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.
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