Would modern technology change JFK coverage?
It’s not hard to picture Dealey Plaza in Dallas lined with thousands of people waiting to get a glimpse of a presidential motorcade. But instead of one lone figure with an 8mm film camera, imagine thousands of observers armed with a smart phone or tablet.

What if they had 24-hour cable TV, Internet, social media, and portable media devices like smart phones and iPads in 1963? This is a question my students and I, along with my colleague Prof. John Lofflin, pondered yesterday.

We all agreed that the assassination would have been tweeted and YouTubed almost immediately. Certainly, there would have been high quality video of the motorcade, and of the fateful moment. We agreed as well that TV news networks would probably have faced an awful ethical decision—whether to use the most gruesome video on the air. If you were CNN, would the pressure to use such video, knowing that Fox might show it as well, be overwhelming? Lofflin said he would show the video, but black out the moment that the fatal bullet struck the president. As a peace journalist, one trained not to inflame or exacerbate an already bad situation, Lofflin’s idea seems sensible.

We also agreed about the vital role of broadcast and print media to help news consumers sort through what would certainly have been hundreds of thousands of tweets, Facebook and blog posts, and images (or purported images) of the event. 

Since social media and Internet exist in 1963, imagine the rumors, conspiracy theories, and false reports about suspects germinating online. Imagine as well the pressure of the 24-hour news cycle combined with the drama of a presidential assassination, and the irresponsible journalism that surely would have occurred under the circumstances.

As we moved on to discuss more traditional media, there was some disagreement about whether newspapers would have (or should have) reported the story differently if 24-hour cable and the Internet existed 50 years ago. Lofflin said that newspapers would still have a responsibility to run a comprehensive story about the assassination (like the iconic NY Times article by Tom Wicker), even if many of the facts were already known by the audience. I’m not so sure about the need for such a piece, or at least the reflexive need to place a comprehensive story on the top of page one. I would run a summary, but subordinate it to stories that expand on the basic information the public has already gathered from the Internet, 24-hour cable, etc.

From a law enforcement standpoint, there probably would have been good cellphone photos of Oswald with his rifle on the sixth floor of the Texas Schoolbook Depository. Would this have derailed the conspiracy theories? That seems doubtful, especially since there would be thousands of new photos that could probably provide grist for innovative, previously unimagined theories. 

Looking back at the assassination, it’s already tragic enough without having to see thousands of bloody images and hours of graphic video footage. On balance, it’s preferable that the only images we have from Nov. 22, 1963 are a some grainy photos and a few seconds of blurry film.

Peace journalism principles guide disaster coverage

The peace journalism approach is about much more than covering wars.

Exhibit A is coverage of Typhoon Haiyan. In the short term, a peace journalism approach would demand that the power of the media be used to highlight the needs of the survivors, and empower viewers and readers who want to provide assistance. In the coverage I’ve seen from BBC, CNN, and Al Jazeera and read over the wire services, I’d say that the media have been vigilant (if occasionally overly dramatic) in making sure that needy Filipinos have their voices heard. TV/video media have also done a pretty good job, in my estimation, of avoiding showing the most graphic images. As peace journalism teaches, journalists should strive to not make a horrible situation even worse by re-traumatizing victims and their families by carelessly showing bodies.

One big mistake made by media is jumping to conclusions about the number killed, and airing what producers must have known were virtually made up casualty figures disseminated by local authorities. This figure, 10,000 deaths, appeared prominently worldwide. In fact, this number was incorrect. Today, the Philippines president said that the early estimates might have been four times too high. When media publicize wildly incorrect figures, this undermines their entire coverage, leading some skeptical viewers to conclude that perhaps the need for relief has also been exaggerated. This, in turn, could have a negative impact on collection of donations for the victims.

Perhaps the most important application of peace journalism principles to Typhoon Haiyan won’t occur this week or even this year. The test for journalists will be if they follow up on the rebuilding in Tacloban and other devastated areas. Journalism has long been criticized, and rightly so, for parachuting into humanitarian disasters then leaving a few days or weeks later when the story gets cold. Peace journalists, I would argue, can and should do more. We should be on the ground three months, six months, and one year from now telling the stories of the victims while holding relief agencies and the Filipino government accountable for their response to the storm. 

No matter how long it takes, the media spotlight shouldn’t leave the victims until their lives take on some sense of normalcy.

NGO leaders teach communications prof about communications

Today was the third and final day of the Sustained Humanitarian Presence Initiative workshop, sponsored by Irish AID and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. This workshop in Limerick, Ireland for NGO leaders was the first part of a larger project to develop a course to help NGO's operate more effectively in a crisis area. The second part is testing and deploying this project in South Sudan.

My instructional segment today centered around how NGO’s might most effectively utilize media in a crisis area. I began with a discussion of how professional media assessment and engagement skills cut across the many things an NGO does, like gaining acceptance in the community, negotiating with locals, and assessing the situation in the region where the NGO operates. As anticipated (see yesterday’s blog), the participants largely scrapped a primitive list of media skills that I had developed before the workshop, and created their own improved step by step approach to media relations. It was interesting and educational to see how they applied the theory I presented.

As the project progresses, it will be interesting to see how this list of media relations skills is incorporated into the training module that the sponsors plan to test-drive in South Sudan in 2014.

Real experts reflect on giving crisis aid

My thin veneer of alleged international expertise has been exposed this week in Limerick, Ireland. Not that I’m a complete fraud, mind you, although spending time with 25 authentic international experts has been a humbling experience.

These experts come from diverse NGO’s from Europe and the U.S., and have literally been deployed for long periods in the world’s most troubled countries. Want to learn more about splintered opposition groups in Syria? Several NGO personnel here just returned from Syria. Interested in hearing the story of the cholera outbreak in Haiti? One NGO expert can give first hand testimony.

We’re all gathered in Limerick for the Sustained Humanitarian Presence Initiative, sponsored by Irish AID and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. This workshop for NGO leaders centers on operating effectively in a conflict zone. The first two days, we’ve discussed the importance of situational awareness and gaining acceptance from communities hosting NGO’s. As I’ve listened, I’ve noted that many of the issues and challenges facing humanitarian organizations are the same ones confronted by international journalists.

Tomorrow, I am leading a segment of the workshop that will center on communications, specifically crisis communications, NGO-media relations, peace journalism, and collaboration between NGO's and media on humanitarian and developmental issues. Given the participants’ expertise and experience, the smart thing for me to do will be to lay out some concepts, and listen as the NGO leaders prioritize their communication needs.

Arrival in enchanting Ireland; NGO seminar tomorrow

I just landed in Ireland today. I’m here to speak at and participate in a conference in Limerick that begins tomorrow.

The trip from Dublin, where we landed, to Limerick was by “luxury motorcoach” (an oxymoron?). Since the express bus came later in the day, my colleague and I took the 10:00am local bus, which stopped 74,876 times between the Dublin and Limerick, usually on the main drag of a small town, but occasionally at a bus stop along the road in the middle of nowhere. What the trip lacked in efficiency (4 hours, vs. 2 hours for a direct bus), it made up for in scenery. This truly is a lovely country.

As for the seminar, "the Sustained Humanitarian Presence Initiative", I’ll have more details about this beginning tomorrow.

Tonight, rumor has it that a welcome beverage of some kind will be offered up by the locals.