norway, which is recovering from a series of deadly attacks. I have a Norwegian friend who I just heard from via Facebook. She wrote, “Thank you all so much for your kind thoughts. As of now I don't know anyone who has been hurt but the situation is quite chaotic and they are still locating people. My hope now is that Norway will continue to be the country it was before the attacks and not restrict its people's rights permanently.” She’s right--the bombers and shooters "win" if Norwegians lose their rights. (Photo--newsday.com)

Yet, the loss of basic rights becomes almost inevitable if the media whips the public into an anti-terror frenzy in which citizens demand action—any action—to make them feel safer. The USA’s post-9/11 Patriot Act comes to mind.

Fortunately, at least so far, several Norwegian media outlets seem to be getting the message. "As we rebuild the government quarters and [Labor Party youth wing] AUF builds up its organization, we will also restore a Norway based on openness and trust," said a day-after editorial in the daily newspaper Dagbladet. The editorial went on to say, “"We shall not have a Norway with new restrictions of freedom of movement, more uniforms, and thus also more interventions in the lives of all those of us who don't want to understand the language of terror." An editorial in the newspaper Dagens Naeringsliv commented, “We need to prove that terrorists are wrong and that we are right. We can only do so by preserving our open and democratic society." (wsj.com)

These comments are hopeful signs indeed. The hardest part will come, I suspect, in the coming weeks and months, as recriminations begin and pressure mounts to do something. It is then that the need will be greatest to practice responsible peace journalism. This means not rushing to judgment. (There were already erroneous reports about the perpetrators in the first hours after the incident). It also means not demonizing the murderers and those with whom they associate. Reports say the youth camp shooter was a conservative Christian. The media must be careful not to paint all conservative Norwegian Christians as fanatics.

Peace journalists should thoughtfully analyze the violent incidents, carefully taking into consideration the consequences of their reporting on society. Should media give voice to those seeking retribution? If they must, at least balance the coverage with moderate voices, like those of my friend, who can see the long term negative consequences from reflexively enacting rules and laws in an atmosphere tainted with anger, revenge, and fear.

2011-07-18T13:35:00.004-05:00

Media frenzy encourages mob justice

Would anyone be surprised if some crazy gun-toting vigilante killed the most hated woman in America?

I am not predicting this, nor am I advocating it. In fact, I sincerely, fervently hope it doesn’t happen.

However, if mob justice does prevail, a good portion of the blame should rightfully fall upon the media, and especially the inflammatory rhetoric that has aired, and is still airing, on HLN. Especially noteworthy for its wallow in the gutter is the nightly program hosted by Nancy Grace. During the most hated woman’s (MHW) trial, HLN, and especially Grace’s program, devoted increasing time and energy to the proceedings, resulting in the 29-year-old network’s best ratings months ever in June. (Reuters, July 6, 2011)

Grace’s shrill, biased coverage of the trial and verdict have created an atmosphere conducive to vigilantism. For example, after hearing the verdict, the HLN evening host said, "somewhere out there, the devil is dancing tonight." Later, lightening struck a tree near the area where the MHW’s daughter’s body was found. Grace wondered aloud on her show if the lightening bolt was a message from an angry God.

Al Tompkins, a senior instructor at the Poynter Institute, a training center for journalists, said of Grace’s show, "It's just unforgivable the amount of vitriol that has come from her show that has now permeated the entire channel. There was no room for them for anything other than a guilty verdict…I'm not sure whether she considers herself to be a journalist," Tomkins added. "What she's practicing is not journalism. It has a lot to do with advocacy and maybe even a vendetta." (Reuters, July 6, 2011)

MHW’s release from prison and every move she’s made have been scrutinized, analyzed, and publicized by HLN and almost every other media outlet. This unending scrutiny, no doubt fed by the desire to maintain pumped-up ratings, has created a kind of manic atmosphere where anything, including vigilantism, is possible. For example, in mid-July, some Internet sites reported that a MHW look-alike was attached in Oklahoma. However, those erroneous reports were later debunked by KTUL-TV among others. It was just a false alarm—this time.

I haven’t seen a survey yet, but I wonder if most Americans would be happy if mob justice did prevail in this case. I hope I’m wrong. I hope we are better than that.

What the coverage of MHW’s case has made clear is the need to spread the word about peace and conflict sensitive journalism here in America.

As a peace journalism professor and trainer, one of the principles I teach journalists is that they need to always consider the consequences of their reporting. In a wartime or post-conflict setting, this means that reporters should understand that their words could inflame violence or impede reconciliation. In this situation, those in the media must consider the possibility that their reporting could lead to mob justice. I’m not suggesting that the trial and verdict shouldn’t have been reported, but I am saying that no thought has been given to the inflammatory nature of how the story was reported.

If the media had been practicing peace and conflict sensitive journalism, it would have balanced the coverage by not being so blatantly anti-defendant. and eschewed the kind of inflammatory, shill language that became the norm on Grace’s show and on many online sites.

It’s not too late to repair some of the damage. HLN and others should air voices that speak out strongly against vigilantism and emphatically in favor of respect for the rule of law.

Freedom of the press doesn’t mean freedom of responsibility from one’s actions as a member of the media.

2011-07-08T11:39:00.002-05:00

Unplugged; unhinged; unreachable

I am officially not working. This is the out of office message that I left on my email: "I am on vacation, which means no writing, Internet (laptop), lecturing, cellphone, blogging, or else there will be wife-related ramifications. I'll return July 18, ready to re-engage. Probably. Thank you." I am sincere about the wife-related ramifications, which are too awful to fully contemplate.

When I return, the hard work starts--lesson plans for my new digital media course at Park University, and trying to get an agent/publisher for my book Professor Komagum: Finding peace and losing my sanity in Uganda.

Former student fights emotions amidst Joplin destruction

From the Parkville Luminary

There’s a macho code among reporters that you’re supposed to be tough and aloof. Tough means showing no outward signs of emotion, and aloof means not getting involved in the story in any way. To do less means you’re not objective, which is supposedly the worst thing you can label a journalist.

Even though I’ve covered tornadoes, floods, murders, and vehicle accidents in Missouri and famines, dysfunctional orphanages, and refugees abroad, I’m still trying to figure out my proper role as a journalist, and as a compassionate human being, in time of hardship, disaster or war. I’m probably not the best role model in this respect, since I usually find myself getting entangled helping those about whom I’m reporting (like orphans or hungry school children, for example).

To get a better perspective on this issue, my Park University students will be fortunate next year to hear from Park alumnus Nima Shaffe.

Shaffe, who graduated from Park University two years ago with a broadcasting degree, is a reporter for KCTV-5 in Kansas City. He has had the opportunity, some might say misfortune, to experience tragedy first-hand during the last few months. First, he was in Alabama, covering the devastating tornadoes there. Then, more recently, he spent a week in Joplin chronicling the death and destruction there for KCTV’s viewers. (Photo--Nima Shaffe, "borrowed" from his Facebook page).

For Shaffe, one Joplin story stood out above the rest. He said, “We had just walked in when a minivan pulled up and the family got out of their vehicle and pulled a dog from the back of van. The dog had been impaled. It was draped with a number of blankets drenched in blood and before the family could even pick the dog up out of the back of the van I glanced as the faces of the staff of the clinic and not a dry eye was to be found. Even the doctor was crying. It was a tough moment and even harder after I found that the dog had died. I walked out of the clinic and just asked if I could give the owner a hug. This was her child--her one and only baby.”

Shaffe wasn’t the only reporter dealing with his emotions. Covering Joplin, it was difficult not to break down and cry, like the Weather Channel’s Mike Bettes did on national television. Shaffe said, “Last night watching the reporter for the Weather Channel was heart-wrenching. How do I explain utter devastation? How do I explain these people are in their hardest hour?”

The young KCTV reporter is unapologetic for letting his human side show through. “We (journalists) are people to and we have emotions, thought processes and feelings like everyone else,” said Shaffe. “Showing emotion, relating to the viewer, and sharing your personality engages the (audience) and allows for a journalist to soar. How do you not get emotional when you hear someone say they pulled on the arm of their best friend who was buried underneath some rubble? Hard not to.” In covering the tornado, Shaffe said he learned that it’s acceptable “to relate...respond...and share emotion. It's not something I do all the time but this time it was especially hard to keep my emotions back.”

Witnessing a tragedy of this magnitude would leave most of us shaken, some of us to the point that it might even make us question our faith. Not Nima, who is one of the most upbeat, positive people I’ve ever met. He can always find the silver lining. He wrote on his blog, “I logged onto my KCTV5 Facebook page and saw that I had 11 messages all from people who just wanted to help out and some who actually wanted to donate large sums of money to the cause…I was amazed, humbled and appreciative. God is good. You are too.”

He credits his ability to cope with these trying circumstances in part to his education at Park University. “My experience at Park enabled me to really hone in on the real story and the real focus when I was in Joplin. As a former student leader having served in multiple student leadership positions, I had to come face to face with people everyday, some in the best circumstances some in the not so good circumstances. At Park, I was afforded the luxury of soaring to new heights…”

Journalists are often justifiably criticized for their lack of humanity. I’m guessing this will never be an issue for Nima Shaffe. I hope his education at Park played a role not only in making him a good TV reporter, but in instilling in him a strong sense of humanity.

2011-07-02T13:55:00.002-05:00

Author prepares to make dozens of dollars from Peace Journalism book

I'm almost through editing my book Professor Komagum: Finding peace and losing my sanity in Uganda. It's about my peace journalism project and life in Uganda. For more info on the book, and the beginning of my search for an agent and publishing house, click here.

Getting over reverse culture shock back in Missouri

On my first day back in Parkville after 10 months in Uganda, I backed out of a parking space and wheeled the car into the proper position on the left side of the road. A patient driver coming my direction just stopped, no doubt perplexed by my odd behaviour.

This must be what experts mean when they talk about reverse culture shock, which is loosely defined as difficulties re-adjusting to one’s native culture after living abroad. For me, reverse culture shock manifests itself mostly in my new penchant for driving on the left side of the road (like they do in Uganda), and for using odd British phrases and spellings (like the superfluous ‘u’ in ‘behaviour’ in the first paragraph).

While back home in Parkville, I’ve truthfully driven on the left side only a couple of times, and then for only a few seconds. Most of you have been patient with me, although I’ve gotten a couple of nasty honks as I’ve hesitated in mid-intersection thinking about whether to veer left or right of the median. Also, in left-hand driving countries, the car’s controls are switched around, too, meaning that the turn signal is on the right side. Thus, if you see someone signaling a left turn on Main Street by running his wipers, you’ll know it’s me.

I’ve also returned home infected by odd Ugandan/British takes on the English language. Uganda was a British colony, and thus unfortunately adopted British vocabulary like bonnet (hood), boot (trunk), lift (elevator), and pudding (not really pudding). Additionally, Ugandans will usually say “ummm” to acknowledge agreement. I admire this because it’s easier than saying “yes”, although to Kansas Citians, it sounds like you’re angry, deranged, or Frankenstein. I caught myself “ummm”-ing at a business meeting a few days after my return. After hearing my grunts, those meeting with me were probably waiting for me to blurt out something like “idea bad” or “me like synergy”. Also, Ugandans say “sure” when they mean “really?” or “are you kidding?” I haven’t used this yet, but it’s only a matter of time. Finally, there’s having to re-learn how to spell without the gratuitous British ‘u’ (e.g.-“labour”) or the missing ‘z’ (“agonise”).

While I’ve been combating reverse culture shock, I’ve also experienced an epiphany of sorts. Yes, it’s a sappy cliché: my lengthy stay overseas has instilled in me a renewed love and appreciation for America generally and Parkville and Park University in particular. My list of “things I now appreciate much more than before I left” is a mile long and growing. This list includes:

Roads—I’ll never complain about a few potholes again. Our roads are really, really good, even though it sometimes takes a millennium to get them fixed. I thought I would easily dodge construction on the White Alloe bridge near Park University. I did manage to avoid that mess, but by only a few weeks.
Bed—There is not a bed in Uganda as soft and comfortable as my bed at home.
Draft beer—There is no draft beer in Uganda. I will never whine again when a tavern runs out of my favorite draft beer. You say you have only Miller on tap? No problem!
Health Care—I fretted constantly while my wife and son were with me in Uganda about what I would do if they became seriously ill. I will never again take for granted having an ambulance and sophisticated emergency medical care only five minutes away.
Security—Uganda was in turmoil our last month there as protests expanded and become more violent. My project assistant was tear-gassed and nearly shot while trying to run errands recently. Naturally, we took every precaution to stay safe short of never leaving the apartment. Our forays into the community began to worry me more and more. I have a renewed appreciation of Parkville’s safety and serenity. (At least, it’s safe and serene for those of us who aren’t hot dog vendors).
Park University—I’m more appreciative than ever of my colleagues at Park who have encouraged my work and warmly received me upon my return. How many universities would be as supportive of a faculty member whose projects frequently take him away from campus for months at a time?

So, if you see someone with a contented, appreciative smile on his face driving on the left side making a turn with his windshield wipers on, feel free to ask, “Do you know you’re driving on the wrong side?” If the answer is “ummm”, you’ll know it’s me.

--Follow me on Twitter: @PeaceJourn

2011-06-25T09:52:00.004-05:00

Peace Daily online paper is worth a look

I've discovered through Twitter an interesting compilation of peace-related news called The Peace Daily. It's an interesting mix of news, blogs, and peace resources. They've even had the (semi) good sense to link to my Peace Journalism home page.

Students, teacher assess Peace Camp experience

Even though PTPI's Peace Camp/Turkey ended about a week ago, I continue to receive dozen of messages (and FB picture tags) from the camp's young participants. The teens were asked on FB what Peace Camp meant to them. Here are some of their replies:

--The best experience of my life. I learn about so many things, meet the most amazing people. Peace camp change my life.
--The most life changing experience of my life. Its made me open my eyes to so many things and has giveing confidence to acheve what ever I want. Peace camp is a life changer in so many ways!!
--Just like a candle in a dark room. People far from it will say "That's nothing" but people close to it will feel everything. Warm, bright and kinda "energetic". That was my peace camp. I'm sure this candle will light forever inside me.
--I experienced something that I had only learned from a textbook before: There is so much more to the world than just my country, and I love all these people from the rest of the world. But it doesn't matter where we are, what we eat, how we live, because what matters is the people and the connections you make with them.

What Peace Camp meant to me was an affirmation not only that most people are fundamentally good but that the political, nationalistic, racial, and religious barriers between us are only obstacles if we choose to see them as such. These teenagers chose to ignore the barriers, and the result was wonderful. (For more on peace camp, see previous posts below)

2011-06-20T08:45:00.004-05:00

Great kids make for memorable Peace Camp experience

Why would anyone voluntarily agree to spend 11 days with a bunch of teenagers?

If you believe the stereotypes about these alleged slackers—lazy, self centered, video heads, drugged out, dispassionate—then this prospect must seem like 11 days in purgatory.

Fortunately, the popular “wisdom” was wrong. The energy, compassion, intelligence, and camaraderie of these teens have given me renewed hope for the future.

I was a volunteer group leader for People to People International’s Peace Camp in Turkey. 28 teenagers from 23 countries discovered Turkey, studied about peace, practiced peace journalism by producing a newspaper (click here to view), and mostly learned about themselves.

The Turkey trip came at a good time for me. I was pretty burned out and cynical after 10 difficult months teaching and learning in Uganda. This was a rewarding experience, yes, but also tough because of the poverty and suffering I witnessed there. This experience with the teens in Turkey helped to re-charge my batteries emotionally and renew my optimism.

At the Peace Camp, we visited Istanbul, Cappadocia, Izmir, and Antalya. Some of our most powerful memories were formed at the camp’s last session in Antalya, a Russian resort on the Mediterranean. (We weren’t technically in Russian territory, of course, but the place was packed with 95% Russian tourists). At this last session, the kids made the camp’s leaders and organizers proud as we discussed what the youngsters would do to make a positive difference in their communities. Their worthwhile plans included launching projects to serve children and the elderly, establishing People to People student chapters at their schools, starting a club to facilitate micro-loans to the developing world, and launching Model United Nations teams. Perhaps the most audacious proposal came from an Israeli student who wants to connect Israeli student organizations with their counterparts in Palestine, Egypt, and/or Jordan.

As the peace journalism instructor at Peace Camp, I was especially gratified to hear several youngsters promise to write newspaper articles and host radio programs promoting peace.

The students were no doubt inspired not only by one another but by two of the adults on the trip, Mary Eisenhower, CEO of People to People International, and Barb Capozzi, one of the group leaders. Both are shining examples of how one person can indeed make the world a better place.

If these Peace Campers seem like great kids, it’s because they are. For example, a few days ago, four students and I were sitting on a short wall after lunch admiring a breathtaking view. One of the kids saw some trash scattered below, and asked if she could jump down a few feet to pick it up. Before I knew it, she was joined by three other students who had grabbed a trash bag. After a few minutes, trash bag full, the students clambered back over the wall. As they filed through the dining area, one of our guides told the youngsters, “You are my heroes.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

2011-06-18T20:27:00.004-05:00

Outstanding student-produced newspaper posted

The 2011 Peace Gazette newspaper has been posted online. To see this .pdf file (and to print it out if you like), click here. This 10-page paper is outstanding work especially since it was produced under very tight time constraints. I'm very proud of all of the student writers and photographers, and especially of the four editors of the publication. Congratulations.

Also, see newly posted photo album containing misc photos and a few leftovers from Perge, Ephesus, the Virgin Mary's last home, etc.

For an overview of all the Peace Camp photo albums I've posted, click here. This page also contains all my Uganda peace journalism project photos.

Coming soon--My wrap-up Peace Camp column.

2011-06-16T07:36:00.005-05:00

Peace Campers relax, reflect in Antalya

ANTALIA, TURKEY—Amid hugs and tears, 28 young people from around the world are saying goodbye to one another at People to People’s Peace Camp here in Turkey. The students have worked hard (producing a newspaper, and learning in sessions about peace) and played hard (tours of ancient sites, boating/swimming trip at the sea).

Also newly posted is a photo spread from the campers recent visit to the ancient Greek city of Ephesus. Spectacular. Click here to view.

On the same day we visited Ephasus, we visited the last home of the Virgin Mary, which is located near the ruins. (Photo--Group leader Barb Capozzi exploring the Virgin Mary's home).

The peace campers head for home tonight and tomorrow. Safe travels.

NEXT WEEK—One last Peace Camp column, and several more photo spreads, will be posted here on Monday or Tuesday.

Also, the campers’ newspaper, The Peace Gazette, will also be posted/linked here early next week. Stay tuned.

2011-06-14T10:13:00.006-05:00

Peace Campers Display Creativity, Visit Historic Ephesus

Last night, PTPI Peace Campers spend a few hours before and after dinner working on peace murals, which were as colorful as they were creative. Click here for photo album of the mural-making.

Today, the 28 campers and their four escorts visited inspiring Ephesus (pictured), an ancient Greek city located near Izmir, where we are staying. The students loved everything, especially the 20,000 seat ampitheater. Very, very impressive.

Religon, Spirituality Take Center Stage at Turkey Peace Camp

IZMIR, TURKEY—Take some Jews, Christians, Muslims, agnostics, and Hindus, stick them in a room, and see if they'd like to discuss their spiritual beliefs.

Under normal circumstances, such a chore would come with a “may cause serious injury or death” warning. Fortunately, at Peace Camp, which brings together 28 of the world’s finest teenagers, this kind of otherwise dangerous dialogue can be done in a mature, respectful, and accepting manner.

The session began with a religion quiz administered by facilitator Barb Capozzi, who deserves a Nobel Prize for her ability to getting the participants to open up without feeling apprehensive. The quiz was really hard—I got 11/20, and probably did better than most. Following the quiz, Barb asked each of the Peace Campers to get up and explain their spiritual beliefs.

