New Peace Journalist magazine unveiled

The April, 2018 edition of the Peace Journalist magazine is out! This edition features a special report about a semester-long peace journalism project in Ethiopia, as well as dispatches from Nigeria, India, Kenya, and elsewhere. This edition even features an article from Dr. Jake Lynch about his recent peace journalism visit to Lebanon.

You can view the magazine on Issue at:

https://issuu.com/peacejournalism/docs/peace_journalist_apr2018_web_new

You can also download a .pdf copy of the magazine by clicking this link.

The next edition of the magazine will be on October. Submissions will be due by Sept. 3.

Enjoy!

 

Is PJ possible on state run radio and TV?
(Hawassa, Ethiopia)—It was a discussion I’d been waiting to have for months.

PJ seminar, South Radio/TV, Hawassa

I finally had that dialogue, about peace journalism and state media, yesterday at the South Radio and Television Services, a state run media house in Hawassa, a regional capital in south-central Ethiopia.

At the end of my introduction to peace journalism lecture, I left a few minutes to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of PJ for state media. Here in Ethiopia, state media dominate the media landscape, seeking to balance serving the public interest with serving the interest of the ruling party and sitting government leaders. Critics here are quick to point out that state media do much more serving the party and government than the people.

Against this backdrop, I asked the participants if there may be any benefits for peace journalism in a state media structure. The 17 journalists gathered listed several advantages that state journalists and media houses possess:

Access to many different people and cultures
Access to government leaders and decision- makers
Better resources than private media
Government commitment to peace and diversity (government opponents would debate this)

The discussion got really interesting when we talked about how state media might provide an obstacle for PJ. The journalists listed probably 10 items to start with, all valid. However, they did not discuss what I called the “elephant in the room”—the inability of state media to criticize the government. Many of the journalists agreed with this obstacle, though several said that criticism is sometimes allowed under certain circumstances. These are the disadvantages that they said state media pose for peace journalism:

Inability to criticize the government (my suggestion, supported by some journalists)
Interviewees reluctant/afraid when dealing with state media
Censorship
Negative attitude of public towards state media
Can’t balance stories with opposition voices
Skill and training of state media journalists

There was one point of contention among the participants. One journalist said that a disadvantage is lack of clear policies at state media outlets. Several journalists nodded in agreement as we discussed this. However, two managers present strongly disagreed. In their minds, the policies are present and clear, and the problem is that the journalists don’t apply the policies as written.

I left the discussion encouraged by the candor of the journalists in discussing the pitfalls of state media vis-à-vis peace journalism. It’s clear at least some of the journalists feel frustrated and stifled, though it also evident from the discussion that they believe that at least some elements of PJ can be implemented at the state media in Hawassa. These PJ elements include giving a voice of the voiceless; responsible refugee and IDP reporting; media as reconciliation tool; and avoiding inflammatory reporting.

I''ll stay in touch with my colleagues at South Radio and TV, and we'll see if and how these principles might be applied.

Hawassa University
My day in Hawassa began with a three hour presentation to about 75 journalism students and a handful of professors at Hawassa University. Our discussion there was also lively. The best question of the day: How can we report in depth, as PJ recommends, when the funds to do such expensive reporting are shrinking? It’s a good, and valid point. PJ does ask a lot of media outlets. Funding peace journalism, just like the need to fund all journalism, is becoming increasingly problematic. As many experts have written, traditional journalism needs to creatively discover new revenue streams, or risk marginalization or even extinction.

PJ seminar, Hawassa Univ.

Updates from Gondar, Ethiopia
Gondar Community School

You may recall that I’m working with a group of seventh graders to produce the first school newspaper for the Gondar Community School. I’m happy to report that the actual reporting is underway. The kids are working on their story assignments (about a recent concert; a spelling bee; and Unity Day, among others), and are enthusiastically snapping hundreds of photos of everything that moves. In nine days, we’ll get together to proofread and edit their copy, and begin the design phase. We should have a newspaper in about three weeks.

