Star struck professor meets Nobel Prize winner
You never know when you’ll run into a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

I met Maria Ressa, the 2021 recipient from Rappler media in the Philippines, during a reception at the East West Center InternationalMedia Conference in Honolulu. We chatted for a few  minutes about journalism, and life.

Maria Ressa, in black, and Korean colleagues

We talked first about her joint peace prize recipient Dmitry Muratov, a journalist under siege in Russia. Ressa said she’s in touch with Muratov. His family has left Russia, but he remains, despite the threats. I could tell she’s worried about her colleague. I asked if the peace prize protects her and Muratov, or if it makes them a target. She replied that it’s impact is a little of both. She said it makes her a bigger target (as evidenced by the 7 charges currently filed against her in the Philippines), but that the prize gives her a higher profile and more visible platform.

Ressa’s intellect, insightfulness, and humility that was evident during our chat was on display the next day at her keynote address to the conference.

The keynote’s headline was Ressa’s announcement that Rappler had just received a shut down order from the government. She said Rappler will appeal, noting that the order demonstrates that “the rule of law has been bent to the point that it’s breaking” in the Philippines.

Ressa went on to detail the avalanche of online hate directed at her because of Rappler’s critical reporting of the Duterte regime and because of her elevated profile. At its peak, 90 hate messages per hour were directed at Ressa, including threats of bodily harm. She said, “You don’t want the threat to rule (your) world…Embrace your fear!”

She noted that her online experience is not atypical since 73% of female journalists experience online hate.

So, what can be done to combat what Ressa calls the “toxic sludge” of online hate and misinformation?

She recommends a “whole society” approach to address social media toxicity. This approach involves education, establishing legal frameworks, fact checking, and facilitating collaboration on the topic among media, academic, civil society, religious institutions, and businesses.

Ressa concluded her keynote with the question, “What will you sacrifice for the truth?” It’s a vital question for everyone, but especially for journalists.

Next: More East West Center conference highlights, including my two peace journalism sessions.

 

You can virtually meet a Nobel Peace Prize winner
(and hear a few of my presentations)

It’s not often (ever?) that one gets a chance to meet a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Yet, that’s what awaits me at the East West Center International Media conference next week in Honolulu, Hawaii.*

Maria Ressa won the Nobel Prize for her work with Rappler, a Filipino news outlet that has consistently and bravely challenged the Duterte regime in the Philippines. I’ve heard her speak several times, and know her keynote will be interesting and inspiring.

Soon thereafter, I will be leading a panel consisting of Indian and Pakistani journalists who have participated in an East West Center cross-border reporting project. I’ve been one of the instructors in this project, and have been consistently impressed with the work done under challenging circumstances by these journalists. (You can learn more about this project at journalistsforchange.org).

I’ll also be holding a break out presentation on the basics of Peace Journalism.

My two sessions, Ms. Ressa’s keynote, and a number of other conference sessions will be streamed live. For details on how to register, and for a full conference schedule, see https://www.eastwestcenter.org/professional-development/seminars-journalism-programs/ewc-international-media-conference .

Hope to see you online beginning next Tuesday.

*No eye rolling or snickering, please. OK, I admit, it’s paradise. But real work, real teaching, and real learning will be going on there. After the conference is over, I may just wander down to a beach and/or imbibe in an umbrella drink or three. But it’s strictly business during the conference!

Ukraine-Russia: Media marginalize peace
Several days ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said what Prof. Johan Galtung, the father of peace studies and peace journalism, has been saying for weeks. “Regardless of our righteous indignation with Russia aggression,” Galtung wrote on Twitter, “they (Ukraine and Russia) will have to talk or agree on some type of armistice sooner or later.”

Given this immutable fact, have the media responded appropriately by giving the inevitable negotiations their rightful place in the public discourse? Has the coverage of peace been proportionate to the blow by blow accounts of the war?

A small survey of news articles searched through Google (24 May, 2022) provides an unsurprising answer. A search for “Ukraine Russia war” produced 324 million hits. Related terms also had tens of millions of hits, including “Ukraine Russia  attack” (208 million); “Ukraine Russia war crimes” (51.3 million); “Ukraine Russia battle” (40.8 million); “Ukraine Russia victory” (48.1 million); and “Ukraine Russia weapons” (24.3 million).