Christians were the largest segment of the teens, which come from 23 countries. They had an interesting discussion about the fact that they don’t agree on the date of Christmas (Jan. 7 for some orthodox; Dec. 25 for others), and also explored how rituals vary from denomination to denomination. They were followed by students intelligently discussing Judaism, Sikhism, and Islam.

The last group of youngsters to speak was loosely labeled non-believers, and consisted of atheists, agnostics, a secular humanist, and several students that said of their spiritual beliefs, “it’s complicated”. Their comments were especially interesting since these beliefs, though widely held, are often hidden because of fear of being ostracized.

A few of the students came right out and said that they do not believe in a higher being. One said that “science facts” turned him away from religion. One other said he believed in a higher power, but that she could not adhere to a religion because of the “bad things it did in the past.” Another commented that she has a “higher regard to reasoning, that which can be proven.” The “it’s complicated” student noted that he is not religious but does have strong spiritual beliefs. Perhaps the most interesting comment was when a Peace Camper said, “I don’t believe in God, but I might one day.”

Several of the non-religious students also commented on the stigma they might face if they openly discussed their beliefs back at home. About half said that they would feel free and open letting others know that they aren’t religious. Others said that “people wouldn’t be happy” and that they would receive negative comments. The most revealing comment was perhaps when a student noted, “People don’t believe that you’ve decided (to not be religious). People say oh, you haven’t searched enough. It’s definitely taboo.”

Thanks to the camaraderie of the Peace Camp, and the warmth and sense of security generated by Barb Capozzi, nothing was taboo today in Izmir.

--Also follow me on Twitter-- @PeaceJourn

2011-06-13T14:23:00.002-05:00

Peace Murals Cap Off Long Day

After a 3:30am wake up call to catch a plane, the PTPI peace campers arrived in Izmir, Turkey late this morning. It was a busy, full day that was capped off by an exciting activity--creating murals that depict peace. This is still a work in progress. A complete photo album will be posted tomorrow.

2011-06-12T08:18:00.009-05:00

Peace Campers arrive in stunning Cappadocia

We arrived in Cappadocia yesterday, and were stunned by the surreal majesty of the landscape, which features geological formations that rival those anywhere. All the more fascinating is the fact that these conical formations have been carved out and used as homes, monestaries, castles, and forts for hundreds of years.

For a complete photo album of Cappadocia, including the fascinating geography and the dinner at the Turkish home described below, click here.

Home visit facilitates invaluable people-to-people connections

CAPPADOCIA, TURKEY—I watched the students closely as they walked up the stairs and into the living room of a typical Turkish family. If I had to choose one word to describe their demeanors (and mine), I would say we were all apprehensive.

Two hours later, our demeanor would be more than slightly different.

The four students and I were at a Turkish home as part of People to People Peace Camp, which is bringing 28 young people from 23 countries together to experience peace. Several couples from a parallel adult program also joined us.

The idea of the in-home evening was to expose us to a typical Turkish residence and some home-cooked Turkish delicacies.

As we sat down around a table in the living room, there was an awkward silence. I know the kids and I were thinking the same thing—what should we talk about? We were saved as the food began arriving. The delicious dinner broke the ice, and gave us all something to discuss, namely what it was and how it was prepared. I was proud of our Peace Camp kids, who cheerfully ate everything that was put in front of them. The dinner consisted of traditional salad, tasty really long grained rice garnished with yogurt, spectacularly delicious lentil soup, and an interesting pudding made with honey and tiny bits of chicken. I honestly enjoyed everything. The kids were wonderfully diplomatic and gracious, even though the odds were against them liking everything that was served.

The conversation picked up during dinner, and reached overdrive as we sipped flavorful, strong tea in a sitting room. I talked politics and sports with our genial host Ismail, who moved about the room making it a point to spend at least a few minutes with each guest. Ismail’s nephew Ahmed, 12, also hung around, curious but shy. Finally, I called him over, and he walked sheepishly to the comfortable stuffed chair where I sat. I found out that Ahmed is learning English, so we practiced a few greetings. Then, Ahmed taught me some Turkish (table, for example, is masa).

Our students educated their hosts about their home countries like Lithuania and Morocco, and we all shared a warm feeling when Ismail’s sister-in-law brought out colorful head scarves as gifts for the ladies in our party.

As we left, I watched the students again closely. Their body language was much different than when they arrived, especially as they exchanged handshakes, hugs, email addresses, and cheek kisses with our hosts. Ahmed was pretty excited when I told him to email me his English assignments for feedback.

The idea behind People to People is that individuals can make connections that governments can’t or won’t, and that these connections can lay the foundation for peace. Anyone who doubts the viability of this idea wasn’t at dinner with us last night in Cappadocia, Turkey.

2011-06-10T08:39:00.006-05:00

Peace Campers Provide Surprise, Delight

ISTANBUL, TURKEY—DAY TWO-THREE—PTPI PEACE CAMP--

Peace Camp 2011 has thus far been full of surprises.

I was surprised yesterday when our 28 students from 23 countries visited an educational center for special needs children. The center was spotless, modern, and well-run, and included many different kinds of programs ranging from cultural education to art.

During our visit, our students got a chance to meet and interact with about 15 differentially-abled Turkish youngsters who were working on pottery and craft projects. I was surprised and pleased at how our students jumped right in and interacted. I saw several even taking up a paint brush to help. As a teen, I would have been reluctant, even a bit scared, in a similar situation, but not our peace campers. You can’t fake the smiles that radiated from both the creative kids at the center and our peace campers as they got to know one another.

Honestly, however, I wasn't surprised yesterday at how much the students enjoyed our sightseeing at the Grand Bazzar (photo below) and Spice Market. This included a stop in a local restaurant for tasty doner kebap (see picture right).

I was equally surprised today by the peace journalism session I taught this afternoon. I knew our peace campers were exceptional, but I was really floored by the level of discourse during the lecture. The students asked analytical, sophisticated questions, and did not hesitate to challenge me. If I had closed my eyes, I would have thought I was back at Park University teaching juniors or seniors. Only three of the 28 students here are currently in college, while the rest are just in high school. I could barely walk and chew gum in high school, let alone engage in a nuanced discussion about the role of the media in preventing conflicts.

Now, the students have been tasked with writing and producing a newspaper covering the camp and international peace issues. Based on our first few days together, my expectations for this student newspaper are sky-high. (It will be posted and linked from this site, so stay tuned).

Tomorrow, we fly to Cappadocia for what should be a thrilling few days of sightseeing and learning about peace.

NEW--Photos from the second day of the peace camp which included a visit to the Grand Bazzar and Spice Market and a presentation on conflicts and resources, click here.

2011-06-08T10:54:00.007-05:00

Mediocre Day Two Photos Posted!

For some bland photos from the Grand Bazzar, Spice Market, and Peace/Resource Conflict sessions from day two, click here!

Students Model Civility, Explore Breathtaking City

ISTANBUL, TURKEY—PEACE CAMP, DAY ONE--It didn’t take long for the Israeli-Palestinian issue to come up today, at the first day of People to People International’s Peace Camp. However, since establishing dialogue between different people is one of the goals of the camp, no one objected.

At Peace Camp, 28 students from 23 countries have gathered to discuss, well, peace. We have one student from Palestine (the West Bank), and another student from Israel.

At lunch, our Palestinian student (Zain) and our Israeli student (Yuval) discussed peace prospects in their region. (They are pictured here, with Zain on the left, visiting the Hagia Sofia). While not much new ground was broken, I was taken aback by the civility and politeness of the discussion. Indeed, the respect shown by both students was remarkable—indeed, something the world’s “adult” leaders could emulate.

Later, one of our group leaders, the irrepressible Barb Capozzi, reported that one student told her that she couldn’t believe that she was actually having a civil discussion with an Israeli.

Creating an atmosphere where the students can open up like this is certainly one of the goals of this endeavor, which kicked off with a discussion about expectations for the camp and was followed by some get-acquainted activities.

Then, the group toured some of Istanbul’s treasures—the Hagia Sophia, the Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, and the underground cistern. All were exhausted but exhilarated by the day’s end, which featured a visit to an island restaurant for some of Turkey’s best kebabs.
(PJ Camp group leader Christine Knutter takes a much-needed break on the bus on the way back to the hotel).

For a complete photo album of the day's festivities, click here.

2011-06-07T13:33:00.003-05:00

Safe in Turkey; Ready to make Peace

Safely arrived in Istanbul with five American students in tow late this Tuesday afternoon. All well, routine. Most of the 28 students from 23 countries have arrived. We had a lively group dinner tonight at a great restaurant near the hotel. (At least the students were lively. I'm jet lagged and more disoriented than usual. Am I still in Africa??) The youngsters are really fired up and enthusiastic about the upcoming People to People's Peace Camp, which begins in earnest tomorrow with a morning session about the nature of peace followed by an afternoon tour of the city.

It's pushing 10:00pm now, and I'm running on fumes. Hope I can sleep.

2011-06-05T09:31:00.004-05:00

Off to Turkey; Follow our adventures here

Last minute preparations today for trip tomorrow to Instanbul. I'm a team leader for People to People Peace Camp, wherin 28 youth leaders from 23 countries will gather to learn about and create peace. I'll be teaching Peace Journalism and Non-violent conflict resolution. Stay tuned to this space for regular posts and links to photo albums. I'll also update on Twitter- @PeaceJourn

Flooding in Parkville

There will definitely be Missouri River flooding in Parkville, Missouri, my home base. The question is: how severe? Read The Parkville Luminary online for the latest updates. Our best wishes are with you, Parkville. Please stay safe.

2011-06-03T08:38:00.001-05:00

Re-adjusting to the comforts of home

From the Parkville Luminary

On my first day back in Parkville after 10 months in Uganda, I backed out of a parking space and wheeled the car into the proper position on the left side of the road. A patient driver coming my direction just stopped, no doubt perplexed by my odd behaviour.

This must be what experts mean when they talk about reverse culture shock, which is loosely defined as difficulties re-adjusting to one’s native culture after living abroad. For me, reverse culture shock manifests itself mostly in my new penchant for driving on the left side of the road (like they do in Uganda), and for using odd British phrases and spellings (like the superfluous ‘u’ in ‘behaviour’ in the first paragraph).

While back home in Parkville, I’ve truthfully driven on the left side only a couple of times, and then for only a few seconds. Most of you have been patient with me, although I’ve gotten a couple of nasty honks as I’ve hesitated in mid-intersection thinking about whether to veer left or right of the median. Also, in left-hand driving countries, the car’s controls are switched around, too, meaning that the turn signal is on the right side. Thus, if you see someone signaling a left turn on Main Street by running his wipers, you’ll know it’s me.

I’ve also returned home infected by odd Ugandan/British takes on the English language. Uganda was a British colony, and thus unfortunately adopted British vocabulary like bonnet (hood), boot (trunk), lift (elevator), and pudding (not really pudding). Additionally, Ugandans will usually say “ummm” to acknowledge agreement. I admire this because it’s easier than saying “yes”, although to Kansas Citians, it sounds like you’re angry, deranged, or Frankenstein. I caught myself “ummm”-ing at a business meeting a few days after my return. After hearing my grunts, those meeting with me were probably waiting for me to blurt out something like “idea bad” or “me like synergy”. Also, Ugandans say “sure” when they mean “really?” or “are you kidding?” I haven’t used this yet, but it’s only a matter of time. Finally, there’s having to re-learn how to spell without the gratuitous British ‘u’ (e.g.-“labour”) or the missing ‘z’ (“agonise”).

While I’ve been combating reverse culture shock, I’ve also experienced an epiphany of sorts. Yes, it’s a sappy cliché: my lengthy stay overseas has instilled in me a renewed love and appreciation for America generally and Parkville and Park University in particular. My list of “things I now appreciate much more than before I left” is a mile long and growing. This list includes:

Roads—I’ll never complain about a few potholes again. Our roads are really, really good, even though it sometimes takes a millennium to get them fixed. I thought I would easily dodge construction on the White Alloe bridge near Park University. I did manage to avoid that mess, but by only a few weeks.
Bed—There is not a bed in Uganda as soft and comfortable as my bed at home.
Draft beer—There is no draft beer in Uganda. I will never whine again when a tavern runs out of my favorite draft beer. You say you have only Miller on tap? No problem!
Health Care—I fretted constantly while my wife and son were with me in Uganda about what I would do if they became seriously ill. I will never again take for granted having an ambulance and sophisticated emergency medical care only five minutes away.
Security—Uganda was in turmoil our last month there as protests expanded and become more violent. My project assistant was tear-gassed and nearly shot while trying to run errands recently. Naturally, we took every precaution to stay safe short of never leaving the apartment. Our forays into the community began to worry me more and more. I have a renewed appreciation of Parkville’s safety and serenity. (At least, it’s safe and serene for those of us who aren’t hot dog vendors).
Park University—I’m more appreciative than ever of my colleagues at Park who have encouraged my work and warmly received me upon my return. How many universities would be as supportive of a faculty member whose projects frequently take him away from campus for months at a time?

So, if you see someone with a contented, appreciative smile on his face driving on the left side making a turn with his windshield wipers on, feel free to ask, “Do you know you’re driving on the wrong side?” If the answer is “ummm”, you’ll know it’s me.

---Follow me on Twitter-- @PeaceJourn---

2011-05-28T10:09:00.005-05:00

Help Park University assist Joplin tornado victims

Park Univ. is going to "fill up the dome" next week to help Joplin residents. In the dome, where we play basketball/volleyball, Park will be collecting household items from 8am-6pm next Tues through Thurs. They need Flashlights, Batteries, Buckets and plastic totes , Hand sanitizing wipes and baby wipes, Toiletries (of all kinds) Laundry detergent, Cleaning supplies, Baby supplies (diapers and formula), Bottled water,Canned and dry goods, Blankets, and Work gloves.

If you're from out of town and would like to donate, email me-- steve.youngblood@park.edu --and we can make arrangements.

Celebrating life, and beer, with tornado survivors

As my brother, uncle, a Moldovan friend and I chatted about cars at a Kansas City-area watering hole last night, we were politely interrupted by a 30-something woman who asked us if we wanted to see a picture of her car. We said sure, not knowing what she had in mind. Her white Camry was speared through the back window by a long 2X4. It took a minute to figure out, but we quickly realized she was a Joplin, Missouri tornado victim.

She and her husband lived in a second story apartment block that didn't have a basement, so as they heard the tornado approach, they hunkered down in the bathtub and covered themselves with a mattress. They emerged to see that they apartment, and most of their things, had been destroyed.

The woman is a nurse at St. John's Regional Medical Center, which was at ground zero when the tornado hit. She said it looked like a nuclear bomb hit it. Her husband, who sat nearby, teaches at Missouri Southern University. They were in Kansas City staying with the husband's family, but plan to return to Joplin in a week or so. (Photo-St. John's Hospital, from nursinghabits.com )

My brother Bill asked the woman if she knew the fate of a Joplin sporting goods store run by a friend of his. The woman couldn't tell Bill much, only that the store was close to the path of destruction. Bill said his emails, phone calls, and text messages haven't gotten through. I could tell he was worried, and could get a small taste of the horror, the impotency, of not knowing the fate of friends and family.

Before we broke off the conversation, the woman, whose name I never did get, showed us pictures of her devastated neighborhood on her Blackberry. It's incredible that she and her husband walked away without a scratch. I was struck about how matter-of-fact and unemotional she was about the whole thing, and wondered if I could be that composed under the circumstances.

As we parted, we all simultaneously said how badly we felt for the victims, and how happy we were that she and her husband were physically unharmed. I regret being unable to come up with something more uplifting or inspirational.

2011-05-21T11:34:00.002-05:00

Peace Journalism and the apocalypse

Should a peace journalist—or any responsible journalism organization—publish the rantings of a lunatic?

Peace journalism is imbedded in the fundamentals of good journalism, beginning with double checking and verifying what is published. I believe that since we can’t verify the hallucinations of an 89-year old attention seeker, we shouldn’t give them credibility by broadcasting and publishing them.

In my recent PJ courses and lectures in Uganda and South Africa, we talked at length with professional journalists about not giving credence to rumors. (There are many examples I cite of out-of-control rumors that have led to violence and mayhem). It seems to me that talk about the end of the world is the biggest (and silliest) rumor of all.

I have stressed that reporters and editors should always consider the consequences of their reporting. By hyping this apocalyptic gossip, journalists have frightened thousands, elevated an obscure pastor into an undeserved place in the limelight, discredited millions of more reasoned religious Americans, and given more ammunition to media critics.

One can’t deny that the story is compelling. The question that journalists should be asking themselves is: was spreading this absurd story worth the price?

2011-05-18T14:58:00.006-05:00

A letter from Cape Town to South African actress Charlize Theron—

Dear Charlize:

How’s the family? Any good Hollywood meltdowns lately, or other celebrity dirt? (Pix: I didn't take it, but it is Charlize).

As I promised at our last meeting over cocktails in Malibu, I’m writing to fill you in on my visit to your homeland, South Africa.

Here in Cape Town, I’ve been received like a long lost brother by my colleagues at the University of Cape Town (pictured), where I’ve delivered a few lectures and met with communications professors about peace journalism. I also attended a seminar on internationalization of university curricula, where I was fascinated to learn that bringing international elements into college curricula is often seen here as a contributing to standardization/Westernization of teaching and thought. We had a lively discussion about how to expose students here to international concepts without marginalizing the vibrant indigenous cultures here. At this seminar, I was constantly showered with heart-felt hugs and sincere smiles in a way that would seem forced or artificial at an American or European university.

I detected the same positivity and warmth from the 120 students I taught in one advanced communications course at UCT. (Note to Park University students: Yes, 120 students in one communications class. Not to be preachy, but you should count your blessings the next time you step into a class in Parkville with 20 peers and one professor.) The students were a bit quiet at first, but soon warmed up. They impressed me with their thoughtful questions, and with their desire to get the most out of my peace journalism lecture. This is very un-professorial, but I got a really good vibe from them. Maybe this eager intellectual curiosity comes from the fact that decent schools are often scarce or prohibitively expensive here, and that even where there are good schools, many Africans struggle to pay primary and secondary school fees. This gives them a deeper appreciation of one of life’s precious gifts—the opportunity to learn.

Not only are the people beautiful, Charlize, but so is the scenery. Trip Advisor (tripadvisor.com) users recently rated Cape Town the number one tourist destination in the world, and it’s easy to see why given the area’s natural beauty (mountains and beaches), cultural and historical landmarks (museums, galleries, and Robben Island, where Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years), and outstanding food (seafood) and wine.

However, as you are well aware, there are two Cape Towns—the glittering one tourists see, and the poverty-stricken one hidden in the former townships, where a sizable portion of Cape Town’s black and mixed-race residents reside. The living conditions are often terrible, and feature tiny shanties without electricity (or with a dangerous illegal connections), running water, or sanitation. It’s hard to pin down how many live in these former townships in the Cape Flats, though statistics do show that a whopping 15.6% of the area’s residents live in shacks. (capetown.gov.za). Given the city’s 3.5-million population, this means over 500,000 live in squalor. Unemployment and disease are rampant in these former townships located just a few kilometers from one of the world’s most stunning, vibrant city centers.

I know that you’re aware of all this because of your laudable charity work here. I’m encouraging my friends to go to http://www.charlizeafricaoutreach.org/ to find out how they can help.

Give my best to your family. Drop by the next time you’re in KC, and we can cook up a braai (South African style barbeque).

Hugs (the sideways embrace a married man has to give a beautiful woman or else it’s the frying pan upside the head for you mister),

Steven

2011-05-11T01:21:00.005-05:00

Reasonably Coherent on Voice of Cape FM

I recently did a talk show on a radio station here in Cape Town, South Africa. We talked about how peace journalism and community development go hand in hand, among other things. To hear a mediocre copy of this broadcast, click here.

For photo album of the beautiful University of Cape Town campus, and the less-than beautiful professor who recently lectured there, click here.

Farewell to Uganda, Part 2
Wonderful People Make Uganda the Pearl of Africa

Note: This is the last of two parts which conclude my farewell to Uganda. See entry for April 28 for Part 1.

