I'm really outa' here, and going to Kathmandu, Nepal

I think I'm going to Katmandu

I think it's really where I'm going to

If I ever get outa here

That's what I'm gonna do

K-K-K-K-K-K-Katmandu

I think it's really where I'm going to

If I ever get outa here

I'm going to Katmandu

--Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band (1975)

Nepal has always seemed like one of those places that is so exotic that visiting there seems out of the realm of the possible. Yet, here I am on my way to Kathmandu.

In Kathmandu, I’ll be meeting 61 Pakistani and Indian journalists with whom I’ve been working over the last two years on a Cross Border Reporting Project. This project has the journalists teaming up to report about cross border stories of interest like pollution, climate change, mental health, women’s rights, and so on. See the website journalistsforchange.org for more.

The Cross Border Reporting Project is sponsored by the East-West Center in Honolulu. It began with online trainings in peace journalism (taught by yours truly) and in reporting subject matter areas like agriculture, health, business, and climate/environment, taught by subject matter experts from the University of Missouri.

In Nepal, the journalists will review the work they’ve done thus far, and plan for the major cross-border collaborative stories that they’ll be finishing up this fall.

I’ll of course provide updates about the project in this space. Stay tuned.

 Call for Papers-The Peace Journalist

Dear colleagues:

Warm greetings.

The Peace Journalist, a semi-annual magazine produced by the Center for Global Peace Journalism at Park University, is seeking submissions for its October edition.

Submissions should be 600-1600 words, and address peace journalism/peace media research and projects. Please also submit photos, if possible. We do not run articles about general peace projects or processes unless they have a strong media component/angle.

The deadline for submission is Sept. 2. The magazine usually fills up quickly, so the sooner you can get your pieces in, the better. Please submit to steve.youngblood@park.edu.

The previous edition of The Peace Journalist can be found at https://www.park.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/The-PJ-April-2022-web.pdf .

 Thank you,

Steven Youngblood
Editor, The Peace Journalist magazine
Director, Center for Global Peace Journalism
Assoc. Professor, Communications and Peace Studies
Park University, Parkville, Missouri  USA
www.park.edu/peacecenter
@PeaceJourn

Better coverage would frame Ukraine war in terms of peacebuilding
Six weeks after I reported about the lack of reporting about peaceful solutions to the Ukraine war, little has changed. (See blog, May 24)

In May, I asked this: Given the fact that the war must inevitably end with negotiations, have the media responded appropriately by giving the peace talks their rightful place in the public discourse? Has the coverage of peace been proportionate to the blow by blow accounts of the war?

A small, current survey of Google news provides the answer: no.

A Google news search (8/2) of “Ukraine Russia War” came up with 124 million hits. In comparison, there were only a paltry 22.4 million hits for “Ukraine Russia negotiations”—18% of the overall story total. And it goes down from there. There were only 1.4 million hits for “Ukraine Russia peace talks,” 928K hits for “Ukraine Russia peaceful solution,” 629K hits for “Ukraine Russia peace proposals,” and just 159k hits for “Ukraine Russia peace treaty.” 

These findings echo what I said in May: “Anyone who’s been consuming news about the war already knows that the daily coverage of territorial gains, casualties, weaponry, and attacks is crowding out news about peace efforts, negotiations, and cease fires.”

One of the central tenets of peace journalism is to give voice to peacemakers on all sides, and to give societies a chance to consider non-violent responses to conflict. Clearly, this is not happening with Ukraine war coverage. Better coverage would frame the war in terms of peace and peacebuilding.

I’d like to see more media coverage that answers these pressing questions:

-How does adding NATO members, or providing Ukraine advanced weaponry, contribute to, or detract from, peaceful solutions?

-How does escalating the war impact future negotiations/peace talks?

-What is the impact of Russia sanctions on future negotiations/peace talks?

-How can the U.S. and NATO provide an off-ramp for the belligerents in a way that they can save face?

-Even though Russia is clearly the villain here, does vilifying and isolating Russia serve the long term goals of peace?

-What does “winning” look like, and how will a “win” impact long term peace in the region?

-Are there compromises short of a "win" that better serve the cause of lasting peace?

-And, how can the seeds of positive peace be planted now, so that Ukraine and the region can move forward peacefully?

Reporting that answers these question, that frames the Ukraine war in terms of peacebuilding, helps the public in our democratic societies consider non-escalating, non-violent responses to the conflict. Also, answering these questions is just good journalism.