University classes

My two university courses are going pretty well. Our common roadblock is English, the language of instruction at the University of Gondar, and a second (or third) language for all of these young people. Many (most?) of the students are having problems with their English. I’m doing the best I can to simplify the vocabulary I use in class, and to explain things several ways (at least). I’m doing more charting and diagramming on the white board, and am emphasizing the importance of the students completing the assigned readings. 

My experience teaching international students at Park University is helping, though this UoG experience is unique. At Park, there are lots of native English speakers around to assist, as well as an excellent academic support center. Here, it’s up to me to model English speech and grammar. For my student’s sake, I hope I’m up to the challenge.

Bluegrass concert demonstrates wisdom of cultural exchanges
(GONDAR, ETHIOPIA)—Anyone who doubts the benefits of public diplomacy should have seen one of yesterday’s performances by “Crow and the Canyon,” a bluegrass band brought to Ethiopia on a tour by the U.S. State Department.

In the morning, the band played for about 1,000 delighted students and teachers at the Gondar Community School, where I teach a weekly journalism class. Later, they played a 45-minute set for grateful onlookers in the residential compound where I live at the University of Gondar. The many children in attendance were especially delighted, and showed off their best “swing your partner” country moves while the bank performed.

Do-si-do, at bluegrass concert in Gondar March 14

Aside from uplifting the spirits of the American scholars and their families here in Gondar, the real value of “Crow and the Canyon’s” visit lies in its inestimable benefit in bringing together Americans and Ethiopians. America’s most valuable export is our culture, and what better way to share it than a performance of this quintessentially American art form. The phrase “goodwill tour” may be a cliché, but it is nonetheless valid. The goodwill and good feelings events like this generate will last well beyond the band’s brief stay. 

Note woman upper left, leaning over balcony

In peace journalism, we talk about rejecting “us vs. them” narratives, and putting a human face on “them.” There is no better way to humanize Americans than to show our culture, our music, and yes, even our square dancing. When you recognize someone’s humanity, it’s hard to stereotype them, and even harder to hate them. Better to build goodwill through cultural sharing than clean up the mess created when nations are in conflict.

As an American taxpayer, I think of the money spent on cultural exchanges this way. The biggest conventional bomb in the U.S. arsenal, which was used against ISIS in Afghanistan and dubbed the mother-of-all-bombs, costs $170,000 each (Business Insider). I did a little figuring, and a one week trip by “Crow’s” five musicians to Ethiopia (airfare, hotel, transport, food) totals, at maximum, about $20,000. Ask yourself: are eight such cultural exchange trips more valuable to our nation, and to the world, than one giant bomb? In fact, I believe just one such exchange does more to enhance our national security, and buttress out international relationships, than a thousand bombs.

After leaving Ethiopia, “Crow and the Canyon” will continue their African tour in Uganda and Tanzania, where they’ll continue to share the very best of what America has to offer.

Is peace journalism more than just good journalism?

(Bahir Dar, Ethiopia)-My third and final day here, I met with about 50 journalists from the Amhara Mass Media Association and about the same number of students at Bahir Dar University about the basics of PJ and its role in reconciliation.

At Amhara Mass Media Assoc.

The BDU session featured a mixed group consisting of undergraduates and master’s and doctoral students. One especially astute graduate student asked: If journalists write objectively and in a balanced fashion, are they automatically peace journalists? I responded that being objective and balanced isn’t enough, and that peace journalists make the extra effort to give peacemakers a voice, to avoid inflammatory language, and to give voice to the voiceless.

Along these same lines, we also discussed if peace journalism is nothing more than just good journalism. As I look back, I’m dissatisfied with my response. I should have said this, or at least made it clearer: Yes, peace journalism is good journalism—balanced, objective, fact-based. However, I believe PJ transcends traditional good journalism because of its emphasis on solutions, reporting proactively, rejecting reporting only for and about elites, and so on.

