On caravan, press regrettably plays 'follow the leader'
The American press’ regrettable “follow the leader” behavior while reporting the migrant “crisis” has served the Trump administration more than the public.

Trump sparked an avalanche of coverage as he repeatedly warned about the “threats” posed by a caravan of 3,000-7,000 Central American migrants winding their way through Mexico towards the U.S. Trump’s statements, and the accompanying press coverage, peaked in the 10 days before the midterms, and fell precipitously in the 10 days after the election.

From Oct. 27 to Nov. 5, the 10 days before the elections, Trump mentioned the migrant caravan more than 60 times, according to CNN ( https://tinyurl.com/ycek87o6). During those same 10 days, a LexisNexis broadcast transcript search showed 2,458 hits for news stories about the caravan. In the 10 days after the midterms, Nov. 7-16, Trump used the word “caravan” only once, during a news conference on Nov. 7 (CNN).  In a LexisNexis broadcast transcript search for Nov. 7-16, there were only 904 hits for “caravan” stories—a 63% drop from the pre-midterm level.

This trend was especially, and predictably, true on Fox News. CNN reported that the caravan was mentioned on Fox 733 times in the seven days preceding the election, and only 126 times in the seven days after (through Nov. 15). ( https://tinyurl.com/ycek87o6)

This data showing press coverage mirroring Trump’s caravan statements would seem to answer the chicken-egg question, “Do the press lead or follow?”

Of course, media must report what the president says or does, even if it is demonstrably false political propaganda. However, once initial reporting makes clear the president’s virulent anti-migrant stance, how much daily repetition is really needed? Certainly, such repetitious reporting puts the press at risk for becoming a vehicle for political propaganda, xenophobia, and fear mongering.

Some of this repetitious caravan reporting included fact checking aimed at setting the record straight. A NexisUni search showed 318 hits under “caravan fact check” before the midterms. This includes fact checking reports by AP, The New York Times, and NPR among others. There’s no question that fact checking is important. But the same questions must be asked here: Once the record has been set straight again and again, at what point does the fact checking become self-defeating? When can legitimate fact checking be perceived (or dismissed) by the president’s supporters as Trump-bashing? Does too much fact checking feed the narratives that Trump is being unfairly targeted by a hostile, “fake news” press.

There is a better way. Instead of being led by any politician, the media should set the tone, and the agenda, with more insightful, thorough coverage. In this instance, better reporting would have started with the same prominent (front page, lead story) coverage about the president’s caravan claims, then backed off (less coverage, less prominent coverage, less live coverage) once the reporting became repetitious. Better reporting would have featured a majority of stories focused on the migrants themselves, as well as the impact of the caravan on Mexican host communities. Better reporting would have muted the red-faced pundits and political opportunists on both sides. Why report the same hate, fear, and anger from all sides over and over?

More responsible reporting about any migrants (immigrants, asylum seekers, and refuges) would avoid spreading propaganda (like that coming out of the White House); not use language that reinforces stereotypes, racism, sexism or xenophobia (“invasion” of terrorists and criminals, for example); proactively report stories that offer counter-narratives that debunk stereotypes and challenge exclusively negative narratives (stories explaining that migrants are actually fleeing for their lives); and tell stories that humanize migrants and border officials.

Whether real or politically-created, there will be another “crisis.” Perhaps next time, the media can avoid being used as a political megaphone, and instead report in a way that gives a more nuanced view of the situation and of those seeking refuge.

Journalists struggle to overcome authoritarianism

It’s been a rough week for journalists here and abroad. 

In the U.S., White House attacks against the press, including nasty comments directed at individual reporters, continue unabated. From a peace journalism perspective, journalists are best served when they avoid falling into the partisan narrative trap laid by the president, and instead stick to the facts as much as possible. Good journalism, and especially reporting that rejects “us vs. them” narratives, is the best weapon against our critics. 

A state newspaper in Tanzania claiming that
the arrested CPJ representatives were spies

In Africa, two recent incidents reflect the precarious nature of press freedom. In Tanzania, Committee to Protect Journalists Africa Program Coordinator Angela Quintal and CPJ Representative Muthoki Mumo were arrested, harassed, threatened, and interrogated by authorities. Their electronic devices were confiscated. “They repeatedly accused us of lying,” Quintal wrote. “We were alone at the mercy of a posse of men, some of whom were very abusive and hostile. The only woman agent had long gone home. We were taken back downstairs into a shabby sitting room and asked gendered questions. An intelligence agent was particularly abusive towards Muthoki. He even slapped and shoved her. I tried to intervene and was told to back off. I was terrified that Muthoki would be sexually assaulted (she was not) and I would be powerless to stop them.“ ( https://tinyurl.com/y9uen8ep )

Fortunately, Quintal and Mumo were released, thanks in large part to international pressure on the government.

Across the continent in Cameroon, authorities unlawfully detained TV reporter/anchor Mimi Mefo as part of a false news and cybercrime investigation. She was later charged with a state security offense of publishing false information about clashes between the army and separatists in Anglophone Cameroon. After a storm of protest, led by an online #FreeMimiMefo campaign, the government relented and released her. However, at least six other journalists have been arrested since Oct. 7, and two remain in prison. (http://www.africanews.com/2018/11/10/cameroon-journalist-mimi-mefo-released/ )  

In Cameroon, where I’ve spent the last two Julys, reporters surveyed in July, 2018 said that they believe they are safer (not safe) from arrest, kidnapping, and violence if they practice peace journalism. More details on this survey can be found in the latest Peace Journalist magazine (https://tinyurl.com/y7pb2cnb) , which also features stories about reporters under fire in Nigeria and Indian-controlled Kashmir.

Practicing responsible peace journalism doesn’t make us bulletproof, but it does make it more difficult for authoritarian regimes to justify the harassment, arrest, and abuse of journalists.

Reconciliation and media in the U.S.
Today, the day after the election, I thought it would be interesting for my peace journalism class at Park University to do a little brainstorming about reconciliation in the U.S. and how media can bolster reconciliation processes.

Toward that end, I asked student groups to identify reconciliation issues, and then list a few stories the media might tell about these issues that might generate valuable discussions about the issues at hand.

One group chose the victims of hate crimes and their perpetrators, and listed as "healing" reports stories where the perp openly discusses his crime, and stories about how he is reaching out to victims in various ways. A second group chose as their issues reconciliation between African Americans and police, and listed stories including contextual pieces about overall arrests and trends involving African Americans and joint (African Americans and police together) projects to assist those in need in the community. The final group chose reconciliation between Middle Easterners and the larger society. This group would promote stories that told stories about Middle Easterner academic achievers, and about common challenges in employment.

I kicked in my two cents and chose the related topic of reconciliation between Christians and Muslims in the U.S. The stories I would report would include how the two groups have joined forces on political campaigns, and features on how discrimination cuts across religious boundaries.

As always, I learned more from my students than they learned from me.