The number of articles in our Google news search discussing the inevitable armistice and peace talks pales in comparison. This includes “Ukraine Russia negotiations” (20.2 million); “Ukraine Russia peace talks” (8.6 million); “Ukraine Russia peace proposals” (2.59 million); “Ukraine Russia peaceful solution” (3.4 million); and “Ukraine Russia peace treaty” (2.87 million). Only a paltry 125,000 stories mentioned a cease fire, while just 20,800 mentioned an armistice.

These findings echo what anyone who’s been consuming news about the war already knows: that the daily coverage of territorial gains, casualties, weaponry, and attacks is crowding out news about peace efforts, negotiations, and cease fires.

This is the antithesis of peace journalism, which seeks to make peace initiatives and proposals more visible and viable, regardless of their source. More responsible, more forward looking reporting would more frequently offer detailed, nuanced examinations of the obstacles to a negotiated settlement, and daily analysis of efforts to overcome these obstacles. 

Media consumers should seek out views about peace from a variety of sources, including those critical of both Russia (“Putin’s fate istied to war in Ukraine”) and the U.S. and NATO  (“Washington’s anti-Russia rhetoric is an obstacle to peace”). 

Media must offer as much analysis of the tactics of peace as we do the tactics of warfare. We need much more reporting like “A realistic plan for Ukraine and Russia" (Time magazine). As Dr. Galtung suggests on Twitter, let’s explore the question, “What stands in the way of #peacepolitics?”  

Peace journalism by itself can’t create peace, but it can help keep peace on the political agenda while spotlighting an “off ramp” for leaders on all sides.

Marking 25 fascinating years at Park University
When you’re young, a year seems like an eternity. And 25 years? As a kid, in my insufficiently developed brain, a quarter century was the same as a millennium.

Even though my brain is still insufficiently developed, I have come to realize that 25 years, while not an eternity, is an impressive interval because it represents a big chunk of our life span, and an even longer percentage of our working lives.

It is thus with a bit of awe and a dash of disbelief that I commemorate the end of my 25th year at Park University.

Want ad, KC Star, 1997

My Park odyssey began with answering a job advertisement in the Kansas City Star in 1997 (See picture. Yes, I realize how saving this for 25 years might make me look neurotic.). I thought I was a long shot for the position, but applied anyway. I was shocked and delighted to be hired. Snagging the job at Park College (it became Park University in 2000) was made possible in part through a mistake. My chief competitor for the post flew into KC for the job interview, but someone at Park  forgot to pick him up at the airport. He fumed at KCI for a few hours then turned around and went home.

I gleefully accepted the job, since it was a big step up from teaching high school. I had no idea what I was getting into. My tenure at Park has been challenging, occasionally infuriating, edifying, fascinating, and, on the whole, professionally satisfying in 100 ways that are hard to articulate.

The most positive element during my tenure here has been my colleagues, 97% of whom have made my Park experience terrific. Early on, they nurtured and sometimes even coddled me as I learned how a university faculty member should function. Later, they trusted me with the keys, electing me to leadership positions in the union and faculty senate. Always, my faculty colleagues helped me become a better teacher and a better person.

I’ve also loved the vast majority of my students, who have kept me engaged, energized, and young (or at least, more youthful. The “young” train left the station years ago!) Their curiosity continues to be infectious, and has pushed me to continuously strive to broaden and deepen my own knowledge while improving my teaching.

Another positive element about my time at Park—the thing I always tell younger faculty members—is that the university will give you the space to find your professional love. For me, this was, first, international education, and later, allowing me to launch a Center for Global Peace Journalism at Park. In both cases, I had the right administrators and colleagues at the right time—those that saw the value in these endeavors for both the institution and our students. Allowing me to launch this center, and run it as I see fit, was and is the ultimate vote of confidence. I believe I have justified Park’s trust in me as I have provided, in business terms, a very sound return on the modest resources expended on me and my center.

I am not burned out yet, a fact I attribute to being almost constantly on the move. I have had three semester-long teaching stints (two Fulbrights and one State Dept. Senior Subject Specialist), a one year long USAID project in Uganda, and trips to 27 countries to teach peace journalism. Park deserves a great deal of credit for giving me the flexibility to explore my passions and feed my curiosity.

