(Dead Sea, Jordan)--Was the war in Gaza last summer an “operation?” Are those who attack the innocent freedom fighters, terrorists, extremists, or Islamic fundamentalists?
These questions about the use of language by media were on
center stage today at a Conflict Reporting session that I moderated here at
Gather +962, a meeting of peacebuilders sponsored by Seeds of Peace.
I told the attendees that peace journalists are always
cognizant of the impact of the language they use. For example, I pointed out
that media in Lebanon typically will not use the word Israel, substituting
instead the term “the enemy,” a practice which is corrosive and
counterproductive.
We also discussed a word introduced by one of my
co-presenters. He used the term “operation” to label last summer’s Gaza war. I
pointed out the connotations of the term operation—precision, surgery,
sanitary, necessary. Does the word operation accurately describe the Gaza war, or,
instead, is it a euphemism or even propaganda designed to sanitize what
happened? These vital questions about the meaning of the words we use are
central to any discussion about peace journalism.
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| Yossi Zilberman |
The second Reporting Conflict panelist was Yossi Zilberman,
until recently a presenter for Channel 2 News in Israel. Zilberman talked about
objectivity and fairness in reporting, and how difficult both are for Israeli
journalists. For example, he told a story about covering a provocative flag
waving march by right wingers in an Arab city in Israel, and a subsequent clash
between police and local Arabs. How does one assign responsibility in such a
multi-layered incident without appearing biased?
The final panelist, Pakistani professor Muhammad Ali,
presented his study of 9/11 coverage in Pakistani and British newspapers. The
findings: The coverage was one sided in both countries, and biased (anti-war in
Pakistan; pro-war in the UK). This study, Ali concluded, pointed out the need
for peace journalism in both countries.
At the end of the session, one questioner correctly pointed
out the obstacles to implementing peace journalism in the region and indeed the
world. I agreed with his assessment,
while noting that, based on the use (or mis-use) of language alone, there seems
to be little debate about the need for the peace journalism approach,
regardless of how difficult it will be to put into place.
