Social media, reconciliation in NI

(Belfast, Northern Ireland)-How can social media be a tool for reconciliation in Northern Ireland, where the search for a lasting peace continues more than 20 years after the “troubles”?

This discussion was featured in today’s peace journalism workshop for social and online media professionals at the Mitchell Center for Global Peace, Security, and Justice at Queen’s University-Belfast.

I presented a list on how to apply social media principles for peace journalism, including using SM to fact check, to broaden societal conversations, and to connect peace journalists. The participants added two important items: 1. Use social media to seek opinions outside your ideological bubble; 2. Use social media to tag those with opposing viewpoints, as a way of engendering conversations.

We also discussed an interesting fact checking initiative directed by workshop participant Allan Leonard called factcheckNI. His perspectives on fact checking as a reconciliation tool were fascinating. He said factcheckni.org is not about changing minds, but instead seeks to engage viewers to ask, ‘Do you think that the data presented constitute a basis for investigating the accuracy of a claim?’ Leonard said he believes that enough people thinking critically about a given issue could even prevent violence in Northern Ireland.

The project here is sponsored by a US Embassy-London grant. It will continue with public lectures and workshops for journalists.