My Center for Global Peace Journalism has caught fire (figuratively) during its 10 year life span, and is keeping me increasingly busy lecturing and training around the world. I have gone from soliciting peace journalism projects to fielding unsolicited offers to conduct trainings and workshops and give lectures.

Moving forward, I hope to continue my teaching and work at the Center for Global Peace Journalism at Park University. I won’t make it 50 years at Park, since 25 years from now I’ll be 86. (At 86, my only wishes will be to remain vertical and to possess some marginally functional organs). However long Park will indulge me, I have no doubt that the years ahead will be as engaging and fascinating as the first quarter century.

How you can help Ukraine--and build lasting peace
From the Kansas City Star, Apr. 10, 2022

By Steven Youngblood

Kansas Citians, like many Americans, have united to show their support for Ukraine symbolically (Ukrainian flags, Park University’s iconic Mackay Hall lit up in Ukrainian blue and yellow) and financially.

Hundreds of millions of dollars have been donated to assist Ukrainians. The global philanthropy magazine Alliance reports that $397 million was donated in just the first two weeks after the invasion. 

Kansas Citians are providing financial assistance through local organizations like the Ukrainian Club and Heart to Heart International. (KCUR). Also, the Parkville and Chisinau, Moldova Rotary Clubs have joined forces on a fundraiser to purchase necessities (hygiene products, food staples) for Ukrainian refugees in Moldova. (You can give at this link.)

As admirable as these financial efforts are, they are just stopgap measures designed to address the current crisis. What can we as Kansas Citians, 5,428 miles from Kiev, do to plant the seeds of a sustainable peace for Eastern Europe, and here at home?

It is a common, incorrect assumption that only politicians hold the keys to peace. The evidence proves otherwise. In a recent study, Peace Insight evaluated 70 local, citizen-led peacebuilding initiatives, and found that “they make a significant and essential impact on peace…” 

We as citizens do have the power to build peace--if we choose to exercise it.

Rallies for peace have often pressured warring parties (for example, Liberia in 2003) to sue for peace. Here at home, we can, and have, come together for peace. In K.C., 300 gathered in Mill Creek Park in February to show solidarity with Ukrainians (https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-02-26/hundreds-gather-in-kansas-city-to-protest-russian-invasion-of-ukraine ). But one small rally isn’t enough. Imagine the impact of a peace rally at Union Station the size of the Chiefs’ victory celebration?

This doesn’t mean that we don’t have a responsibility to also engage politically. Peacebuilders must demand that our leaders eschew demagoguery, and instead provide leadership that acknowledges the need to address the broader context of peace, the causes of violent conflict, reconciliation, and inevitably, co-existence.

You can also join a K.C. peacebuilding organization dedicated to building goodwill, understanding, and world peace. For example, become a member of the International Relations Council, which brings fascinating, informative programming about world events and global issues to Kansas City Join the United Nations Association of Greater Kansas City, which supports UN peacebuilding and other peace-sustaining initiatives. Engage with Global Ties KC, which has facilitated citizen diplomacy by hosting international visitors for the last 65 years.

Next, peacebuilders can reach out to their Russian-American friends and neighbors. According to Zipatlas.com, there are 2,110 Russians living in Kansas City, MO and another 311 in Overland Park and Leawood, KS. If we believe in peacebuilding, we can’t lump Russian-Americans into one warmongering monolith. Many Russian-Americans loathe the war, yet have still been blamed for it. We even need to dialogue with those Russian-Americans and others who support the Ukraine war.

Finally, there are “tasks for everyone” in establishing a culture of peace, according to the father of modern peace studies, Dr. Johan Galtung. The first task is “fostering a culture of peace through education.” As parents, why not insist on peace education? Other peace tasks include promoting equality for women and advancing understanding and tolerance (InternationalStudies Review) No, peace education and promoting equality and tolerance won’t help Ukrainians right now, but if applied universally over a number of years, they might help prevent the next war.

While the financial efforts to assist Ukrainians are laudable, we need to remember that we all have a larger responsibility in the service of peace. We have the power to act not only to assist Ukraine, but to help ensure that sustainable peace becomes the norm in our societies and our world.

Steven Youngblood, a 2020-21 Luxembourg Peace Prize laureate, is the director of the Center for Global Peace Journalism at Park University in Parkville, MO, where he is a communications and peace studies professor