ENTEBBE, UGANDA—Winston Churchill famously dubbed Uganda “the pearl of Africa”. For the casual observer or tourist, this moniker is easy to dismiss, given Uganda’s many warts—bad roads, rampant corruption, political unrest and violence, etc.

After trying to figure out these last 10 months what Churchill was talking about, it’s finally dawned on me: Uganda is a pearl, a gem, because of its people.

With one exception, the Ugandans I’ve met during my stay here have been warm, welcoming, and wonderful. The exception is the man who sold me my car, a Mitsubishi Lemon which was the worst vehicle ever manufactured in the northern hemisphere. My dream for you, Mr. McRipoff, is an eternity of nighttimes plagued by angry, biting forest ants, the kind that instinctively attack a victim’s nether regions.

Mr. McRipoff aside, I’ve come to love many of the non-car selling Ugandans who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.

A list of my favorite Ugandans begins with Tabu, our effusive personal driver. Poor Tabu was the one who had to deal with the Mitsubishi Lemon, and thus he became a regular visitor to the incompetent mechanic’s shop. Anyone else would’ve cussed profusely at the repeated breakdowns, but not Tabu, whose upbeat spirit infected us all. My favorite moments with Tabu were spend waiting at stoplights or in traffic jams. In Kampala, vendors selling maps, sunglasses, toys, and various gadgets descend on idling cars. Tabu loves tormenting these vendors. He acts like a potential customer for a few minutes, only to pull the rug out from under the sellers by asking a deliberately confusing or obtuse question about the product, or quoting an absurdly low price. Behind his playfulness, Tabu has a heart of gold. He worked alongside my wife and son at a Kampala area orphanage, and is even housing some orphans at his humble home.

Our other driver, Caesar, handled most of the 9,222 miles that we traveled around Uganda teaching peace journalism. The roads were often awful, and the hours long, and the rides sometimes tedious, but Caesar never complained, and indeed never even showed any signs of irritation. (The same can not be said of me.) Caesar loves to laugh and joke, but he’s also eager to engage in an intellectual discussion about any topic, especially politics. I was impressed by his keen insights into the byzantine world of Ugandan politics, and told him he’d make a great member of parliament some day. Mostly, Caesar is just a nice guy—quick with a supportive comment, quick to utter a kind word, quick to offer any assistance of any kind. Caesar helped me sell my Mitsubishi Lemon. I just hope the buyer doesn’t come after him with biting forest ants. (Photo--With Caesar at Sipi Falls in eastern Uganda)

On our trips around Uganda, Caesar and I were accompanied by Gloria, the peace journalism project assistant and one of the most remarkable people I’ve ever met. Gloria is overflowing with energy, dedication, humor, and insightfulness. There’s something about Gloria that makes it impossible for me to resist teasing her. We first met in 2009, when she was eight months pregnant and eating more than I’ve ever seen another human being consume. I pointed this out, repeatedly, whilst asking if she needed help carrying her heaping plate. This offer was not facetious, so heavy were her loads of food.

This year, Caesar and I have teased her about a story she told us wherein Gloria punched out a boda boda man (motorbike taxi driver) when he ran into her. She was uninjured, of course, because Gloria’s one of the toughest people I know. Her toughness and determination rubbed off on the journalists she helped teach. The journalists both respected her and feared her wrath should they stray. I must confess that I was a bit afraid of her myself, though that fear was overshadowed by my immense respect for her as a journalist, as a trainer, and as a peace journalist. I have never worked with anyone so dedicated or so hard working. I got daily emails from Gloria sent at 5:00 am when I was either fast asleep or in laying bed grumbling about the damned bratty toddler across the way who screams 23.5 hours a day.

However, don’t get the wrong impression about Gloria. She is as sweet and compassionate as she is tough. The journalists loved her warmth and generosity, and were touched by how she mothered them. She mothered me as well, thanks to a not-so-secret pact Gloria and my wife had to make sure I ate and took care of myself.

As I leave Uganda, and as the memory of the last 10 months fades into the rear-view mirror (cracked, if it’s on the Mitsubishi Lemon), I’ll think less about the potholes, bad hotel rooms, and political unrest, and instead remember the real pearls of Uganda—Tabu, Caesar, Gloria, and the dozens of other Ugandans who I proudly call friend.

2011-05-04T10:05:00.002-05:00

Ugandan Journalist Survives Riots

From the Parkville Luminary

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA—On the same day that I arrived in South Africa to teach and tour, my Ugandan “sister”, Gloria, almost died.

When I read her tale below, I was flooded me with emotions—anger, fear, and relief among them. This is the story, in her own words (edited for length and style), of how she got caught up in rioting in Kampala and narrowly missed being seriously injured or even killed.

“It all started with an early morning trip to do everything (errands) on Friday…As we entered town from Entebbe road, …we saw people running for their lives. Police patrol cars started moving in different directions and all of a sudden our taxi came to stop and we came out of the car. I told Peggy it would be safer to walk into a bank. We did this smartly (quickly) as I could not run very far, I lost all the energy, We entered a bank thinking it was the safest place and after about 30 minutes the situation got very tense and the bank manger came and chased us out. This is downtown Kampala where all the hooligans reside.

At this point, (the protesters) were in front of the bank where we took refuge. They were burning tires, hurling stones at police men and robbing people walking along the road side. Soon we were forced out of the bank with two other women, and as soon as we came out, we were tear gassed in the face, Peggy began crying and joined the women in washing their faces. I was not yet feeling the pain, but just five minutes later, I felt the tear gas enter my throat and I began coughing badly and could hardly breathe.

We begged the bank to let us in and we took refuge in vain as the street was covered with teargas and instead the security man pushed Peggy away by force. At this point, another kind security guard directed us to move back towards town which we did. The other women disappeared too. We moved towards town hold our nose and hands with pain crying for help and we could not move any further. Here, more tear gas was hurled at us. (Photo--Gloria on the left, with myself and our friend Venis Omona).

…We entered in a trench but could not stay for long, dirty smelly and risky, we moved along the valley and stated to climb up just the two of us when somebody open a small door and come in. We entered this small metal shop and sat. (Outside), rowdy youth were burning tires in front of the shop. The smoke was unbearable, all roads at this time were closed. It was already 12pm. We then heard more tear gas and gunshots just in front of the metal shop and we all lay down on the floor.

…Shortly police began patrolling the streets (so) e jumped on a boda-boda (motorbike taxi). We just rode only 200 meters and met people running for safety. The boda man insisted on riding fast with us but we refused and we came out and started a long walk home. We used short cuts ended near American embassy. On our way we met youth robbing people several times and the trick I did was to walk like a very sick and weak person while bending on Peggy’s shoulder. I was so scared because inside my bag (purse) I had Peggy’s school fees (since I had planned to pay) her fees today.

…We found our way to the valley and climbed up to find the road was all blocked. We had to walk through a longer distance and we then could use the direct route to my house, because here one person had been shot dead in front of the road to my house, so it became very risky. Along the way we met policemen being chest by rioters and some watch helplessly as the youth burn tires on the road …(Finally), I met a man who knew (my husband) and led us through a safer shortcut to my house. At home, my young kids (ages 9 and 1 ½) were all sleeping down on the floor watching the wedding of Prince William and Kate. My daughter Cindy told me by lying down because they were trying to reduce the chance of stray bullets getting them…We also joined them on the floor.

…I will never forget this day when police tear gassed me and my nice. As a journalist, I think tear gas should not be used on innocent people. I thank God for protecting me, and keeping kids school fees safely. Finally, I pray for a peaceful ending of this conflict.”

After reading her story, it’s hard not to get preachy about how lucky we are to live in peaceful Parkville. From here on out, as I go about my daily life, I’ll think about Gloria whenever I start getting whiny about my petty, comparatively insignificant problems.

2011-05-03T01:31:00.003-05:00

Honoring Uganda's Journalists on World Press Freedom Day

To my Ugandan journalism colleagues: You have the hardest job anywhere, and I respect you and admire how you overcome Uganda's many obstacles--political ownership of media, paranoid RDC's (local officials), not to mention threats and intimidation. Now with the political/economic unrest, add into that mix very real concerns about the personal safety of journalists, and you have an environment for reporters that must be among the most difficult in the world. Thank you, Ugandan journalists, and stay safe.

2011-04-28T02:26:00.007-05:00

Bulletin: Police React Violently to Today's Protests

The protest campaign against inflation masterminded by the opposition continued today. The police response--disproportionately violent, in my view. Click here for video of the arrest of opposition leader Kizza Besigye.

LEAVING UGANDA, PART ONE
Peace Journalism Project pays dividends for journalists, communities

Editor's note: As we leave Uganda tomorrow, I'd like to reflect on the last ten months. Today, we'll talk business. Next week, in part two, I'll share some personal reflections about our wonderful Ugandan friends and colleagues.

From the Parkville Luminary

KAMPALA, UGANDA—As my time in Uganda winds down, the obvious question about my 10 months here is whether my presence made any difference for this wonderful, maddening country and its resourceful, friendly, poverty-stricken residents. (Picture-At Kampala Peace Journalism Summit)

Did I waste my time and American tax dollars (my $270,000 peace journalism project was supported by the U.S. State Department and USAID)? Am I just another arrogant Westerner preaching mzungu (white person) values?

In an attempt to justify our efforts, we produced a project assessment report. I know—self assessments are hardly reliable, but that’s all we could afford. I still hope our report isn’t worthless.

We were extremely busy. My assistant Gloria Laker (pictured, at the Kampala Peace Journ Summit) and I lead 30 seminars for radio journalists and managers. 447 radio professionals attended our seminars, which taught the pros how to tell stories without inflammatory language in ways that can deflate conflicts before they become violent. These peace journalism seminars were held all over Uganda. We traveled 9,222 miles (I kept track) on often pothole-decorated roads. We also convened four follow-up meetings with former seminar attendees to give them advanced training and also to collect assessment data.

The goal of our project was to prevent media induced or exacerbated violence before and during the Ugandan presidential election, which was held Feb. 18. Did our project meet this goal?

First, there was no media induced or exacerbated election violence in 2010-2011. (There was one arrest of a radio DJ in Masaka for incitement, although Uganda Human Rights Watch said that incitement was used only as an excuse for his arrest.) We also know that there were no incidents of media incited violence because none of the hundreds of journalists who we’re regularly in contact with reported any such incidents. The strongest evidence of a dearth of media induced or exacerbated violence can be seen in results from a survey we conducted of 40 radio journalists/presenters and 20 radio managers during the first two weeks of March. Among other things, those surveyed were asked if anything (news, talk program, panelists, telephone callers) broadcast by their radio station encouraged or incited violence. All 60 responded no, that they did not incite violence. Then they were asked if anything (news, talk program, panelists, telephone callers) broadcast by any other radio station in their area/district encouraged or incited violence.
Two responded yes, and cited the Masaka incident. The other 58 responded no.

The absence of media induced violence is wonderful, and perhaps even a bit surprising given the ugly history in the region of radio stations stirring up violent mobs (Kenya 2007-08; Rwanda 1994; Uganda 2009).

So, can our peace journalism project take credit for this lack of media induced violence?

The journalists who attended our follow up meetings weren’t hesitant about crediting our project with preventing violence. The nearly unanimous opinion of the journalists was that the peace journalism trainings led to more responsible and balanced reporting that more carefully avoided inflammatory language or irresponsible, sensationalistic framing of stories. Our survey results confirmed what the journalists told us. Respondents were asked to rate the effectiveness of the peace/electoral journalism trainings for radio journalists, announcers, and managers (on a 1-5 scale) in preventing broadcasts that might encourage or incite violence. Five is very effective, and one not at all effective.
The average for this question was 4.38, somewhere between effective and very effective. Those surveyed were also asked to rate the effectiveness of the peace/electoral journalism trainings in improving the professionalism of election coverage. The average was 4.33.

So, take it from us, we did a great job! Yes, I know how this sounds, but it’s the best and only data we have, so take it for what it’s worth. In my gut, I know the project made a real difference for most of our trainees and for Uganda. (Picture--Gloria and I in traditional Karamajong warrior's outfits, at the Kampala PJ Summit).

If we did succeed, it’s because of the dedication of Project Assistant Gloria Laker and the Ugandan journalists who committed themselves to improving their professionalism and making their communities a better place.

2011-04-24T01:17:00.005-05:00

Dedicated Broadcasters Shine at Peace Journalism Awards Dinner

U.S. Ambassador to Uganda Jerry Lanier hosted the PJ Awards Dinner last Thursday. The event honored five winners of our peaceful electoral reporting contest. They are: Anyango Yango Catherine Teko--First place, (Moroto)--Pictured--; Lekuru Grace Rechue--Second, (Gulu); Oteebwa Lynnate Rachel--Third, (Kabale); Ojok Emmanuel--honorable mention (Arua), and Alison Blick Akatukwasa --honorable mention (Busenyi).

Ambassador Lanier used the gathering as an opportunity to deliver a diplomatic warning about free press in Uganda. He said that "silencing media does not make them go away", and reiterated the fact that free expression is a fundamental human right. (Pix-Ambassador Lanier addressing the gathering).

I was very proud that the ambassador would agree to host us at his residence, and grateful for his timely comments about free speech and for his kind words about our peace journalism project. It was a wonderful way to cap off 10 months of gratifying, exhausting work. (Pictured-Steven Youngblood and project assistant Gloria Laker).

For a complete photo album from the event, click here.

2011-04-20T07:35:00.001-05:00

Isolated Town Serves Up the Luxury of Silence

From the Parkville Luminary

PADER, UGANDA—As I silently pick at my whole fried fish, I realize that what I see and hear on the patio in front of my hotel is unlike anything I’m liable to ever experience again.

I hear no human noises, at least initially. I do detect loud, almost distressed mooing mixed with distant rumbles from threatening but ultimately impotent thunderheads. I set down my water gingerly on the table, careful not to make any noise that might disturb this aural simplicity.

I’ve read that in the 21st century, as the world gets more and more crowded, that man’s most desired luxury may be silence. Sitting here alone, that’s not hard to believe.

Unfortunately, the silence and the calm it inspires is broken as a sputtering motorbike staggers in front of the hotel. The motorcycle (boda boda) driver and his paying passenger slow as they approach me, trying not to stare but finding themselves unable to resist. Here in very rural, remote northern Uganda, a muno (white person) is as rare as a humble Texan.

After the motorbike saunters by, the kids playing in front of the ramshackle grass-thatched hut across the road finally notice me. These little kids look at me like I’m from Mars. Of course, it’s a rare treat to for them to see a muno. After a minute or two of jaw-dropped fascination, they finally screw up the courage to wave to me. One Ugandan friend said that when she was a kid, seeing a muno and waving to him was a really big deal—something to tell your friends and family all about. Though I immediately saw the boys wave, I thought I’d make them sweat for a few seconds. Finally, I raise my hand high, and give them the biggest Midwestern “howdy neighbor” wave I could muster. The kids giggle and quickly run off, presumably to spread the news that there’s an animated muno in town.

A few minutes later, one of the youngsters, a skinny, barefooted boy wearing ragged, stained clothes, reappears near the road. The boy had noticed a group (herd? gaggle? pride? ) of bleating goats jogging down the rutted dirt road. You could almost see the devilish horns appear above his head as he moves to intercept the goats. He succeeds, cutting off half from the rest of the troupe. The intercepted goats are beside themselves, partially afraid, partially irritated. As the goats move to outflank the boy, the boy shifts, sending the goats into a frenzy of confused, angry retreating. After about 5 minutes, this game ends in a stalemate. Once the boy clears out, the goats gallop down the street at stallion speed. Their goat buddies were already out of sight. I wonder if the stragglers got lost. A lost goat here, by the way, ends up in a stew pot with some root vegetables in just a few seconds.

Another rumble of thunder greets the goats’ departure. The wind starts picking up, carrying with it the smell of nearby cooking fires. In impoverished Pader, unlike most other Ugandan towns, small huts are scattered throughout the town, even near the center. These huts don’t have kitchens, so all the cooking is done outside on wood or charcoal fires.

The goat tormentor’s hut is across the road, and eight more huts are clustered about a hundred yards away near some ramshackle, abandoned-looking buildings. If you spend enough time in modern Kampala, you can sometimes forget the pervasive poverty in Uganda. However, that reality slaps you in the face here as you smell the cooking fires and see the skinny children running around their tiny huts, which, an hour before dusk, are already eerily dark inside. Electrical lines found their way to Pader just a year ago. However, here in my temporary neighborhood, no huts or buildings (including my hotel) are connected to the shiny new transformers because few here can afford to hook up power or pay a monthly bill.

Underneath the new power lines, a tiny, smiling boy makes his way down a side road carrying an empty 10-liter jerry can used for toting water. He spots me, and stops in his tracks, frozen as if gazing upon a lion. Suddenly, he grins big and waves energetically with his free hand. I make him wait a few seconds, then enthusiastically return his earnest greeting.

2011-04-18T04:37:00.006-05:00

Govmt threatens journalists, attempts to silence social media

From website, The Daily Monitor, April 18: "Journalists are encamped at Kasangati Police Post, afraid of moving out to cover the running battles after one military officer told them that 'shooting a journalist by mistake is not a crime,' according to our reporter on the scene, Mr Gerald Bareebe."

Meanwhile, a new report confirms that the government tried, but failed, to censor Twitter and Facebook during unrest last week.

How should Ugandan journalists cover unrest, violence?

The following exchange took place on the Peace Journalism Facebook page today:
Question from journalist David, Mbale:
How should a peace journalist cover an event like the arrest of the Kiza Besigye and other Ugandan Opposition Leaders be covered?

Response from Steven Youngblood:
These events must be covered, so the question is how. I say, cover it as honestly as possible without using inflammatory language. Take extra care to be accurate, since rumours can be deadly under these circumstances. Don't give voice to those who preach violence. Don't make a bad situation worse. When covering breaking, live events, don't let the rush to be first cloud your judgment as you carefully weigh the consequences of what you report and how you report it. Expose government violence without implying that violent retribution is the only response to government violence. But be balanced, and also expose violence (and those who preach violence) in the opposition. Help your listeners and communities explore peaceful options. And, above all, be careful. Your personal safety comes first.

2011-04-16T01:24:00.012-05:00

Civil unrest in Uganda
Chaos Thurs, Fri leads to arrests; Govmt resorts to censorship

A reported 220 people were arrested Thursday in anti-government profests in Kampala, while similar protests in Gulu left three persons dead. On Friday, 70 students were injured and 7 arrested in protests at Makerere Univ in Kampala. For more on the protest movement, dubbed "walk to work", see The Daily Monitor newspaper or #walktowork on Twitter. (Photo-Makerere students protest; from Daily Monitor).

My Ugandan friends are all worried about whether these protests will become more frequent, widespread, and violent. Even government supporters are angry at the bullying tactics used against protesters. Are these fairly small outbursts or harbingers of larger, better organized protests? Is the government in jeopardy? I agree with one Ugandan friend who believes that these tremors may be the beginning of a process that undermines the government. Opposition politicians are using the economy, especially inflation, as an excuse for the protests. However, if inflation here continues at 11%, the politics will become secondary to the economy. I'm not sure politics can galvanize Ugandans. However, I think the economy can.

Media Censorship
Especially alarming to those of us in media are reports that the government is turning to censorship in an attempt to put a lid on the unrest. (See article below from the Daily Monitor). The article's claim that the government is moving to ban live coverage of the protests seems to be both plausible and proven.

On the subject of cyber-censorship, the Monitor article alludes to possible blocking of the newspaper's website, but doesn't offer any proof. The Observer newspaper has an online article detailing Internet network outages, but offers no proof of government censorship. (Click here to read this piece yourself). There are also other Twitter rumors of government blocking Internet, but again, nothing concrete or proven.

Whether it's banning live coverage (proven) or blocking the Internet (rumored), this kind of censorship usually backfires. The Internet blackout in Egypt helped public opinion to coalesce against Mubarak's government. This is 2011, and even in Uganda, international media proliferate. If Ugandan media is muzzled, the population here will simply turn to radio stations from neighboring countries or from international sources like BBC radio or Voice of America. Heavy-handed attempts to control information do not reflect the reality of today's media rich world, but instead reveal desperation and antiquated Soviet-style notions about how to manipulate the public.

