"This toolbox should provide some insights and tools for journalists reporting on events in other countries, but it has primarily been developed for journalists reporting on extremely violent conflicts in their own communities. It hopes to provide these journalists with insights they can draw on in making a constructive contribution to the eventual peaceful management and resolution of conflicts through their reporting. In doing so it recognizes that many professional journalists have found that an approach to conflict coverage known as conflict sensitive journalism (CSJ) (see Box One: Conflict Sensitive Journalism a Brief Background) has enhanced their ability to cover conflict. Many have also noted that the CSJ approach has raised their commitment to good journalism by helping them recognize how they can make a positive contribution toward conflict transformation in their own communities. In essence, conflict sensitive journalism involves journalists developing a more sophisticated understanding of conflict and applying this knowledge in all aspects of their reporting - from story conceptualization, to interviewing, to the final moments of production. This toolbox draws on the CSJ approach in exploring how even in the face of atrocities, journalists can effectively tell a story and thereby contribute constructively to peacebuilding and conflict transformation." (Introduction, page 3-4)
1 Some assumptions underpinning this toolbox, 6
2 Understanding conflict, its dynamics, and the impact of competition and collaboration on peace and stability, 8
3 Violence: the destructive side of conflict, 14
4 Extreme violence and atrocities, 19
5 The role of reporters in mitigating and transforming conflict, 28
6 Practical strategies for covering violent conflicts and atrocities, 5
7 Taking care of ourselves, 52
8 Some suggestions for editors, 58