I loved my stay in Bahir Dar, and will try to squeeze in another visit (either official or recreational) before my stint in Ethiopia is complete in May.

 

Sometimes, the best we can do is to not make things worse

(Bahir Dar, Ethiopia)-As is frequently the case, the most interesting discussions at a conference occur on the sidelines.

After my introduction to peace journalism keynote at the International Conference on Language, Culture, and Communication this week at Bahir Dar University, I had an invigorating discussion with four Ethiopian communications professors about peace journalism. We talked about whether PJ is possible in Ethiopia. (Consensus: It can be implemented here, at least in part). The most interesting point made by an Ethiopian professor was that PJ stops being peaceful when journalists report news that will make people uncomfortable or angry. He used an example of police shooting and killing protesters to illustrate his point. How can we report a story like this without creating anger or sparking a riot, he asked?

My response was unsatisfying to him and to me: Sometimes, the best we can do as journalists is to not exacerbate the situation, to not pour gasoline on an already blazing fire. We all agreed that this police shooting story must be reported, since it’s clearly news. I added that not reporting a story like this would invite rumors and misrepresentations, and could potentially make matters worse.

Here in Ethiopia, this police shooting story is hardly hypothetical, since dozens of anti-government protesters have been killed during the last three years.

Other conference highlights
International conference sessions at BDU included a presentation of political identification in Ethiopia as reflected on Facebook, by far the most popular social medium here. Prof. Tesfaye Zelalem found that Ethiopia’s two biggest political parties use FB to belittle their opponents, thus missing out on an opportunity to engage in reasoned, reciprocal, productive discussions about substantive issues. 

Prof. Feyisa Mulisa presented research about FB which showed, unsurprisingly, that high school students spend much more time on social media for recreation than for academics. He suggested finding a way to better engage students academically on social media.

Dr. Adem Chanie’s research was about how the Ethiopian government entity BOLSA ineffectively communicates to and about their constituency, the disabled. He recommended participatory communication approaches that would better engage the disabled.

Overall, it was an excellent conference, and a fine opportunity to exchange ideas with some fascinating colleagues.

Skeptic finally convinced about the value, and fun, of the journey

Scenery, north central Ethiopia, en route to Bahir Dar

(ON THE ROAD, NORTH CENTRAL ETHIOPIA)—There are a million clichés about embracing the value, or fun, of the journey, never mind the destination. Today, en route from Gondar to Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, I think I finally believe this.

First, there was the spectacular scenery, punctuated by some of the most unusual rock formations I’ve ever seen. This is dry season, and that showed on the parched landscape. Still, the beauty of the mountains and picturesque villages alone made the journey memorable.

North Central Ethiopia. Hey, no snickering.

Secondly, the “half the fun” of getting there today was provided largely by my driver/traveling companion Simegnew, who sported a smile as big as his fashionable sunglasses. Much of the discussion during the 2.5 hour trip centered around languages. Simegnew speaks three local languages, and gave me lessons in all three. I was a pretty slow study, particularly when it came to the days of the week, but he remained patient with me. 

One feature of Amharic, Ethiopia’s official language, is a “flat e” sound that’s not found in English. I told Simegnew it reminded me of a similar sound in Romanian, like in the words caine, maine, and inghetata (dog, tomorrow, ice cream). Curious, he asked about some other Romanian words, and I gladly provided a brief, amateurish lesson. When I got up this morning, I would not have put strong odds on speaking Romanian today.

When we weren’t conversing, I was getting my language lesson via music played, loudly, in four local languages. When he wasn’t explaining what the songs meant, he was singing along, also loudly.

As we parted, I thanked Simegnew for the hospitality, and was tickled to learn that he would be driving me back to Gondar next week.This gives me a few days to brush up on my Amharic and my Romanian.