From the Daily Monitor: Government Bans Live Broadcasts of Events

The government last evening moved to curtail major broadcasting houses when it banned live broadcast of news events around the walk-to-work campaign. BBC’s Joshua Mali told Daily Monitor that a senior source at one of the TV stations affected spoke to him on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
The Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) reportedly directed radio and television stations to stop running live coverage of the events.

Peter Mwesige, a media consultant and trainer, called the directive to broadcasters “absolutely ridiculous”. “If it is true, it would be a profound violation to freedom of expression and the right of the people to know what is taking place around them and how they are governed,” he said. “You should absolutely defy it. It is illegal. It is unconstitutional.”

Meanwhile, Internet access for some companies including Daily Monitor was interrupted for some time yesterday afternoon. As a result, this newspaper’s ability to update its website and other web-based media with live feeds was compromised.

2011-04-10T02:25:00.007-05:00

Colleagues Collaborate to Spread PJ to Universities

I met last week with about 15 professors/lecturers from five different Ugandan universities. We discussed peace journalism theory as well as some PJ instructional techniques. They committed to both integrating PJ into their existing university courses and also to teaching stand-alone PJ classes. (There are currently no PJ courses at Ugandan universities). The professors seemed engaged and dedicated, and I look forward to our contunued collaboration on bringing PJ principles/courses to Ugandan university communications students. (Click here for complete photo album of professor's seminar).

Acholi Cultural Lesson Leaves Lasting Imprint

From the Parkville Luminary

NEAR GULU, UGANDA—As a fretful parent, I constantly worry about pulling my son out of school and bringing him to live in Uganda for the Spring, 2011 semester.

After yesterday, I am fretting a lot less.

Even though his school, Lakeview Middle, is excellent, and the teachers top-notch, the cultural lesson my 13-year old son Alex absorbed yesterday far eclipses anything a student could possibly learn in a classroom.

Alex was uncharacteristically silent as we slowly wheeled our car onto a dusty, shaded compound in northern Uganda, near Gulu. We had come to visit my friend Gloria’s grandmother. Lounging on a woven mat in the shade, Grandma Kerodia (Claudia) greeted us excitedly, and smiled so broadly she almost injured herself. Claudia, thin but otherwise healthy-looking, loves visitors and adores her granddaughter, so this was a big day for her, especially since we were the first munos (white people) to ever visit this place where she was born in 1903. Yes, Claudia is 108 years old. Though she doesn’t speak English, Claudia still managed to carry on a lively discussion with us in Acholi, the local language. She even managed to tease a beaming but temporarily mute Alex about stealing her son’s name (he is also Alex).

During our brief stay at Claudia’s place, I had never seen Alex so quiet, or so intently studying his surroundings, including symmetrical mango trees with dangling, not quite ripe fruit and hollowed-out logs serving as bee hives. Alex politely ate the extra crunchy dried potatoes he was offered by Claudia, even though they were a bit dry for his taste.

As we left a smiling, waving Claudia, we learned a bit more about Claudia’s long life. Her granddaughter Gloria reported that Claudia was an outstanding dancer, something you can still see glimpses of in her thin, lithe form. Gloria said, “As a young and elegant dancer, Claudia was spotted by my grandfather, the late Rwot Okello Ecao, and Claudia became his eighth (!) wife and the youngest and most loved wife. In early 2000, Claudia visited her sons Odoch Walter and Bwomono Robert who live in London. During her stay in the UK, Claudia became ‘an aging star’ where she was always given money for singing and dancing for muni [white people]…She was always surrounded by people who came to look at her beautiful gray hair and take her picture.”

As if meeting someone 95 years your senior wasn’t enough for one day, Alex, his mom and I proceeded down the road to visit the homestead of Gloria’s parents. We were happy to see the entire extended family gathered there—aunts and uncles, siblings, and other miscellaneous friends and neighbors. The women, as always, were striking in their colorful dresses. Gloria’s family was warm, welcoming, and wonderful. The highlight of our visit was a lesson about Acholi life given by Gloria’s effervescent uncle, Lapwony Latim. He is a retired teacher, a fact about which one has no doubt upon hearing his informative, energetic presentation. We went to a large, expertly crafted mud brick, thatched-roof hut for our sociology lesson. Acholi artifacts adorned the walls. Uncle Latim showed us elegant yet functional hand make baskets, bowls, and clay pots and told us stories about how they’re made and used. During this lesson, Alex was transfixed, and again, uncharacteristically quiet. I sensed he had a million questions, but was too shy to ask.

The most important lesson of all that we learned yesterday was the value of family in Acholi society. Both compounds we visited (and others I’ve seen during the last eight months) featured a large clearing ringed by four or five small huts. These are family compounds, and each hut contains a husband and wife (or several wives) and children. Imagine your siblings, parents, and grandparents all having houses on one cul-de-sac, and you get the idea. Living further apart would be unthinkable for the Acholi. There are no nursing homes here, and if there were, Gloria’s family would never think of sending Claudia to such a place.

So, even though Alex isn’t seated next to his classmates at Lakeview Middle School, I am satisfied with the education he’s getting this semester in Uganda. Our overall educational goal for Alex is to produce a smart, compassionate, adaptable, and curious young man. Based on these criteria, yesterday’s lesson in rural Gulu, Uganda was a resounding success.

(Click here for complete photo album of our visit with our new Ugandan relatives).

2011-04-06T05:31:00.004-05:00

What's in a name?

You may notice the slight name change for this page. The new name recognizes the fact that I will be leaving Uganda within a month, yet my work in Peace Journalism will continue. In fact, I'll be working in the coming months on PJ projects in South Africa and Turkey.

Did the media inflame violence in the Koran burning case?

This is a difficult conundrum for journalists. Do we ignore actual news in an effort to keep the peace? Do we spin news in a conflict-sensitive way so as to mitigate the harmful effects of what we report? My position is always that journalists should consider the consequences of their reporting. It's our responsibility to be aware of our power to incite violence, and to choose options that give peace and reconciliation an opportunity to flourish. Had I been reporting for an Afghan audience, I would have sought a way to give the story some context--that Jones is only one isolated fool--and to remind Afghans that a violent reaction only discredits Islam in the eyes of some.

Here are three other takes on this issue:

Apr 01, 2011
Should media have reported the Florida Quran burning?
from USA Today By John Raoux, AP

In Afghanistan seven people died today after a demonstration by 2,000 Muslims -- angry that a tiny Florida church burned the Quran -- turned into a deadly attack on a U.N. outpost.

USA TODAY carried coverage of that Quran burning. I wrote about it here and Religion News Service interviewed the pastor Terry Jones. Some of you readers objected: Why give this man more publicity? Ignore him and he'll go away like he did after a massive international outcry last September, people said.

But ignoring news events doesn't mean they don't happen. The Dove World Outreach Center, his miniscule congregation in Gainesville, Fla., has a web site with a photo of a burning book on it. The Agence France-Presse reporter who witnessed the burning in March described people taking souvenir pictures. The AFP story swept the international press and how long do you think it took before photos moved on the Internet.

So, I ask again: Who's responsible for the death in in Afghanistan today? The mob fired the guns but who handed them the ammunition? The news media? Or Terry Jones? And if we had not carried the stories about Jones, would this magically have made the event vanish, too?

Free speech, fighting words, and Koran burning

La Times By Tim Rutten
April 6, 2011

In this digital age, speech has been globalized just as surely as commerce.

That's one of the lessons to be taken from the troubling sequence of events in which a tiny Florida church's distasteful publicity stunt of burning a Koran triggered five days of protest and mob violence across Afghanistan. Through Tuesday, more than 20 people had been killed, and the hand of our Taliban antagonists has been strengthened.

…The American news media simply ignored Jones' crude cabaret of bigotry, but a video made its way onto the Internet. Then, for reasons that remain unclear, Afghan President Hamid Karzai refused to let the provocation pass. On March 24, he issued a news release demanding that the United States "bring to justice the perpetrators of this crime." On Thursday, he gave a speech condemning the burning and demanding Jones' arrest.

…Others have raised the question of whether our conception of constitutionally protected speech needs to adjust itself to an age in which words spoken in Gainesville can have deadly impact in Mazar-i-Sharif. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), for example, wants Congress to explore ways to limit now-protected expressions, such as Jones'. "Free speech is a great idea, but we're in a war," he said Sunday. "During World War II, we had limits on what you could do if it inspired the enemy." Graham, who wields considerable influence as a former military lawyer, said he wants to do "anything we can to push back here in America against acts like this that put our troops at risk."

…Others have wondered whether it might be possible to apply the "fighting words" exception to the 1st Amendment to cases such as Jones' stunt, which seemed almost certain to provoke a deadly response half a world away. In its 1942 ruling in Chaplinsky vs. New Hampshire, the U.S. Supreme Court defined that exception in a way that could be construed to cover Jones' desecration of the Koran:

"There are certain well-defined and narrowly limited classes of speech, the prevention and punishment of which have never been thought to raise any constitutional problem. These include … 'fighting words' -- those which by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace. It has been well observed that such utterances are no essential part of any exposition of ideas, and are of such slight social value as a step to truth that any benefit that may be derived from them is clearly outweighed by the social interest in order and morality."

…The issues raised by these events are not a challenge to our conception of free speech, but to our collective conscience. The question that ought to be asked isn't whether the wretched Jones' repellant theater is protected speech, but why the United States continues to produce as many people who speak and act as he does about Muslims?

Koran burning coverage troubling

Marty robbins, guardian/uk, 3 april, 2011

…It's troubling to see the sheer amount of exposure Jones and his followers have been given over the last several months (which of course I'm ironically contributing to here). If some daft bugger burns a Koran in the forest, does it matter? Probably not, but Terry Jones, cutely-described by the Telegraph as, "a homophobic used furniture salesman with a love of controversy," is no ordinary daft bugger; he and his glorious silver moustache are a global media phenomenon.

The legend of Pastor Jones is to a large extent a creation of the media (both traditional and new-fangled), fuelled by perhaps ill-advised comments from political figures who saw fit to wade in. While his 9/11 Koran-burning stunt in the words of the Washington Post "started with a tweet" last July, it was endless saturation coverage of his threat in more established media that propelled him to international celebrity.

…It would be silly to claim that the media hold responsibility for the killings of the UN staff; but on the other hand it's tempting to fall towards the conclusion I clumsily articulated yesterday, that providing Jones with such a powerful voice may have been a bit of a reckless thing to do – even if, as is probable, Jones was really just a convenient pretext for violence that might have happened anyway.

…Journalists cannot be assigned direct guilt for the actions of fundamentalist militants, suicidal fugitives or misguided parents; but they ought to have the awareness to stop once in a while and consider what the impact of their stories will be, and what public interest they serve.

…Thankfully, mainstream coverage of Pastor Jones and his gang had died down this year until now. A question journalists, editors and bloggers might want to ask themselves before writing more about Pastor Jones' increasingly transparent attempts to provoke outrage is this: what public interest is served by giving such a prominent platform to the bigoted ramblings of a minor Pastor and used-furniture salesman; what exactly, beyond sensational spectacle, is this coverage designed to achieve? How much coverage is too much coverage?

There probably aren't any definite right or wrong answers, but ultimately book-burning isn't a big deal unless people choose to make it one.

2011-04-02T04:13:00.008-05:00

Assessment Report:
Peace Journalism pjct meets goal--preventing media-induced violence

When those of us in the education profession hear the word assessment, we break out in hives. So, if you’re an educator, I'll understand if you navigate to another site. If you’re not, please read on, since this is good news.

The Uganda Peace Journalism project’s goal was to prevent media induced or exacerbated violence during the election. Did we succeed? Our research shows that there was no media induced violence during the election. (There was one arrest for inciting violence. However, a prominent Ugandan human rights group says the inciting charge was bogus; trumped up to cover a political arrest). Did our project help? In a nationwide survey of Ugandan radio managers and reporters, 87% rated our Peace Journalism project effective or very effective in preventing broadcasts that might encourage violence.

We’re humbled and gratified by this news. The credit, of course, goes to the Ugandan media managers and reporters who bravely implemented peace journalism during this election cycle.

April Fool’s day, Uganda Style

They do have April Fool’s day here. However, no fooling is allowed after noon. I was unable to extract a suitable explanation as to why this was so.

In Pader, a radio station broadcast an announcement on April 1 trumpeting very cheap beef that would be sold at so-and-so location. Hundreds apparently turned up, only to be told the bad news—April Fools. I was surprised to learn that no riot ensued. Of course, all this was done before Uganda’s April Fool’s Day noon curfew.

My personal April Fool's Day joke: I told my son that his favorite show, "Dancing with the Stars", was put on haitus due to a contract dispute. Side-splitting jocularity!!

Cavalcade of Audio-Video Treats

In case you’ve missed the plethora of free, mediocre AV materials offered by yours truly, here are some of the least offensive:

Follow me on Twitter: @slyoungbld
Photos from scenic Jinja, Uganda—Bujagali Falls, Source of the Nile
Video of Youngblood teaching Peace Journalism seminar in Uganda
Photos from various Peace Journalism workshops
Audio clips from PJ public service announcements produced by Ugandan journalists

2011-03-27T00:42:00.006-05:00

Extremely bored? Follow me on Twitter

I know I said I'd never Tweet, but I've given in. Follow me: @slyoungbld

Compassionate volunteers serve hope at destitute orphanage

From the Parkville Lumimary

NOTE: For a complete photo album from the Mercy Home orphanage, click here.

BEWYA, UGANDA—The 40 minute drive from downtown Kampala south to this small village is dusty and slow, thanks to a washboard road. Mostly, the drive is a journey from the relative modernity of the capital city to a place that, even though it serves youth, is miles away from the cutting edge.

At the Mercy Home for Children, an orphanage housing 50 children 5-18 years old, being on the edge has an entirely different meaning. Though it may sound like hyperbole, the fact is that Mercy Home’s youngsters constantly live on the edge as they wonder if they’ll eat or go to school or be able to see a doctor if they get sick.

Located on a plain overlooking pretty Lake Victoria, the orphanage is run down. The kitchen, if you can call it that, is an out-building with dirt floors and a crumbling brick stove. The toilets are awful, and the walls have accumulated the dust that proliferates here. The dormitories where the kids live are habitable, though dingy.

Right now, Mercy Home has no funding. None. They’re trying to fundraise and to get some government or NGO support, but haven’t had any luck thus far. This means that from day to day, the orphanage’s volunteer administrator John Bosco Kiwanuka doesn’t know how he will feed the kids, let alone help out the youngsters who need medical or dental care. Kiwanuka said he contributes what he can, but that’s not much since he has his own household full of mouths to feed.

Because there is no funding, there is no money to pay employees. Kiwanuka said he visits as often as he can, but he also has a paying job and a family. A matron volunteers her time to stay at night babysitting the youngest kids, but has to leave during the day. Sometimes, the kids are unsupervised, breeding the potential for all kinds of trouble.

Mercy Home’s children aren’t alone in Uganda, where there are an estimated 2.5-million orphans, according to UNICEF. Uganda has 8-million kids 14 and under, so it doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out that orphaned children are an epidemic here.

Just when things looked darkest, four new volunteers recently arrived at Mercy Home, giving hope to the 50 children. Two Ugandan volunteers, Susan and Tabu, live nearby. The other two volunteers are from halfway around the world—Parkville, Missouri.

Susan has pitched in to clean up the home, and has donated much needed firewood so that the children could cook their meals. The Parkville volunteers, Barbara and Alex, have been working on clean-up, too. They have also helped Tabu to patch a road leading to the home. Barbara and Alex regularly bring beans and cooking oil so that the kids have something to eat. Barbara has sunk hundreds of dollars already into Mercy Home, spending it on foodstuffs, cleaning equipment, bleach, shovels and pick axes, etc. She’s planning to renovate the kitchen, including installing a cement floor. She has paid for one swollen-faced young man to visit a dentist, and others with malaria to see a doctor and get the medicine they need. On one recent visit, Alex, age 13, was even spotted teaching dance steps (from “Dancing with the Stars”) to a half-dozen of the orphanage’s residents.

Based on what I saw, I think Susan, Tabu, Barbara, and Alex’s biggest contribution to Mercy Home is bringing hope. It was incredible to see how the whole place brightened up when Alex and Barbara arrived amid a swarm of hugging, smiling orphans.

Despite the hope, the reality is that Barbara and Alex will be heading back to Missouri in May. When they’re gone, what will become of Mercy Home? To her credit, Barbara has raised over $3500 for the orphanage, including $2000 from one generous Parkville donor. Barbara is carefully rationing the donations so that they stretch as far as possible. That’s great, but the need for more funds, and sustainable funding, is pressing and unending.

I’m unbelievably proud of Barbara, my wife, and Alex, my son. Like Barbara. I lay awake at nights worrying about how to continue helping Mercy Home’s orphans live a decent life.

NOTE: If you are interested in helping, contact Barbara Youngblood at:
byoungblood1231@yahoo.com

2011-03-23T01:52:00.004-05:00

Goodbye Mbale; Hello Gulu; Geeky Video Posted

Just finished fantastic seminar in Mbale...a very receptive, energetic group of journalists. (For photo album of the Mbale seminar and the Kampala Peace Summit discussed below in the previous post, click here.)

I have also edited/posted a short video from this seminar. If you're terminally bored, click here to see this monstrosity.

Headed to Gulu tomorrow to present at a seminar designed to instruct local officials on how to deal with the media. Should be interesting, or at least something different.

2011-03-20T01:04:00.003-05:00

"Winter" welcomed with open arms

A Ugandan friend has been joking that winter has arrived here. It is a few degrees cooler, but still in the upper 70's every day. It's cloudy much of the time, and has rained quite a bit during the last few weeks. Still, it's a nice break from the sunny, hot days of January and February.

Ugandans lay foundation for peace

From the Parkville Luminary

KAMPALA, UGANDA—At the birth of my baby last week, I swelled with pride as I swatted the newborn on the tush and waited for that first, healthy cry.

We named the baby the African Peace and Reconciliation Society (APRES). The healthy cry took the form of passionate discussions that took place at the meeting where APRES came into this world. (Photo--Drafting goals, guidelines at the Peace Club Summit)

I’m not sure if you can really call me the father, since all I had was an idea to call together Ugandans to support and promote peace. APEC’s real fathers and mothers are those everyday citizens who decided to organize themselves into Peace Clubs. As part of our 10-month, USAID/US State Department sponsored Peace and Electoral Journalism project in Uganda, we convened community leaders in 20 locales and encouraged them to come together to support and encourage journalists to practice responsible reporting that promotes peace and reconciliation. In 14 towns, the Peace Clubs took root, and are working to make their communities more harmonious places.

In Kampala, representatives of seven Peace Clubs from across Uganda recently met at what we called a Peace Summit. Our goal at this summit was to create a national Peace Club organization, an umbrella group that would unite the 14 operating Peace Clubs.

As the summit unfolded, Peace Club representatives gave encouraging reports that indicated how their efforts helped to prevent violence during the just-completed elections. “No politician used radio for excessive incitement (of violence),” reported a representative from Soroti in the east. The rep from Kabale in southwestern Uganda said his Peace Club was “instrumental” in preventing election violence by educating voters and politicians and holding media accountable. Reps from Gulu and Jinja similarly trumpeted the efficacy of their efforts at promoting peace and encouraging reconciliation.

It’s enough to make a father, make that uncle, proud.

After the initial reports, the real business of the summit began, starting with naming the new organization and giving it a mission, a structure, and goals. APEC’s goals are indeed laudable, and include fostering traditional shared peaceful values; advocating for and implementing peace education programs; developing curricular materials to be used in civic education efforts about peace; equipping local communities with conflict resolution skills; and promoting good governance and accountability, especially when it comes to issues of peace. To add to this ambitious agenda, the summit participants committed APEC to expanding beyond Uganda’s borders into Kenya and perhaps South Sudan, hence the word “African” in the organization’s name rather than “Ugandan”.

The summit concluded by creating a proposed structure for APEC as well as discussing how to make the organization financially self-sustaining. This will be a tall challenge, but I’m confident in their ability to find at least some funds to carry on their activities.

As the summit wound down, APEC Moderator Moses Mugabi picked up on my metaphor, telling the gathering that APEC is “our baby” and that it’s up to the group’s membership to nurture the infant.

Inspiring those present, Mugabi concluded by saying, “We must lead from the front, and be the very examples of what it takes to be a volunteer.” Based on what I’ve seen from Mugabi and his peers, they will indeed by exemplary volunteers and peace advocates.

When we started the Peace Journalism project in Uganda last June, the Peace Clubs idea seemed to me an afterthought—a tertiary effort that looked good on paper. I never really thought anything would come out of it. I have never been so wrong, or so happy to admit my miscalculation. The only thing that peace lovers here in Uganda needed was an idea. Judging by their energy and commitment, one can’t help but be optimistic about the ongoing prospects for peace here in the great lakes region of Africa.

2011-03-17T08:32:00.002-05:00

Odds, Ends, and One Final Election

The last election of 2011 in Uganda was held Monday as Kampalans chose a new mayor. This was a rescheduled voting date, since the initial mayoral election was cancelled after a few hours because pre-stuffed ballot boxes were discovered. Voting was peaceful. The candidate whose name appeared on the pre-checked, stuffed ballots lost, by the way. Poetic justice?

The boy and I recently visited the fantastic Uganda Wildlife Education Center in Entebbe. It's part zoo, part home to distressed or rescued animals. Lots of fun, especially the troupe of moneys who inhabit the UWEC's parking lot! (Click here for photos).

Just six weeks left in Uganda, which hardly seems possible. On April 29, it's off to Cape Town, South Africa for two weeks of teaching (Univ. of Cape Town) and relaxation.

2011-03-12T00:04:00.007-06:00

Rotary Clubs unite to feed students in Arua

From the Parkville Luminary

Note: To listen to two radio reports about this story, click here.

ARUA, UGANDA—In July 2009, a famine had students at Ociba Primary School clamped tightly in its jaws. On my visit there, the place seemed listless, and strangely empty, even though hundreds of kids milled about. Like the hot air in this dusty place, you could almost breathe in the famine, the suffering, and it would scar your insides.

I have walked through some of the world’s most awful slums, fought back tears while visiting with victims of war, and spent an overcast, drizzly day at a former Nazi concentration camp. Nothing left me as shaken and depressed as my 2009 visit to the Ociba Primary School.

Thus, it was with palpable reservations that I recently returned to Ociba. What I discovered was that today, thanks to two Rotary Club chapters half a world apart, life is very different for the school’s 1,019 students.

The turnaround at Ociba began in the fall of 2009 in, oddly, Parkville, Missouri, where the local Rotary club heard a radio story from July 2009 about how a famine was ravaging school kids in remote northwestern Uganda. In the story, the kids, in their own voices, described how they were hungry, and ate perhaps only one small meal per day. At that time, School Administrator Ezale Kennedy estimated that about 100 youngsters a day missed school because they were too hungry or sick from malnutrition to attend. He said some even skipped school to scavenge or steal food. Even when they did attend, Kennedy said the students couldn’t concentrate on the simplest tasks. The school had no lunch program, and students went home for lunch. The problem, however, was that for many, there was no food at home, either. The famine that year at the school merely reflected the hunger in the community, where at least 26 famine victims were confirmed dead by a local official.

Upon hearing the famine story, Parkville’s Rotarians quickly raised $1000, which was sent to their Rotary brothers in Arua to start a school lunch program. The Arua Rotary Club received the money, and used it to buy bulk foods (beans, grain for porridge, cooking oil). Then, using their own resources, the Rotarians here bought and donated cooking utensils and a stove to Ociba.

The school lunch program was launched during the three month spring term (February-April) in 2010, and was a huge success, thanks not only to the Rotarians but to a handful of parents who were also able to make small contributions to the lunch program. The $1000 went a long way, paying for three months of school lunches for almost 1,000 kids.

Kennedy gushes when asked about the effects of having lunches at school, even if it was for just three months so far. He noted that absenteeism dropped to almost zero while the quality of the students’ school work soared. The kids I talked to agreed, noting that they now feel like they can conquer any academic challenge.

Arua Rotary Club President Alex Matua said the lunch program showed the students that people cared, thus giving the kids “hope for a better life.”

The worst of the famine ended last year, although hunger continues to stalk these impoverished kids. Kennedy said 40% of Ociba’s students still don’t get enough to eat. Hunger is a problem throughout Uganda, where 9-million (28% of the population) people are “food insecure” (un.org).

Though the first installment from Parkville ran out last spring, Parkville’s Rotary has recently donated $1000 more for school lunches. Of course, the school’s boosters hope that this latest donation won’t be the last, and indeed Parkville Rotary’s Don Breckon, who spearheaded the original aid package, said he is looking for ways to expand the funding for the school.

It’s a new sense of confidence that made Ociba School feel so different this time. I could see it in the kids faces, and even read it on a hand-made sign posted in the school’s spacious courtyard—“We have plans and hopes for the future.” I noticed the same sign in 2009, but thought it seemed sadly unrealistic. Today, thanks to two Rotary Clubs, hopes and plans seem within reach for Ociba’s students.

For photo album of Ociba school, click here.

2011-03-09T06:32:00.003-06:00

MINOR PROTESTS BREAK OUT IN KAMPALA
--Calm returns to city this evening

A 100-person protest against the recent, flawed Ugandan election this afternoon fizzled out after about 10 minutes. Police dispersed the protesters marching in central Kampala with tear gas, according to reports from K-FM and other media.

The Daily Monitor newspaper on its Facebook page reported that police and military deployed heavily at Kisseka Market and were forced to use teargas and live bullets to chase away protestors. “We have managed to contain them and sealed off Kisseka market because if we had not done it, they would have destroyed a lot of property.” Police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba said. “We have so far arrested 10 rioters. The situation is now calming down.”

K-FM also reported on unrelated clashes between vendors and police in Nakasero Marketplace, a crowded business district in central Kampala. Market vendors apparently lashed out at the police because they saw the heavy security force deployment as detrimental to business. Tear gas was also used at the marketplace, and 10 were arrested.

One Twitter message said that all over town, there are many more spectators than protesters.

Meanwhile, Red Pepper newspaper (a marginally-reliable tabloid) reports that shops and taxi parks have closed up throughout the central business district.

A flood of Twitter reports indicate a strong police/military presence throughout town. This seems plausible. Another tweet describes police armed with riot gear and batons, while a third tweeter said he saw police lounging around listening to the radio. These tweets are unconfirmed, of course, so take them for what they’re worth.

Meanwhile, things are very, very quiet in our neighborhood. There seems to be less traffic than usual, but otherwise, one would never notice that anything was amiss. We haven’t heard a single siren. Our neighborhood, filled with diplomats and foreign business people, is very safe, as is our guarded, walled apartment complex. We are just fine.

(Photos, from The Independent newspaper, by Jimmy Siya, perhaps Uganda's most talented spot news photographer).

2011-03-05T06:24:00.006-06:00

Slowpoke finally loads Murchison Falls pictures

I've finally uploaded a photo album of our recent trip to Murchison Falls National Park. It's marvelous--by itself, worth a trip to Uganda. The Paraa Lodge, where we stayed, overlooks the Nile. This hippo picture was taken on a boat trip up the river to Murchison Falls. Spectacular.

March Madness misses most in Uganda

from the Parkville Luminary

KAMPALA, UGANDA—As you stroll down Main Street here, you’re practically surrounded by Ugandans wearing the colors of their favorite universities. The office pools are ready to swing into action throughout East Africa. Meanwhile, Ugandan bars and restaurants are gearing up for a flood of college basketball-crazed fans. On radio, analysts are breaking down potential NCAA tournament pairings.

No, not really.

In fact, Uganda might as well be Jupiter when it comes to college basketball. I think the average Ugandan might be vaguely aware that American universities play basketball, but wouldn’t have the slightest notion about the difference between a Jayhawk (good) and, say, a Blue Devil or Tiger (evil).

Uganda, for all its charms, is NCAA tournament purgatory.

I love college hoops. I would ordinarily just as soon forego oxygen as skip March Madness. However, due to my temporary relocation 8,000 miles from home, my March Madness experience this year will be a little like Internet dating—better than nothing, but a pale imitation of the real thing.

I miss March.

I miss the hype leading up to the tournament. I miss the hundreds of hours of mindless tournament prattle on TV, and the thousands of hours of even more mindless tournament analysis on local talk radio. I miss the banter with my “friendly” competitors from Kansas State and Missouri. (Well, it is friendly between KU and K-State anyway). Tears are welling up in my eyes thinking of the wonderful opportunity I’m missing to gently point out the University of Kansas Jayhawks’ superiority in this sport (KU=7 straight league titles, second most wins all-time of any team, 13 Final Fours, 2008 national champs, etc.). This doesn’t sit well with purple-faced Wildcatters (KSU=no Final Fours since 1964; no league titles for decades) or yellow-eyed Tiggers (MU=no Final Fours ever; no league title since 1994). I’ve tried repeatedly to point out these facts to Ugandans, who smile politely but generally have little to add to the discourse. On the plus side, I haven’t met any Dukies here yet.

I miss Kansas City every day, but especially in March, when the city is the center of the college hoops universe..

I will miss watching the games on TV. We do have ESPN here, but it’s some god-awful international version that shows about 90% soccer. I’ve seen a few stale college hoops games this season, taped and shown a day or two later. I may get a few such leftovers during the tournament. My consolation prize: I’ll get to listen to live radio coverage over the Internet. I’ll be tuned in, even if it’s at three in the morning. (Yes, CBS does offer live NCAA video streaming, but the Internet is too slow here for live video streaming. I tried. It doesn’t work).

Most of all this March, I miss my dad, who has been my college basketball pusher since I was a wee lad. Some of my first, fondest memories are from the old Big Eight Pre-Season Basketball Tournament at Municipal Auditorium. Today, I watch most of the KU games with my dad, whose devotion to our Jayhawks has, if anything, intensified through his 74 years. You know how some sons and dads fish, or hunt? Our thing is college basketball.

After KU won it all in 2008, I secretly wished, to myself, that dad and I could share one more Jayhawk championship together. This may be the year. As much as I want that title in 2011, it won’t be the same if we don’t get to experience the championship together, just like we did in 1988 and 2008.

There is one thing I can do to help ease the pain of our separation during March Madness. Right after the NCAA tournament brackets are announced, I plan to call my dad, just like always, so that we can complain together about the raw deal our team got at the hands of the selection committee. It will be 1:00 a.m. in Kampala when the brackets are unveiled, but I won’t have a hard time staying up.

2011-03-02T07:47:00.009-06:00

Murchison Falls National Park delights; Lira energizes

Spent three days with the family last week at Murchison Falls National Park. It was a wonderful stay. The falls themselves are spectacular, as was the abundant animal life. Perhaps one of you Ugandans out there can identify the bird in the picture. We spotted lots of these, but never saw any actually fly. As for Lira, we are here teaching a peace journalism workshop to a great group of journalists. How great? They were ready to go 30 minutes early today--unprecedented!

2011-02-27T08:30:00.002-06:00

Accident nearly spoils happy ending

From the Parkville Luminary

My life sounds like a bad TV movie.

In this tragic biopic, the lead character, a distance runner, overcomes some predictable and trite obstacle, runs a marathon, but drops dead of a heart attack 100 yards from the finish line.

This has pretty much been my life lately, except for the dropping dead part. Though I’m currently non-deceased, I did literally come within inches of joining the ranks of the permanently vertically challenged.

Before we get to the almost dead part, however, we have to discuss my marathon, which started eight long months ago. I have been managing and teaching a Peace and Electoral Journalism project in Uganda. Its goal is to prevent media-induced or exacerbated violence during the 2011 presidential elections. The obstacles my team and I have had to overcome to deliver this message to 320 radio journalists and announcers and 100 radio managers are many. They include logistical challenges, cultural differences, corruption, politically motivated media owners, language problems, bad hotels, worse food, and more than 10,000 kilometers spent traversing Uganda’s often abysmal roads.

The finish line for my marathon was Feb. 18, election day for president and parliament. Another six inches or so to the right, and I would’ve ended up like my TV movie’s protagonist—prostrate just a few yards (or in my case a few days) from the finish line.

As you’re now aware, I’m not dead, so unlike my movie hero, I got to taste the fruits of our efforts to prevent media-induced election violence. As election day unfolded, I planted myself in my easy chair, and surrounded myself with every electronic gadget at my disposal. The TV was on constantly, switched back and forth between two local news channels. Meanwhile, one eye was on my laptop’s Internet display.

All the news was the same, and it was glorious: there were no reported incidents of media (particularly radio) induced or exacerbated violence on Feb. 18 or 23, the day of Kampala’s mayoral election. We will be holding follow up meetings with journalists and collecting survey data, but we’re very optimistic that our peace journalism project did indeed make a positive difference in encouraging radio journalists and announcers to avoid using inflammatory speech while framing stories so that violent acts are not sensationalized,. Yes, there were a few scattered incidents of election violence on Feb. 18 and 23. However, none of this sporadic violence has been attributed to the media.

Indeed, it would have been “TV-movie-tragic” if I wouldn’t have been able to witness how responsibly and peacefully radio stations behaved on Feb. 18 and 23. Yet, this was almost the case. A few days before the presidential election, my two project assistants, our driver, and I were traveling on the highway near Kasese in western Uganda. The sun had just set. As we neared our destination, a car in the opposite lane attempted to pass a truck, except that there wasn’t enough space to safely make the pass. For about two seconds, his bright, blinding headlights filled the cabin of our van as his car careened head-on at our vehicle. My eyes were closed when the passing car side-swiped us, scraping the front quarter panel and driver’s side door. The offending car clipped the driver’s side-view mirror, folding it neatly against the side of the car but otherwise leaving it undamaged. The car that hit us sped away into the night, gone in the time it took me to turn around and look for him. Fortunately, no one was injured. I’d estimate that we were going about 55-60 mph, while the other car was much faster, maybe 70 mph. Had we struck head on, we’d all have been killed.

Our driver that evening, Mr. Grim Reaper (not his real name), was a substitute for our usual, cautious driver. Mr. Reaper did not react at all as the passing car barreled down on us—no swerving, no breaking, no nothing. Though this accident wasn’t technically his fault, a one-foot swerve to the left could have left us unscathed. Upon hearing about our ordeal, our usual driver took a bus to Kasese the next day so that he could drive us home.

So, unlike our bad TV movie, my story has a happy ending. Ugandans are celebrating presidential and mayoral elections free of radio-inflamed violence while I celebrate and take stock of my life. Our brush with death has left me shaken. However, I am now unequivocally certain of one thing: I love life, and won’t be ready to ride again with Mr. Reaper for at least another 40 or 50 years.

2011-02-24T09:17:00.004-06:00

OPPOSITION CALLS FOR PEACEFUL PROTESTS

Four opposition presidential candidates are calling for peaceful protests against the "sham" election held Feb. 18. (To read the full statement, click here). Will Ugandans take up the call? Police and army are deployed thickly across Kampala and nationwide, and will serve as a strong deterrent to anyone considering protesting. If protests do materialize, will authorities allow them to proceed as long as they are peaceful, or will the army and police intervene with a show of force?

Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists has issued a statement condemning the shooting of a freelance journalist on election day. In a statement, the CPJ is calling on the government to thoroughly pursue the investigation into the shooting, which reports say was carried out by an army gunman. Today's Daily Monitor newspaper is also reporting that a Channel 44 journalist was shot and wounded during yesterday's local election chaos (see below).

2011-02-23T00:08:00.008-06:00

BULLETIN: Rigged Kampala mayoral election leads to several isolated clashes

Allegations of ballot box stuffing along with several isolated violent clashes forced election officials to cancel today's Kampala mayoral election.

Seven boxes of pre-checked (“pre-ticked”, as they say here) ballots were discovered at three different polling stations in Kampala, according to the Monitor and Independent newspapers. Reports say the ballots were filled out for the ruling party (NRM) candidate. As the bogus ballots were discovered, brief, violent clashes between supporters of different candidates broke out at least three polling places—Kawempe, Rubaga, and Kapeka. No word on injuries. Two unconfirmed violent incidents consistent with the newspaper reports were also registered via text message on Uganda Watch. The Monitor reports the police and military have responded by sealing off some polling places, and by deploying heavily in Kampala to prevent widespread violence.

Note: In Uganda, polling for different elected posts is held on different days. Last Friday was for president and parliament; today was for local officials and Kampala mayor.

Today’s incident is also instructive as to the relative value of Twitter. The good news—reports are posted fastest here. The bad news—a great deal of the information I’ve read today on #ugandavotes is nothing but speculation and wild rumor. If the press disseminated some of these tweets, it would certainly lead to panic and possibly incite violence. Twitter is also dangerously viral, as I see the same hyped or bogus rumor repeated verbatim in tweet after tweet.

P.S.--My family and I are fine. I would say normal, but we are talking about my family...

A journalist's-eye view of the Ugandan presidential election

I received the following email today from a Fort Portal, Uganda radio journalist who attended one of my peace journalism workshops. Her perspectives on the election and peace journalism are enlightening.

Here is her email:

In this part of the country (western Uganda), it was very free and fair and there was no chaos or violence anywhere. I am sure it was all because most journalists were trained and aware of what and how to handle the elections. I am sure your work greatly contributed to this peaceful election countrywide.

(Photo: Fort Portal is surrounded by beautiful, fragrant tea plantations).

There was tight security because they expected some chaos because the two parliamentary contestants were of different tribes. One is a retired col. who likes violence and is most feared. so tribal clashes were expected but they did not happen. As peace journalists we are using the radio to educate the masses about the dangers of such clashes.

...The MPs that lost in this region met on Sunday after elections in a closed meeting but invited me and another journalist to be there. They discussed things like forming a pressure group and lots more. Today one of the defeated MP's (members of parliament) sent me a message on my breakfast show (morning radio program) saying that I should inform his supporters that, "We seem to have lost the battle, but not lost the war. The struggle continues." This made me feel so bad. I instead criticized such acts with out mentioning his name but just told my listeners that they should not even associate themselves with anything similar to violence.

I am sure I will exercise all my abilities as a peace journalist.

--From a radio journalist, Fort Portal, Uganda, February, 2011

2011-02-21T07:53:00.003-06:00

EXCEPT FOR MORE COPS, KAMPALA RETURNS TO NORMAL
--Two also-rans call for protests; NY Times stumbles on basic facts

MONDAY, THREE DAYS AFTER THE ELECTION—We finally got out and about today in Kampala. Pre-election fears of violence have made the last 3-4 days pretty anxious for many. However, everything seems to have returned to normal here. The only difference I saw today is a stronger police presence. Lots of cops seem to be deployed around town guarding trees, since the police I saw mostly seemed committed to lounging in the shade.

Two losing candidates, Olara Ottunu (1.6% of the vote) and Samuel Lubega (0.4%) today threatened to mobilize Egypt-style protests (AP). Seriously, these guys could barely muster 2% combined of the vote total, and they’re going to organize protests? Fantasy. The one opposition candidate with the most credibility to organize demonstrations, Kizza Besigye (2nd place, 26%), has complained that the election was corrupt and unfair, but has stopped short of calling for protests. The other losing candidate with some gravitas, Norbert Mao, is expected to make a statement Tuesday.

Meanwhile, let’s take the New York Times to task. In a Uganda election story today’s edition, reporter Josh Kron writes, “The streets of Kampala were quiet and calm on Sunday, with no celebrations of the president’s re-election.” Wrong. Hundreds (thousands?) of supporters of the winning NRM party took to the streets yesterday in impromptu parades. We saw the footage on two TV networks, and could even hear the honking and whistling in the distance from our apartment. Hey New York Times, if you can’t get little details like this right, how accurate is the rest of your international coverage?

Finally, congratulations to Uganda and Ugandans for pulling off a nearly violence-free election. I’m thrilled.

2011-02-20T00:56:00.010-06:00

NO SURPRISE: INCUMBENT CLAIMS UGANDAN ELECTION
--Miffed opposition says election unfair; No demonstrations reported yet

5:00PM SUNDAY--President Yoweri Museveni has sailed to victory in Uganda with 68% of the votes, besting his closest rival Kizza Besigye who nabbed 26% of the vote.

The opposition is claiming, loudly, that the election was not free or fair, and included pre-marked ballots, names missing from voters’ registers, and stuffed ballot boxes. However, an election observation team from the Commonwealth Nations told NTV that though “the playing field was not level” and there was “too much commercialism”, the process was “largely transparent”. A Great Lakes Region observer team labeled the elections “free and fair”, though they criticized the slow pace that results were released. (Daily Monitor newspaper).

On Facebook, one anonymous user, Youthsuganda Rise Up, called for a peaceful anti-election demonstration today at 10am at Constitution Square. I have found no evidence on Facebook or Twitter or on TV or radio that this demonstration took place. The online call for demonstrations was met with some support, while others labeled any protest effort “ludicrous” and “premature”. One critic wrote, “Why don’t you go to Bahrain? I can buy you a ticket.” Youthsuganda Rise Up responded, “If you can’t overcome your fear, stay and home and pray…We will welcome your support when you overcome your fear.” At presstime, Youthsuganda Rise Up’s Facebook page had 61 supporters.

Meanwhile, the Daily Monitor’s website reported that loudspeaker trucks traversed Kampala today exhorting Museveni supporters to gather at Constitution Square to celebrate the president’s victory. No word yet on whether the rally materialized.

On Mr. Besigye’s Facebook page, his supporters lamented their candidate’s demise. One wrote, “Just do like Egyptians and Tunisians otherwise the old man (Museveni) will never leave power trust me. Here he goes again more five years.” Another said, “The old man has shown Uganda that u can't (beat) him thru election coz in 2006 he used violence and now he has used a lot of bribes to people so we need to do something.” One depressed Facebooker wrote, “Is my vote wasted? Am tired. I may go out of this country and be in exile.”

Kampala remains a bit calmer than normal today, although on a long walk today we observed much more hustle and bustle than yesterday. Unless protests materialize, things should be pretty much back to normal tomorrow.
----------

9:00AM SUNDAY--Not that there was ever any mystery, but the latest provisional results from 95% of all districts show a resounding win for President Museveni. The latest tally has him with 68% of the vote, down a few percentage points from yesterday. Final results are expected later today.

(Photo--The army deploys in Kampala, where they've established a strong presence. Pix from The Daily Monitor)

The question now is, will the Ugandan people protest these results, which have been widely criticized as unfair and fixed? Museveni’s top challenger Kizza Besigye said at a press conference yesterday, "We've lost faith in the courts, people can protest. You've seen protests remove dictators elsewhere in the world.” Meanwhile, Museveni threatened to arrest Besigye if he encourages protests. He said demonstrators will be "bundled" into the courts and jail. "Revolt? Let him try, let him try, because the hour is here now, and then he will know what it means to revolt," Museveni told reporters on Friday. (Reuters press agency)

The battle lines are drawn, but will the people respond? I’ve been scanning Twitter (#ugandavotes) for signs of a popular uprising. I’ve seen a half dozen messages mentioning Egypt, Libya, and Bahrain, and a half dozen more messages including the term “people power”. Another tweet says, “I dreamt we could fit on city square.”

You be the judge as to whether 15 tweets are indicative of impending protests against the elections and government. (Note—I have searched, unsuccessfully, for any real Facebook-based Uganda protest movement. I found a page called “Museveni must go”, but it has only 200 members and has been updated only once in 2011).

Still no reports of media induced or exacerbated violence related to the election. Also, Kampala remains calm, quiet.

2011-02-19T00:32:00.007-06:00

PARTIAL TALLY GIVES PREZ HUGE LEAD
--Kampala “quiet and calm like Christmas day”

7:00 PM DAY AFTER ELECTION—Kampala remains very, very calm. I took a brief walk today, and was startled by the lack of traffic—1/5 the traffic of a usual Saturday. The newsstand where I typically buy my newspapers was closed. Only a few boda boda (motorbike taxi) drivers lounged around. Usually, I see dozens of bodas. One Tweet summed it up: “Kampala calm and quiet, like Christmas day. Too quiet?” The Daily Monitor newspaper reports beefed-up security, including a heavy arm presence, at Electoral Commission headquarters.

There are several current unconfirmed reports of police deployments, shots fired, and tear gas incidents in eastern districts. Again, these have not been verified.

Meanwhile, new partial vote tallies are being released every two hours. The latest totals indicate a landslide for the sitting president, who is garnering 70% of the vote. His lead is no surprise, but there’s shock at the huge margin. The final tally is expected tomorrow. The leading challenger, Kizza Besigye, just held a press conference wherein he rejected the results as tainted by bribery and intimidation. An NGO monitoring the election, DemGroup, said in today’s Monitor that it has recorded 6,090 incidents of bribery, mostly by the ruling NRM party.

A reporter friend emailed me that residents in Gulu in the north are still upset about all the electoral process snafus. She wrote, “Many voters were bitter about their names missing in voter register yet they say during the voter display last October their names were in the register; this denied them opportunity to vote. Few arrests within the municipality as result of some indiscipline acts of some campaign agents trying to woo votes even at polling stations. There was a brief fight between polling officials and the RDC and his men in Pader district. On the whole Northern Uganda is calm. I hope the situation remains the same after (final) results are announced.”

My family and I are fine, though starting to go a little stir-crazy. We’ll hang out one more day in the apartment, and if Kampala remains calm, we’ll venture out on Monday.

----------
D-DAY PLUS ONE: QUIET AS VOTES COUNTED
--Still no reports of media induced or exacerbated violence

9:30AM SATURDAY—DAY AFTER ELECTION—Things seem to have been quiet overnight. I haven’t run across any new reports of protests, unrest, or violent incidents. The Daily Monitor reports that as of about 9pm last night, “Kampala City Centre is deserted in the early evening hours as both military police and army deployed heavily soon after elections closed. All the major roads in the centre… are all under close surveillance with foot and mobile military patrols.” (See yesterday’s blogs below for details about the violence, which the New York Times dubbed, “sporatic flare-ups”.)

Ugandans will be discussing for weeks (months) the confusion at the polling places yesterday. One journalist friend writes, “I am not happy and very disappointed with the Electoral Commission, not sure of the new name they should be given. Is it, “Electoral Confusion”? Many people could not vote because of missing names, displacement and misplacement of pictures etc and my disappointment is that even now, the EC Chairman has not come out to apologize and explain. This is total confusion from EC. What exactly went wrong with the voter register, is that a smart way of rigging? Not fair for citizens to fail to exercise his voting rights.” (Photo above--Counting ballots early Friday night in Kampala. Source--NY Times).

Meanwhile, in no surprise, President Museveni leads his rivals in early provisional results with 72% of the vote. (4700 out of 23,000 polling stations reporting). The Independent reports that Museveni’s vote take has increased even in Northern Uganda, where he has traditionally received few votes.

Personally, everything is calm and quiet here in the center of Kampala.

2011-02-18T00:09:00.018-06:00

UGANDA COUNTS VOTES; OPPOSITION CRIES FOUL
--Reports of scattered violence centered in East; Kampala quiet

10:00PM ELECTION DAY—NTV and UBC networks have begun announcing individual precinct vote totals which show President Museveni with a very early lead. Final, certified results are expected Saturday night or Sunday, although the consensus is that Museveni is a shoo-in.

There were reports of scattered violence this afternoon, although things seem to have calmed down tonight. All of the most serious incidents occurred in Mbale district in Eastern Uganda. NTV interviewed a Mbale reporter riding in an MP’s car when the reporter was shot, reportedly by the army. The Independent newspaper writes that there were injuries and one death in Sironko in Eastern Uganda. In a separate incident in Mbale district, three people died and four were injured after being stuck by a fleeing government minister’s car, according to the Monitor newspaper. There have been no reports of violence in Kampala, though the army has been heavily deployed in the city.

I have heard no reports today about irresponsible media or media-induced or exacerbated violence. This includes the media monitoring section on Uganda Watch, an SMS election monitoring tool. Since preventing media induced violence is the goal of our Peace Journalism project, this preliminary report is very gratifying.

TV and newspapers reported about unsealed ballot boxes, late or absent polling materials and personnel, names missing from voting rolls, and chaos at some polling places. According to the Monitor, Electoral Commission Chairman Badru Kiggundu apologized for the election “hiccups”, arguing that Uganda is a growing democracy. Meanwhile, European Union observers have expressed their disappointment in the general election. “The impression is that the process is not systematic,” EU chief observer Edward Scicluna told the Monitor. He told NTV that election precinct officials showed “ignorance” that reflected “a lack of training.”

The opposition is already crying foul. The FDC party told the Monitor, “The election process as has been witnessed has been characterized by electoral flaws. [There has been] mass rigging for the president.”

On a personal note, my wife, son, and I hunkered down safely in our apartment. We’re fine. As a political junkie, I’ll probably be up half the night watching election returns.

--Next Update—8-9am Kampala time Saturday morning--
----------
5:00PM ELECTION DAY—An NPR report today discusses numerous delays and long lines of voters. News24 reports on missing ballots in Rubaga, and implies that the delays may be deliberately designed to disenfranchise opposition voters. Uganda’s NTV calls the Rubaga problems “anomolies” involving unsealed ballot boxes. Radio CBS Kampala reports three hour waits to vote in the Masaka area. One recent Twitter message details long lines late this afternoon in Kasubi, Lungujja, and Ggaba. However, The Standard (Kenya) writes that all voting materials and officials were ready to go on time this morning in Eastern districts. (Photo--Patient Kampala voters today. Source--AP)

The Times (South Africa) writes that the Ugandan government is censoring SMS messages today that might incite the public, including editing out words like “Tunisia, Egypt, Tear Gas, and People Power”.

There are several reports of scattered violence, but nothing seemingly organized or systematic. The New Vision website reports there was gunfire in the Budadiri region, but doesn’t mention any injuries. In Sironko and Moroto, two unconfirmed Uganda Watch SMS messages indicate possible violent incidents. In the East, a Uganda Watch report also indicates beatings and injuries in Mbale district. These are confirmed by NTV, which interviewed a photojournalist who says he was beaten by security forces in Budadiri. NTV says one person was killed in Mbale district, but offered few details. An NTV reporter says there is a heavy military presence in the streets of Mbale town, and that “people are scared”. In the North, The New Vision reports 11 were arrested in Apac for “allegedly beating up people”. There are no reports of violent incidents in Kampala. Our neighborhood remains quiet except for the screaming toddler next door. We’re all just fine.
--------------
NOON ELECTION DAY--A few bumps are being reported. Uganda Watch (a text message based system wherein citizens report voting irregularities) is reporting several unconfirmed, isolated violent incidents—one shooting, and several cases of government supporters allegedly beating up opponents. It’s important to note that these incidents are unverified. NTV reported some delays in voting in Jinja and Moroto because of late-arriving ballots. Also, 18 were arrested in Lira with machetes in their hands and hundreds of dollars in their pockets for allegedly bribing and intimidating voters. Meanwhile, the New York Times has an interesting piece about Uganda and the election. As for the local newspaper websites, nothing has been updated yet today. Pretty lame. Everything seems very quiet here in our Kampala neighborhood.
----------------
9:00AM ELECTION DAY--So far, so good…Ugandans began heading to the polls at 7:00 am today to elect a president and parliamentary representatives. NTV reports that some rain in eastern districts has “disorganized” the voting process, while in Masaka some voters are confused by the ballot. Uganda Watch (a text message based system wherein citizens report voting irregularities) is reporting some intimidating tactics by the Ugandan army. The Daily Monitor newspaper reports similar intimidation in Gulu in northern Uganda, where security forces have virtually taken over the city. I also have received a similar report from a journalist colleague, who has observed the army “flooding” areas near polling stations in western districts. Most importantly, at this point, there have been no reports of violence.

2011-02-16T01:12:00.002-06:00

Ugandan Peace Clubs promote violence-free elections

I spent a wonderful day yesterday in Kasese meeting with some personal heroes of mine—about 18 Ugandans who are working diligently to ensure that there is no violence during Friday’s elections. These citizens have come together to organize peace clubs in their western Ugandan communities (Kasese, Rukungiri, Kabale, and Fort Portal). These clubs have been reaching out to citizens (through radio messages and visits to churches, mosques, and schools) urging them to maintain the peace. I was very impressed with their activities, and encouraged that their worthwhile efforts will bear fruit. (For photo album of the Kasese Peace Summit, click here).

Stay tuned to this page for regular updates on the Ugandan elections on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

2011-02-12T01:01:00.002-06:00

Home from Arua; Election Updates posted here

Back in Kampala after long trip from Arua, in far NW Uganda. Great seminar--very engaged journalists. (See photo. For complete photo album of the seminar, click here).

Meanwhile, we're preparing ourselves for the presidential election on Friday. See article below. Stay tuned to this site for full details and regular updates. I plan to update several times on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Hopefully, there won't be much to report--other than election results.

Ugandan elections ignite concerns

From the Parkville Luminary

MASAKA, UGANDA—This being Africa, and this being election time, you’ll excuse me if I worry about my Ugandan friends.

I’m worried about Gloria, who lives just a few miles from the site of a tire-burning riot a few years ago. I’m concerned about Gloria’s two adorable girls, especially my god-daughter and namesake, 1 ½ year old Stephanie, who finally let me hold her a few weeks ago.

I’m worried about Tabu, who lives in an economically depressed neighborhood where violence might be more likely. I’m concerned that Tabu and his family could become targets if violence breaks out because Tabu is a grass roots organizer for a political party.

Most of all, I’m worried sick about the 320 radio journalists who we’ve trained since last July. These journalists will be immersed in the crowds, right there on the ground, and will be in real danger if violence breaks out during or after the Ugandan presidential election scheduled for Feb. 18.

This worry is understandable, given the legacy of election related violence here in Africa. In Kenya in 2007-08, 800 people died and 250,000 were displaced in post-election violence. Ghana, Zimbabwe, Togo, and Ethiopia have all suffered from election violence in recent years. Now, Cote D’Ivoire is in the grips of what could be a very violent situation.

No one knows if the election this Friday will be violent, although no one doubts that this is a real possibility. There are number of risk factors for violence present in Uganda. The electoral commission, which is supposed to administer a non-partisan, fair election, is widely seen as corrupt and unfair. The 2006 presidential election here was largely rigged, according to a Ugandan court ruling that acknowledged the fraud but did not overturn the result. Stir in past animosities between the government and several tribes, threats and intimidation by candidates and their supporters, and you have a tinderbox just waiting for a match.

After eight months here working with radio journalists, I am confident that this match igniting conflict will not be thrown by the press. I am directing and teaching a Peace Journalism program here designed to show journalists the important role they play in not inciting violence and framing their stories in such a way as to lay a foundation for peace. I believe that the radio journalists understand the stakes, and will not induce the violence here, the way radio in particular has fueled conflicts in Kenya and Rwanda.

The question remains, however: Even if the violence isn’t started by media, will the politicians light the match? Certainly, bitter, defeated politicians are as dangerous as wounded animals. Will there be peaceful post-election protests that turn violent because of brutal security forces? Extra security forces here don’t make things extra secure, and are as likely to spark violence as to prevent it.

Even the most well informed Ugandans I ask don’t seem to know if there will be violence, offering guesses all over the map, from completely peaceful to significant rioting and unrest. If Ugandans do take to the streets, I’m hopeful that the Egyptian revolution can show them that non-violence is a desirable, even preferable option.

As Friday approaches, Ugandans are understandably nervous. Seeing riot police moving around in their full battle gear is disquieting, as is reading about new water cannon and tear gas trucks being delivered in Kampala. The bomb sniffing dogs at the shopping center yesterday didn’t exactly put us at ease.

In a travel advisory urging Americans to exercise caution, the State Department writes, “Uganda’s 2006 presidential and parliamentary elections generally were orderly and peaceful, and there are no indications that the 2011 elections will be any different.” I concur, though I concede that this may be wishful thinking. Whatever happens, my wife, son, and I will be hunkered down safely in a well-stocked apartment in a guarded compound in a well-policed, safe part of the city. So please save your concern, as well as your thoughts and prayers, for the vast majority of Ugandans who do not have the luxury of safety. My family and I hope and pray for peace on Feb. 18 and the nervous days that will follow.

2011-02-09T08:17:00.003-06:00

Melting, melting, melting (what a world....)

1. Yes, it's that hot in Arua, in dusty far northwestern Uganda. This is by far the hottest place in the country--low 90's the last two days. At least it cools down at night, which is more than I can say for Kansas City, where it's sometimes 85 or 90 at midnight.
2. Great seminar here with really enthusiastic participants. It's our last three day seminar before the Feb. 18 presidential election. I've started to get nervous about the election. Will radio stations behave responsibly, or will they incite violence?
3. Finally, I am meeting tonight with the Arua Rotary Club, which is co-sponsoring school lunch program here with the Parkville, Missouri Rotary Club. More on this later, including photos, a radio story, and a column.

2011-02-05T00:05:00.004-06:00

Nairobi, Kenya: clean, interesting

Just spent four days in Nairobi. My first impressions were all positive. I love the Kenya National Museum (featuring 2-3 million year old human remains) and the adjoining Snake Park (Left-black mamba. For complete photo album, click here). The city is clogged but clean. In fact, smoking is not allowed anywhere in the city center--even outdoors. Of course, I know that this tourist's-eye-view of Nairobi is just an illusion, since one of Africa's biggest and poorest slums lies just a few miles away from the city center.

The land(s) of the brave

From the Parkville Luminary

NAIROBI, KENYA—The Kenyan reporter sitting two chairs down from me was arrested, beaten, and eventually fled for his life. His crime: exposing government corruption. The young German media trainer sitting next to me is understandably concerned about her security in Afghanistan, but said she can’t afford mentally to obsess about safety issues every waking moment. The Zimbabwean newspaper editor across the room gets regular visits from government security thugs. These menacing goons are sent by Zimbabwe’s repressive government to intimidate the editor into ceasing his criticism of the country’s leaders. The grinning editor laughs off these incidents as though he were somehow bulletproof.

Soldiers get medals for their bravery. If they ever start giving bravery medals to journalists and those who train them, the courageous, dedicated professionals I just spent two and a half days with at a seminar in Nairobi, Kenya would surely be the first to be recognized for their fearless dedication.

These unflappable individuals gathered at a Conflict Sensitive Journalism (CSJ) Experts Forum sponsored by a Danish NGO, International Media Services. The 20 participants came from around the world, including Sweden, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Argentina, Liberia, Uganda, U.S., Kenya, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, and the Philippines. The seminar’s goal was to discuss conflict sensitive journalism projects around the world, and to leverage the participants’ experiences to improve resource materials for CSJ trainers. CSJ follows most of the same principles as its cousin peace journalism. Both aim, essentially, to help reporters avoid fueling conflicts and make choices that lay a foundation for peace.

The most striking conversations at the seminar revolved around safety and security issues for journalists. This is especially salient for these seminar participants, and those who they train, because of the hostile environments under which many of them operate. I have always known that properly executed CSJ and peace journalism can make societies safer. What these brave individuals taught me is that peace reporting can protect individual journalists by teaching professional skills and conduct that can help trainees avoid being victimized. Indeed, one presenter noted that 50% of journalists’ safety issues can be resolved if journalists conduct themselves ethically and in a professional manner. Thus, just doing our job as trainers can help reduce the appalling amount of violence directed at our journalistic brethren.

At the seminar, several CSJ presenters discussed country-specific security issues and initiatives. One trainer outlined a forward thinking journalist safety program underway in one of the world’s scariest places—Afghanistan. The need for this initiative, involving safe houses and a security hotline, underscores the bravery demonstrated by any journalist or any journalism trainer who dares to go to Afghanistan, where 22 journalists have been murdered since 1992 (cpj.org).

A trainer of Filipino reporters (71 murdered since 1992) relayed the sad story of an ambush killing of 32 journalists in a convoy in 2009. The murderers haven’t been brought to justice, so a number of journalists and trainers in journalism have formed a group called N23 (the mass murder was on Nov. 23) to apply pressure to bring the killers to justice. Equally horrifying was the tragic story of a Sri Lankan (18 killed since 1992) photojournalist who snapped pictures of five kids murdered by the government. When the photojournalist’s name became public, the photographer was dead within 24 hours.

What made all these presentations so powerful was that most of those delivering these messages are living and working under a cloud of intimidation in repressive, dangerous places like Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. (Incidentally, in Uganda, where I’m teaching peace journalism, there is intimidation, but not the kind of epidemic, jarring violence against journalists that characterizes daily life in other places.)

Despite the danger, the journalism trainers remain courageously committed to their profession and to the notion that their trainees can avoid inflaming conflicts while practicing security-enhancing professional and ethical conduct. 849 journalists worldwide have been killed in the line of duty since 1992. If our CSJ and peace journalism seminars can prevent even one reporter from being added to this tally, then our efforts will have been worthwhile.

2011-02-03T13:10:00.002-06:00

Best seminar ever; Eating camel

In Nairobi, Kenya for three days attending Conflict Sensitive Journalism Experts Forum organized by Danish NGO International Media Services. I’ve never attended such a relevant, fascinating seminar, thanks no doubt in large part to the attendees from around the world—Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Sweden, etc. More on this later. Also, I ate roasted camel (among other meats) this evening. I’ll say this—it’s better than stir fried donkey. (Photo--actual camel roast, from someone on the Internet who actually took this picture)

2011-01-29T03:10:00.006-06:00

No place in Uganda, or anywhere

As you may have read, Ugandan gay activist David Kato was killed last week under suspicious circumstances. I know this statement will put me at odds with some of my Ugandan friends, but I'll say it anyway: Homophobia, and indeed hatred in general, has no place in Uganda, or anywhere else for that matter. For a nice tribute to Mr. Kato, see this story from the NY Times.

Ugandan wedding induces possible hearing loss

From the Parkville Luminary

For a complete photo album from the wedding, click here.

GULU, UGANDA—The last time my ears rung like this, I was a teenager sitting in front of the speakers at a Ted Nugent rock concert.

The culprit this time wasn’t amplified heavy metal, but instead ululations belted out by an enthused congregant at a Ugandan wedding we recently attended here in the northern part of the country. For the uninitiated, a ululation is a high-pitched sound (la-la-la) made with the tongue. It’s done to denote joy or sadness. A ululation has a trilling, up-and-down quality, and when done by experts, like the Acholi women of northern Uganda, it is louder than the loudest shout or scream.

The woman sitting next to me at the wedding had a black belt in ululation, expressing herself so loudly that she was probably heard in Sudan, about 50 miles away. Ted Nugent, eat your heart out.

The recipients of the many ululations of joy were the bride and groom Susan and Martin. Susan is the sister of my friend/project assistant Gloria, who requested our presence at the wedding.

The wedding, held in an Anglican church, was very western in most respects. One difference was the length—two hours. The biblically uncomfortable pews (they would’ve been a good test for Job) were really more like benches, and were apparently built to force parishioners to their knees. Also, there were no lights or electricity for most of the service. When the power did come on, I quipped to the ululating lady next to me, “Let there be light”. She was not amused. One other major difference was the ululating, sometimes substituted for “amens” and at other times broadcast seemingly at random.

The best part of the wedding service was the fantastic music. Unlike the crappy music at many American weddings (“The Carpenters”, for example), this music was uplifting and joyful. There were five musicians. One played a big drum while the other four played a magical string instrument called an ennanga. Four of the ennangas were small, held in the lap, while the other was huge, and produced a deep bass sound. The wonderful rhythms produced by the musicians were accompanied by the harmonies of a smiling, enthusiastic, professional choir. I could have listened to them all day. Indeed, the wedding ceremony felt like all day thanks to the uncomfortable seating, the escalating temperatures, and the ululating-induced blood trickling from my ear. (Not really, but I did poke my finger into my ear a couple of time to make sure that nothing was leaking).

The wedding was followed by the reception, which was held at a nearby primary school. Unlike American receptions, the Ugandans front-load their receptions with all the ceremony and tedium—cake cutting, speeches, more bridal processions, etc. This event was planned for the school’s courtyard. However, high winds brought down the reception tents and chairs, so the event was moved into a smaller, sweltering auditorium-like room. The most delightful part of this two-hour sequence was when some of the colorfully dressed ladies decided that they had to dance, so they sauntered down the aisle showing off all of their best moves—the bunny hop, the booty shake, and something resembling a move from an old Fred Astaire movie involving lots of arm-swinging. Of course, all this fun was accompanied by ululations that were heard in Cairo, Egypt.

My wife joined in the frivolity. I’m fearful that her “dancing” may require diplomatic intervention if an international incident is to be avoided. She also attempted to ululate, with emphasis on the word attempted.

Dinner (beef, chicken, rice, potatoes, greens, and some of the best cabbage I’ve ever eaten) followed all the ceremonial festivities, and was served buffet style. As the Ugandans say, the food was very nice.

While the dinner, dancing, and music were enchanting, the best part of the day was meeting all of Gloria’s warm, wonderful family. My wife, son, and I just loved them, and look forward to spending more time with them the next time we’re in Gulu. Maybe by that time, the ringing in my ears will have subsided, and we can engage in a conversation during which I can actually hear what’s being said, or what’s being ululated.

2011-01-26T09:35:00.004-06:00

Eye on Iganga

At the end of our recent seminar in Iganga, Uganda, two of my seminar participants and myself visited Eye-FM. (Yes, it's a curious name for a radio station). We participated in a 30-minute live program wherein we discussed peace journalism and played stories crafted by the participants (radio reporters) during my seminar. We've held about 15 such broadcasts thus far throughout Uganda. For a video feature on this Eye-FM visit, click here.

2011-01-22T06:49:00.006-06:00

Seminars, meetings show impact, but is it enough?

From the Parkville Luminary

NOTE: For photos from my Peace Journalism seminars, including the seminars/meetings listed below, click here.

GULU, UGANDA—I envy doctors, because they often know right away if they’ve done a good job, since their patient is either better or dead. For those of us in education, there is seldom such finality, such closure.

This is especially true of my work here in Uganda. Among other things, I am teaching seminars for radio journalists and announcers, helping them discover story-telling in a way that helps to minimize conflict and reduces the possibility of violence. This kind of training is especially urgent given that Uganda will hold its presidential and parliamentary elections in February. (Right--PJ follow up meeting, Soroti)

My Ugandan colleague and I have given 17 such seminars for journalists in the last seven months, and aside from scattered anecdotal reports, we were not really sure if we were making an impact. We found out last week.

In Soroti (eastern Uganda) and Gulu (northern), our peace journalism program convened day-long follow up meetings with journalists and announcers who had previously attended our seminars. Each was a regional meeting, drawing participants from multiple locations where seminars had been held.

At each meeting, after reviewing peaceful electoral reporting principles, I led the journalists in a small group exercise where they were called upon to list successes they’ve had since attending our seminar, and challenges they still face in doing the job. I held my breath during this exercise, worried that the challenges would far outnumber the successes. They didn’t.

The first journalists’ group, in Soroti, listed so many successes that I had a hard time fitting them on one page of my giant writing pad. Among other things, the radio professionals said that their newscasts and stories had improved in overall quality and flow; that their reporting was more fair and balanced than before, that they were making a special effort to give all parties a chance to respond to campaign issues; that they have started interviewing more average people and using their concerns to corner leaders; that they more thoroughly research their stories now; and that some have implemented comprehensive policies/guidelines at their radio stations, resulting in more consistency and professionalism.

I was especially glad to hear the seminar participants report that politicians have even changed their behavior, being more careful with what they say (since they’re now being held accountable for their words) while treating the journalists with more respect.

The former attendees of our seminars who gathered in Gulu a few days later made similar comments, citing an enhanced overall professionalism—better balanced stories, improved objectivity and accuracy, and no media-induced violence.

The reports given last week in meetings we organized of peace club members were equally gratifying. Last year, in 14 cities we visited, we gathered together community leaders with the idea that they might choose to form peace clubs and advocate for peace during this election season. In a few places, our suggestion was ignored. In most others, based on our recent meetings, the peace clubs have flourished. In Tororo and Gulu, we met with peace club members who reported a flurry of peace advocacy activities, including broadcasting weekly radio programs to discuss peace; going to campaign rallies, recording politicians, and later playing back those words in an effort to discourage divisive or violent speech; holding candidate forums and debates wherein personal attacks are forbidden; and forming committees to monitor media to ensure that they are not inciting violence. The Tororo Peace Club has even written some pretty peace poetry that is read daily on a local radio station. (Pix above right--Peace Club, Tororo).

Not being completely naïve, I know some of these reports from peace club members and journalists represent just typical Ugandan politeness—telling me what I want to hear, rather than reflecting actual reality. Still, I have heard enough positive reports from different sources that I can only reach the conclusion that the seminars for the journalists and peace club mobilizations are having a positive impact here in Uganda. Whether this means a violence-free election is yet to be seen.

2011-01-18T09:21:00.002-06:00

Peaceful in Iganga

Landed in Iganga last night for three day Peace Journalism seminar. Good, active group of journalists. Hotel has lovely view of a busy, noisy highway. Good news, though: you can barely hear the trucks churning past because The Loudest Rooster on the African Continent is stationed nearby, crowing 24/7.

In other news, attended wedding in Gulu on Saturday. Fascinating, and long. Wife/son looked very African, and quite presentable. I looked like I always look--disheveled and disoriented. Details and photos will follow, so stay tuned.

2011-01-14T06:36:00.005-06:00

Busy, busy week

Five seminars/meetings this week in three different towns. Pooped. In Gulu, in Northern Uganda, now. We're all attending a Ugandan wedding tomorrow. Stay tuned for details.

Park Univ student, community band together to help Ugandan kids

From the Parkville Luminary

NOTE--To see complete photo album of the event below, click here.

KAMPALA, UGANDA—Here on a dusty, run down soccer field in the middle of town, when you say the name Park University, everyone lights up. That’s because Park University, and one Park student in particular, are unlikely heroes in this place that is literally and figuratively a world away from Parkville, Missouri.

We gathered on this dirt field on Jan. 8 for a ceremony handing over donations made by the Park University community to the Uganda Youth Soccer Academy (UYSA). The donations—soccer balls, gloves, water bottles, jerseys, and shoes—were collected by Park athletes and other students and staff and shipped to Uganda.

The equipment will be used by the 400 or so kids who are part of the Uganda Youth Soccer Academy. Its goal is to offer opportunities to the disadvantaged youth of Uganda through soccer and education. Founder Ivan Kakembo said that the UYSA offers weekly soccer practices for the kids, featuring professional coaches, while at the same time seeking scholarship funding to help the youngsters attend school. Kakembo said most of his soccer kids are orphans, and that many were born HIV positive. His kids are among 12-million Ugandan AIDS orphans, and some of the 150,000 people here under 14 who are HIV infected (unaids.org; 2009 statistics). Thus, the UYSA’s efforts are also increasingly concentrating on HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention. (Photo-Happy girl, donated shoes).

At the donation ceremony, about 100 kids of all ages crowded around as Kakembo said some inspirational words and thanked Park University for its generosity. Then, the equipment was passed around to the gleeful kids. They seemed especially taken with the fluorescent yellow water bottles, although the soccer balls were also a big hit. Boxed up, it looked like a lot of equipment. Once distributed, it was easy to see that the need is much greater.

Park’s donation to the UYSA is their second. The soccer team donated uniforms in 2008. Both donations were organized by Ugandan Park student athlete Simon Senfuka, an energetic and humble young man focused on giving back to those in his country who are less fortunate. During the brief ceremony, Senfuka stayed mostly in the background, saying just a few words, content to let his good works speak for themselves.

As the ceremony unfolded, on the sidelines, I noticed 30-40 other envious youngsters gazing wistfully at the soccer field. Kakembo said these are just a few of the hundreds of kids from a nearby slum who are interested in playing but unable to participate because the UYSA has limited resources.

After the ceremony, the kids had a great time trying out their new toys. Senfuka was in the middle of the action, showing off some moves during a scrimmage. Though unspoken, it was obvious to see the respect that the kids had for Senfuka both as a soccer player and as a man. Certainly, these youngsters could have no better role model.

Because so many of these young soccer players are touched by HIV/AIDS, Senfuka and Kakembo decided they needed to do something to help. They are organizing the first annual Kampala AIDS Walk fundraiser on April 30. The Kampala AIDS Walk will be held in conjunction with the Kansas City AIDS Walk on the same day. (For more information, go to: www.aidswalkkansascity.org ) The Park University international student services office, among others, is helping to tie the two events together.

The overall goal of the Kampala AIDS Walk is to raise funds to reduce the spread of AIDS among marginalized youth in Kampala. Specifically, the organizers plan to distribute HIV/AIDS information and condoms to 5,000 youth. In addition, proceeds from the event will pay to counsel and test 500 young people for HIV.

This is the first AIDS Walk in Uganda, but Senfuka and Kakembo are determined to pull it off. Given their passion and dedication, I have no doubt that the event will meet all of its goals. I also have no doubt that planning and financial support from the Park University students, faculty, staff, and alumni will also play a pivotal role in the event’s success. I’m proud of Simon Senfuka, and all those at Park University who are helping to support this most worthy cause.

2011-01-08T03:58:00.004-06:00

Off to Tororo, Soroti, Gulu

My Peace and Electoral Journalism project resumes this week with three stops. We'll be meeting with journalists and community peace activists. With the election approaching in six weeks, every minute is crucial now as we seek to prevent violence, or at least minimize it if it does occur.

Also, visited Betty/six orphans (see Dec. 19 blog) last week in Fort Portal. Wonderful seeing the kids, spreading a little holiday cheer. Click here for photo album. Was especially pleased to get this youngster (pictured) off to a good start in life.

Abysmal vehicle provides unlikely opportunity

From the Parkville Luminary

MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, UGANDA—As the smoke from my car’s engine began to envelop me, for a moment I couldn’t even see the dashboard, let alone the opportunity that this latest vehicular calamity would offer my wife to give a little bit of herself to some needy kids.

My wife Barbara and son Alex and I were on our way to Fort Portal in Western Uganda when the smoke began to waft over us. Our driver Tabu screeched the car to a halt along the side of the road, and I screamed at my family to quickly abandon ship. Tabu sprung out of the car, and miraculously extinguished the flames that were dancing on several engine wires.

I was red with rage. This car, a “Mitsubishi Lemon”, has broken down 73,908 times since I bought it in June, leaving me stranded all over the country. In no particular order, this Lemon’s maladies have included flat and leaky tires, a bad starter, hose issues, a leaky gas tank, a broken oil pump which led to a nearly melted engine, gear box maladies, and now a fizzled electrical system. (Not being a complete idiot, I did have a “mechanic” examine the car before I bought it. This “mechanic” might have been in cahoots with the seller. Or, perhaps he was just comically, criminally incompetent.)

As we lay wounded about 45 minutes from our destination, I pounded the car seat with my fist and shouted a variety of unimaginative obscenities. Barbara and Alex wisely maneuvered out of my path and strolled over to the side of the road, where they began chatting with several dozen people who ambled by while we were stranded. Barbara good-naturedly complimented the ladies on their beautiful, colorful dresses and on their adorable children while Alex smiled and nodded, content to let mom do the talking this time.

About the time the mechanic arrived to take a look at my Lemon, Barbara asked me if it would be okay if she gave chocolates to four skinny kids who were by the roadside staring at our pathetic, broken down spectacle. I told her sure, knowing that Barbara would get a bigger kick out of the transaction than the kids. The hungry-looking youngsters smiled weakly as Barbara carefully handed each a square, dark chocolate. She chatted with the kids, clad in threadbare t-shirts, trying to ascertain their life stories and spread a little sunshine. A few minutes later, Barbara said she would sleep well knowing that she made the kids’ day by giving them some chocolates. If anyone else had uttered these sappy words, I might have rolled my eyes and made that scoffing noise. However, coming from Barbara, I know these were sincere thoughts.

On our way back to Kampala, after a second electrical breakdown and another obscene tirade, we managed to get the car back to Fort Portal, where we were able to hire a mechanic who had actually worked on a car before. While the mechanic did his magic, a skinny young boy, maybe 8 or 9, walked into the office where we were waiting, and requested a pen and paper to write out a message. His name was Turee. Barefoot, dirty, and mute due to a physical defect, Turee scribbled out a request for food. It was easy to see that he needed it. Barbara gave him all the food we had--a candy bar and a half-consumed soda. Turee scarfed them in a minute or so. Had we been thinking, we would have marched him to the nearest grocery store and bought him a sack full of food.

As Turee finished his snack, Barbara attempted to communicate with him. This was difficult because he’s mute and because he didn’t know English. Still, Barbara got her message across with smiles and with pantomime—pointing to her heart then pointing to his. The tears streaming across Barbara’s face as Turee left were both predictable and understandable.

I was proud of Barbara and her compassion for Turee and the roadway kids, and I won’t forget the lesson she taught me about seizing every opportunity, even if those opportunities initially seem like disasters. As long as we have a chance to share the many gifts we’ve been given (chocolate or otherwise), it doesn’t matter if we’re stuck with a Lemon. Today, Barbara reminded me how to make lemonade.

2011-01-05T07:51:00.002-06:00

Lazy photog posts "best of 2010" pictures

Rather than toil taking actual new pictures, I have instead selected and posted my Favorite Ugandan Photos of 2010. Of course, the problem is that I took these, so don't expect much.

Hey Hey it's the Monkees

Spent Monday at the Jacana Lodge in Queen Elizabeth Park hanging out with my wife, son, and about 15 colobus monkeys. The monkeys put on quite a show swinging around, eating, play-fighting, and so on for most of the day. My highlight was a 15-minute close encounter with a female and her newborn offspring. They seemed oblivious to our presence. (Photo by someone with a better camera than mine: from African safari pictures.com)

2010-12-31T12:09:00.003-06:00

Back in Uganda

My wife, son, and I arrived in Uganda last night exhausted from a long, delayed trip. Yes, snow on the U.S. East coast disrupts air travel nearly everywhere. We leave tomorrow to visit Betty and the six orphans (see Christmas story below) in Fort Portal. Then, it's off to wonderful Queen Elizabeth National Park for a couple of days of R and R. Our peace journalism schedule resumes in Tororo and Gulu the week of January 10th.

More random, seemingly unrelated thoughts from this part of the world

From the Parkville Luminary

TORORO, UGANDA—One of the journalists who attended my recent peace journalism seminar relayed a fascinating tale regarding two candidates for political office and their wacky wives. We’ll call them Candidate A, his wife Mrs. A, Candidate B, and Mrs. B. Candidate A is sick. Mrs. A believes that Mr. A’s illness has been caused by “bewitching” that was allegedly done by the wife of Candidate B. So, Mrs. A went to confront Mrs. B, and fisticuffs ensued. The upshot—Mrs. A told Mrs. B that if Mr. A dies, the bewitching will be to blame. As retribution for a dead husband, Mrs. A said that she would steal Mr. B from his wife. After relaying this murky tale, the storyteller then asked me, with a straight face, how I would cover such a story as a journalist. Bewildered, I gave some lame answer about trying to stick to the facts. How can you cover such a story and not sound like the “National Enquirer”?

American election cycles would definitely be enlivened by battling spouses, evil spells, and husband/wife-swapping. I’m thinking that this could be especially entertaining if it were to involve Sarah Palin, since it would set up a no-survivors smackdown between Todd Palin and Michelle Obama. The smart money’s on Michelle, by the way.

ON THE ROAD IN UGANDA—In 2010, we have made 20 car trips to all parts of Uganda, and have covered 4,993 miles. To put this in perspective, that’s more than the distance from Kansas City to London, England (4391 miles), and about the same as KC to Recife, Brazil (5034 miles). There are no rest stops anywhere, and answering the call of nature puts you in close contact with nature. Keep your eyes open for snakes.

Other than two horrible, cratered stretches between Kampala and Fort Portal and Kampala and Masaka, the roads haven’t been too bad. In fact, many have been worked on recently due to the fact that this is an election year and the ruling party wants to pave its path to victory with the claim that the roads have improved.

However, because they’re 99.5% two lane roads, and because Ugandans drive like bewitched demons, the roads are deadly dangerous. Not a week goes by without news of a grizzly, fiery smash up, often featuring packed mini vans and buses and involving multiple casualties. Passing on curves and hills is normal here, and near misses are as common as pimples on a teenager. As we ride along, always seconds away from oblivion, I employ an effective defense mechanism against this mayhem. I simply to stare off into the scenery, away from the road, fixing my gaze on a banana farm, some goats, or youngsters getting intro mischief. So far, this method has proven 100% effective in preventing injury, death, or accidental bowel release.

2010-12-26T09:35:00.002-06:00

Christmas 2010

Thanks everyone for your heart-felt comments about my Christmas column. (See previous post below from Dec. 19). Special thanks also to the Cibotaru-Anschutz family in Kansas City, whose generous donation will definitely help Betty and her mom stay afloat. My Christmas in Kansas City with my family (domestic and international) was wonderful. Tomorrow, it's back to Uganda. This time, my wife and son will go along. Wish me luck--not with the Ugandans, but with my wife and son. (Just kidding, honey bun).

Ugandans wish for peaceful 2011

From the Parkville Luminary

KAMPALA, UGANDA—Ugandans are looking forward to 2011 with a mixture of hope, anticipation, fear, and dread. At least, that was the reaction of those who were asked what their New Year’s wish was for Uganda in 2011. Not coincidentally, all of the wishes relate to the presidential election on Feb. 18, 2011.

“My wish is that a lot of Ugandans will go out there and vote in the coming elections. It's my understanding that many Ugandans have become apathetic about the system, so much so that they become silent enablers of an electoral system that is already corrupt. I also think that it's much harder for incumbents to rig elections when voter turnout is high, when people stay out there to watch the outcome of their efforts. They need to get out of their houses.” --Rodney Muhumuza, Ugandan journalist and graduate student, Columbia University, New York.

“My wish for Uganda this year is to have a good political climate during the coming elections and also vote good leaders that will fight to improve the welfare of the people rather than their own stomachs. This is very important because very many people are dying of poverty, starvation but the only thing we get from our leaders is corruption and embezzlement of funds aimed at meeting the needs of the dying Ugandans. So my wish is to see that we get good leaders that will transform the lives of the people and the country in general….I am so disappointed with our leaders today…” –Simon Senfuka, Park University student from Uganda.

“My New Year wish for Uganda is "Peaceful, Free and Fair Elections". This is mainly for two reasons. One is that Uganda never seem to get peaceful, not free and fair elections. The first elections under (Current President) Museveni in 1996 were characterized by violence. Before that, Museveni waged a bloody 5 year war because he contested elections. The last two elections (2001, 2006) have ended of in the Supreme Court with indictments about the process, institutions involved. Ugandans deserve better. Secondly, with all my young family back in Uganda and being almost physically removed from them, anything that seems to threaten them disturbs me terribly. I want them to live in an enabling environment, to feel at home in their country.” –JB Mayiga, former head, Uganda Media Development Foundation; current Canadian doctoral student.

“My New Year’s wish is: A new leader, a new beginning. I wish 2011 ushers in a new leader who will work on Uganda's problems starting from corruption, which I believe is responsible for the poor education system, poor road network, poor health system, poor housing, widening income inequality, sectarianism, nepotism, tribalism, unemployment and lack of respect for the constitution. Then Uganda will have a change that she so much deserves and desires.” –Caesar Kyebakola, business owner.

“My wish for New Year is peace during and after the general elections in 2011. This will prevent bloodshed which usually results from post election violence. May the Almighty God let it be, Amen.” –Grace Lekuru, radio journalist.

“My greatest new year’s wish for my country Uganda is peace and stability…Since 2006 neighboring countries like Kenya, Zimbabwe and Rwanda have also held elections. Countries like Kenya and Zimbabwe have had bad days of election violence just because the elections have not been free and fair which has been solved by forming power sharing deals. (During our election), if one side feels cheated they will resort to violence to make sure at least there is power sharing…I wish all Ugandans were seeing further than just being and having their leaders win , and set all eyes and efforts on peace and stability. I call upon all Ugandans to look further and keep in mind that when we have a peaceful nation, we shall enjoy all the fruits of peace which is my wish for all Ugandans come 2011.” --Betty Mujungu, radio journalist.

“I wish that the journalists cover stories in a balanced way and to say no to politician who move to use them to spread their propaganda and rumor. ..I wish we could have free and fair elections without and violence and above all, couples allowing their partners to freely vote for a candidate of their choice regardless of party differences. I also wish all my family and friends health.” --Gloria Laker, peace journalism project assistant.

My New Year’s wish is the same—peace for Uganda; not just for the sake of the wonderful people of Uganda, but for selfish reasons as well. After all, my wife and son will be with me in Uganda in 2011, and nothing is more important to me than their safety.

2010-12-19T09:52:00.004-06:00

Angels make Christmas memorable for six orphans

From the Parkville Luminary

FORT PORTAL, UGANDA—Try as they might, Annet, Jannet, Peter, Violet, Patrick, and Adolf are having a hard time forgetting Christmas, 2009.

Newly orphaned, isolated, and alone, the six kids, ages 4-13 at the time, were more worried about surviving than they were about celebrating.

“Christmas (2009) was not good for me, I had no clothes and we did not go to church,” said Violet, 9. Peter, 11, said Christmas “was not different from other ordinary days because even then life did not change because we had no any meals (except for) a neighbor who offered lunch.” “There was nothing special about last Christmas because we did not have any new clothes, no special meals and no parents,” said Janet, 13.

The oldest orphan, Annet, vainly tried to hold back tears as she recalled the 2009 holidays. “Christmas day was worse because it was the first Christmas with out our beloved mother who would try to make sure we have special meals and sodas. In the night it rained heavily and we did not sleep as the rain got to us through the dilapidated roof. Actually, I hate even recalling that Christmas because that is when I realized we were typical parentless because there was no one for us,” she said.

The six were left alone last Christmas after their father abused their mother, eventually killing her. Then, the alcoholic father killed himself, leaving Annet and her five younger brothers and sisters orphaned. None of their relatives would, or could, look after them, so they were absolutely alone in the world.

Enter Betty Mujungu, a journalist at Life FM in Fort Portal. As I first reported last summer, Betty produced a story about the orphans’ plight, featuring the kids telling their pathetic tale. In the radio report, the children talked openly about how they were suffering and didn’t have enough to eat. Annet told Betty about how one of the younger girls injured her leg escaping from a would-be rapist. Upon hearing this tragic story, Life FM’s listeners sprung into action. Ten different donors generously gave food and clothing to the children. Another donor is paying for all the kids to attend school.

Touched by the orphans’ story, Betty and her mother Edith Birungi decided to take in all six kids about four months ago. The orphans now call Betty “Dear Aunt” and Edith “Mum”.

Since they now have a home, Betty said the kids’ lives have “completely transformed into average standards of living with the children accessing both the basic and secondary requirements. Exposure to a new friendly environment of desirable dressing, schools, shelter as well as feeding makes the children hopeful of a life they never anticipated.”

The kids seem to be doing fine in school. “I didn`t know I would perform as good as this in class before, because in the previous days my studies were on and off as I would be frequently shut away from school due to failure to pay school fees,” noted Annet, who plans to be a doctor.

--Photo--The six orphans, looking "smart" in their school uniforms.--

The orphans have not only excelled at school, but they are also opening up to the community that embraced them. They participate in a weekly Saturday children’s radio program on Life FM. Betty observed that this show “has enhanced their communication capabilities because they can now talk with out fear… and teach their fellow children.”

Given their new life, it’s no surprise that the children have high hopes for Christmas 2010. This year, they want a celebration complete with new clothes, special meals, and a visit to church. Betty has assured the kids that she will “fulfill all of their demands.” Betty and Edith also plan to make a special Christmas cake to celebrate the holiday. “I am happy and believe we shall make it even when challenges come our way because it is not so easy to take good care of a big family like this…,” Betty said.

I have always loathed sappy sweet, corny holiday movies and TV shows, the kind that always make my wife cry. After learning about what Betty and Edith have done for these orphans, it’s hard for even a curmudgeon like me not to believe in angels and in Christmas miracles.

--To hear a radio report about Betty and the orphans, click here. Scroll down a bit. The story is called, Peace Journalist embraces orphans.--

2010-12-11T08:43:00.002-06:00

Crawling across the finish line

Our peace journalism seminars are done for 2010. We've taught 20 seminars for radio journalists and announcers throughout Uganda. Our message: that they can, through their reporting, create an atmosphere in their communities that encourages peace and reconciliation. I feel good about what we did, and how we did it. However, it's hard to provide much more analysis at this point without the benefit of some time and some perspective. Besides, I'm much too exhausted to do much analysis or thinking of any kind.

Random musings and indecipherable ramblings from the equatorial zone

WESTERN UGANDA—There is a morning radio announcer in a small town in this region who is quite popular despite a relatively small speech impediment. It seems that this young man is unable to pronounce his L’s, pronouncing them instead as R’s. (So, little would become rittle). This is especially noteworthy around this election time in Uganda. One source says his show has become more popular lately thanks to wiseacre listeners who are tuning in just to hear the announcer mispronounce the word election. I must confess myself to wanting to tune in to hear him discuss election malpractices, free and fair elections, and, of course, rigged elections.

KIBALE, UGANDA—Among our projects’ activities is bringing community leaders together to form Peace Clubs to support journalists practicing peace journalism and to lobby for non-violent elections. An outstanding example is a very active Peace Club in Kabale. They recently held a high profile launch ceremony, featuring 80 civic leaders, political leaders, media, academia, religious leaders and leaders of civil society. The day after the launch event, the Peace Club sponsored an elders' round-table forum aimed at conflict prevention for politicians in Kabale before, during, and after the 2011 elections. Facilitators included representatives from the Ugandan Electoral Commission and Human Rights Commission, Inter-religious council of Uganda, and the police. Impressive. If all Ugandans were this committed to peace, there is no doubt that 2011 will indeed be violence-free.

2010-12-07T07:04:00.002-06:00

Rocks under foot, or rocks in my head?

Recently climbed halfway up the 977-foot Tororo Rock in eastern Uganda. (Click here for photos). I do not recommend doing this on an empty stomach, during the hottest part of the day, and without water. The path was very vertical—45 degrees in some spots. The trip down was just that—a semi-controlled stumble over loose dirt and gravel. I never fell, but did have to use my hand any number of times to keep from landing on my rear. There’s a cool cave on the side of the rock inside of which a local congregation holds church services.

2010-12-04T00:48:00.002-06:00

Peace Journalism page updated; Big contest announced

The Peace Journalism Home Page has been updated with photos and our schedule for 2011. Check it out. Also, our project is unveiling a big electoral journalism contest for Ugandan radio reporters. Click here for details, and an entry form. Also, see newly posted photos of our outstanding seminar in Tororo.

Corruption Tarnishes Ugandan Journalists

From the Parkville Luminary

MASINDI, UGANDA—Is it wrong to steal bread to feed your starving family? Sadly, for many Ugandan journalists, this hypothetical conundrum is all too real. If you are not making enough as a radio reporter to feed yourself or your family, is it morally acceptable to receive a bribe from a greasy politician demanding favorable coverage?

Whether it’s morally correct or not, the practice of accepting bribes and taking brown envelopes stuffed with “facilitation” (transportation) money is commonplace among Uganda’s journalists.

I administered an unscientific survey in three different districts of Uganda during the last month, and asked 52 radio announcers and reporters who attended my peace journalism workshops about corruption in the journalism profession. When asked if they’d ever accepted a bribe, 56 percent said yes. The 28 “journalists” who took bribes said they had accepted them five times or less (18 respondents), 6-10 times (5), and more than 10 times (5). Who is bribing Uganda’s journalists? Not surprisingly, political candidates are by far the most common offenders. The survey indicated that businessmen, government officials, and political parties also regularly bribe reporters and announcers either for favorable coverage, or to kill an unflattering story.

Interestingly, the journalists’ response to a question about “facilitation” revealed a great deal about their mind set. “Facilitation” is a word used here to denote money given to journalists by newsmakers so that the journalists can pay to take a taxi or boda boda (motorbike) to cover an event. A disclaimer: radio stations here often don’t give reporters transportation money, leaving the journalists a difficult choice about whether to accept transport cash from news sources. 63% of journalists surveyed believe that facilitation is not bribery. This belief exists despite that fact that, during my workshops, we discuss the definition of bribery—giving/receiving something of value (transport money) in an attempt to curry influence (favorable press coverage).

The reporters and announcers were also asked to evaluate the overall level of corruption on a scale of 1-5 (1=least corrupt; 5=most corrupt) among journalists in their region. The average was in the middle, but the most frequently occurring responses were “not corrupt” (11) and, on the other end of the scale, “completely corrupt” (19). I would rate the corruption among journalists as a 4 or 5.

The survey results are buttressed by regular media reports of journalism corruption cases in Uganda. Two journalists are in jail after attempting to extort 40-million shillings ($17,777) in November from the head of the National Water and Sewerage Corporation. A few days before, officials foiled a 50-million shilling ($22,222) extortion scheme cooked up by two journalists and a lawyer that targeted the Public Works department. (Daily Monitor, 11-10-2010). At a political party meeting in September, brazen journalists “scribbled the names of 47 colleagues” who were demanding money and submitted them to the political party’s secretary. The secretary said the reporters “pursued me to my car, and I gave them 4-million shillings ($1,777) in an envelope because I knew the next thing they were going to do would be to start writing bad stories about me.” (Daily Monitor, 9-13-2010).

Not to make excuses for the journalists, but one could logically argue that rampant corruption among journalists merely reflects epidemic corruption in Ugandan society. Transparency International’s 2010 corruption index rates Uganda 127th out of 178 countries listed. (1 is best; 178th worst).

Regardless of the excuses, corruption among journalists corrodes the already low opinion the public here has of the profession, making it nearly impossible for reporters to be taken seriously. Corruption also complicates my job as a trainer in professional journalism. Can I seriously expect reporters to balance their stories and treat all political parties fairly if the reporters are receiving brown envelopes of money under the table from politicians in exchange for favorable coverage?

The headline of a recent newspaper op-ed piece here in Uganda says it all: “The brown envelope has bastardized journalism”. If Ugandan journalists are serious about professionalism and credibility, the brown envelopes must disappear.

2010-12-01T03:07:00.001-06:00

Student sinks her teeth into her studies, among other things

KAMPALA, UGANDA—From the “now I’ve heard everything” department… At final exams last weekend at Ndejje University in Kampala, a teacher/lecturer caught one of his students, a young lady, cheating on the test. The lecturer moved in to confiscate the cheater’s crib notes. As he reached down to snatch them, the girl grabbed his wrist, and bit his hand. Rather than being horrified, the other students in the class broke out into spasms of laughter. Some even took advantage of the mayhem to exchange answers on the exam. One might say things got out of hand. Miss Jaws, by the way, was escorted out of the room. I have never witnessed a student biting a teacher. However, now that I know that this is possible, I will be taking some precautions the next time I proctor an exam, including wearing gloves and perhaps a helmet.

2010-11-27T00:58:00.002-06:00

2 peace journalism seminars left in 2010; Mediocre photos posted

Just finished fine 3-day seminar in Masindi. Very active group. Click here for photos. Also, click here for new scenic photos of Rukungiri in far Western Uganda. Very beautiful.

Thus far, we've traveled 7485 km/4641 miles. We're exhausted.

Trapped in hotel purgatory

From the Parkville Luminary

ANYWHERE IN RURAL UGANDA—As I lather up, I reflexively reach for my razor, and look up to the bathroom mirror to begin shaving. Except, there is no mirror.

Welcome to hotel purgatory, Ugandan style.

Now, before you stop planning that dream safari to Uganda, let me note for the record that there are a number of outstanding, four and five star properties throughout the country—hotels that meet every Western standard. For example, I’ve stayed at the excellent Sheraton in Kampala and the Jacana Lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and both offer modern, comfortable accommodations, and in the case of the Jacana, some of the best gourmet food I’ve ever tasted. So, book that vacation today.

However, on the 20 trips we’ve taken around the country to teach peace journalism seminars, we’re not staying in the Jacana or Sheraton. We’re not even staying in the Motel 6 or Super 8. With only a few nice exceptions (Cepha’s Inn/Kabale; Acacia Hotel/Mbarara), if you were to give stars to our hotels, they might earn one star. The reason they earn any stars at all is because at least they are uniformly clean, which is obviously important. We’re staying in these half-star properties because they’re cheap. At a typical seminar, we have 20 participants, plus three staff. Multiply that by five nights lodging, plus all meals, and before long, you have an enormous bill. We can afford $25-30 per room per night that we are paying for these dives; sadly, we can’t afford $120 at the Sheraton or $180 at the Serena (a luxury hotel chain). Not that there’s a Sheraton or Serena in Rukungiri or Masindi.

So, this budget crunch leaves us stuck in hotel purgatory at these mediocre hotels. What makes them mediocre? Take the bathrooms, please. Okay, most do have mirrors, but some don’t, making shaving a dangerous mission that I skip all too often. I’m usually bleeding when I shave with a mirror; without one, I fear the need for a transfusion.

Then there’s the “shower”. The “shower” is seldom mounted—it’s a spray dealie hooked to the faucet, meaning that you have to spray with one hand and soap with the other. Then there’s the water pressure, or lack thereof. In a “good” hotel (for us), there is enough pressure to wet ones’ hair in, say, one minute. However, often there isn’t enough water pressure to douse a match, meaning that showers become long endurance contests, testing ones’ ability to wet-soap-rinse using just a trickle.

Of course, about half the time, this “shower” is being taken with cold water. The same way the Eskimos supposedly have dozens of words for snow, I have developed a sophisticated scale to evaluate the relative coldness of water. The chilly water in Mbale, for example, is “Spring Shower Cold”, while the icy water in Kasese is “Glacier Cold”. The coldness disparity can be scientifically measured based on the physical reaction of various body parts to the chilly water. I’ll spare you the details. I will say this for the cold “showers”—they certainly wake you up.

Moving out of the bathroom, the typical bedroom is rather large, a function I believe of the fact that hoteliers here don’t have to heat or cool them. The average room has one bare, dim light bulb dangling from the ceiling—usually insufficient for reading. In contrast, the lights in the hallway are usually so bright that I suspect that they were pilfered from airport runways. Many hotel rooms have a small glass window atop the door, and this searchlight luminosity glares through this window at night, lighting up the room and rendering sleep difficult. (I snuck out into the hallway once to turn out the light, but some blind sadist turned it right back on.) This doesn’t really matter anyway since the noise makes sleep nearly impossible. In Fort Portal, I stayed in a room that overlooked a music shop across the street. Rap, hip hop, and reggae blasted from this shop 20 hours a day. There was a glass bottle recycler next door to another hotel, and the bottlers started their deafening work at a brisk 5:30 a.m. Also, in rural areas, I’ve discovered that roosters are pretty damn loud, and equally persistent.

Given these travails, I practically kiss the ground when I return from up-country to my lovely, modern apartment in Kampala, where the hot shower is so powerful it could be used to disperse rioters. Problem is, I’m on the road 70-percent of the time.