"One of the greatest threats to freedom of expression around the world is the violence committed against journalists practicing their profession in conflict situations. During the last 20 years, an alarming number of journalists have been targeted or killed when reporting about war. This situation h
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as prompted several international organizations to offer suggestions on how to protect the messengers who report about war. In this study, the authors provide a historical overview of journalist protection. In addition, they explore a number of recent declarations, resolutions and strategies introduced to protect journalists targeted in conflict zones. One particularly controversial strategy, the Press Emblem Campaign, is examined by interviewing various international stakeholders. The authors demonstrate that while no clear comprehensive method to protect journalists has yet to be universally accepted, this global problem has generated increased international attention." (Abstract)
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"News stories provide an essential confirmation of our ideas about who we are, what we have to fear, and what to do about it: a marketplace of ideas, shopped by rational citizen decision makers but also a shared resource for grounding our contested narratives of identity in objective reality. News a
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s a fundamental social process comes into being not when an event takes place or when a report of the event is created but when that report becomes news to someone. As it moves off the page into the community, news discovers - through its interpretations - its reality in the lives of the consumers. This book explores the path of news as it moves through the tangled labyrinth of social identities and asserted interests that lie beyond the page or screen. The language and communication-oriented study of news promises a salient area of investigation, pointing the way to an expansion, if not a redefinition of basic anthropological ideas and practices of ethnography, participant observation, and “the field” in the future of anthropological research." (Publisher description)
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"Drawing on socio-political-linguistic approaches combined with real-case studies, the author offers a unique discourse analysis model for analysing politically sensitive language in the media. The focus in this study is on the Arab media discourse in times of conflict with Israel and the US, spanni
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ng the years 2001 to 2009. Using rich examples from outspoken Arab media outlets, the study explores ideological and language facts about the Arab-Israeli conflict." (Publisher description)
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"Lack of safety and basic protection for media workers in Gaza – and in particular for journalists and photographers working freelance – has been identified as the most crucial and imminent issue in the weeks following the military offensive by Israel against Hamas in the Gaza Strip on 27 Decemb
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er 2008 and the ceasefire called on 17 January 2009. The lack of basic equipment, as well as proper training in safety issues, has prevented journalists from moving freely and thus prevented them from performing their task at the expense of the circulation of essential information. Summing up, freelance journalist Omeyma Abu Khair states: “We need organisations that really takes care of journalists – of the individual journalist and photographer. We have no such organisations here. We need help to learn, how to work under pressure. How to operate during war. How to protect ourselves when we are out reporting. We need psychological support to teach us how to work in long term trauma situations. How to deal with our own traumas. And how to take care of our families when we are working 24 hours a day.” (Conclusion)
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"The town of Gulu in northern Uganda stood still as the leader of a then 16-year-old insurgency against the government was heard live through a local government radio station. On 28 December 2002, Joseph Kony called in to Mega FM’s live debate talk show and was heard throughout northern Uganda. Th
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e significance of this event cannot be underestimated in local and global terms. How had this man, labelled by the government as a terrorist, killer, and child abductor, come to be broadcast on a Ugandan Government radio station? The answer to this question directly engages and critiques current debates of the role of the media in societies where violent conflict is a reality. Through engagement with two radio presenters from Mega FM, I explore the space for dialogue and debate in northern Uganda. By learning from their experiences, it becomes clear that the question is not whether media censorship is useful in peace building, but what can be done to support the daily struggles of media actors who are constantly negotiating their way through a labyrinth of restrictions." (Page 610)
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"This study examines the psychological health of contractors working in war zones. Seventy-nine contractors completed an Internet-based psychiatric assessment. The sample was exclusively male with a mean age of 43 (SD = 7) years. The number of contractors whose scores exceeded the cutoff points for
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depression, psychological distress, and excessive weekly alcohol consumption were 15 (20%), 21 (28%), and 13 (17%), respectively. A third of contractors had posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) scores in the moderate to severe range. Approximately 10% of contractors had employer-organized access to psychological help following deployment. This study provides the first empirical data showing that a significant minority of contractors working in war zones are psychologically distressed and not receiving therapy." (Abstract)
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"The media have shaped and will continue to play a central role in shaping Kenya’s democracy. The recent record of the media, according to many within it, is that media has undermined as well as invigorated that democracy. An understanding of democracy and democratic governance in Kenya is not pos
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sible without a strong understanding of the media’s role in the country. We would urge development actors to be better engaged and more supportive of media in the future. The problem facing Kenya’s media is not an excess of media freedom. It is a lack of it. Media freedom cannot, however, be described simply in terms of ndependence from government. Journalists and broadcasters face immense commercial and political constraints which are constraining their journalistic independence and integrity. Some local language radio stations have incited fear and hatred particularly at the height of the violence. Local language radio stations are routinely partisan and fl out codes of ethics. Talk shows have provided the greatest opportunities for hate speech and talk show hosts are not trained in confl ict reporting or moderation. Nearly all we spoke to on the subject felt this was a priority. More recently, most local language stations (and much of the rest of the media) appear to have been playing an important role in calming tension and promoting dialogue. A strengthening of such a role by a genuinely independent media will form a critical contribution as Kenya navigates the turbulent waters ahead of it." (Summary of policy conclusions)
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"The thirteen significant case studies presented here examine the challenges faced by media practitioners reporting on conflicts across the diverse media ecologies of Asia. Significant themes covered include: how media culture affects the way conflict is covered, including aspects such as resource l
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imitations, different standards of professionalism, government intervention, and the degree of importance given to the concept of independent media; how media bias can be aggravated by competing demands of various ethnics, religious and political groups and how bias among journalists can contribute to spiralling violence; how journalist can face an 'identity barrier' in terms of access to news and sources; and, how the media can be affected by poor working conditions, pay, training and recognition, and a lack of physical or financial security. The chapters provide a valuable range of perspectives on reporting about conflicts within Asia." (Publisher descrition)
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"This study examines how a Christian-oriented Western press organization [Forum 18 News Service, Norway] covers religion-related news in the Caucasus. Coverage in 2005 overwhelmingly focused on Christianity. Although governmental sources are more likely to be cited than religiously affiliated source
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s, comments of religiously affiliated sources receive more prominence. The analysis also examined unnamed news sources and use of key words related to terrorism and violence." (Abstract)
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"This book brings together significant scholarly contributions on communication issues by researchers working across the region. It aims to create better understanding of what affects the communication and information flow in smaller nations and how these impact on national development, governance a
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nd the creation of more cohesive societies. The value of such a book lies in the comparison it enables between different regions and countries at different levels of development. The work of the contributing authors provides glimpses of the prevalent issues and perspectives without necessarily providing a definitive picture of this diverse region. The editors hope this book will draw out significant relational possibilities by bringing together scholarly writing on communication issues and highlighting the perspectives of Pacific scholars and media practitioners, thus contributing to the knowledge base in Pacific Media Studies." (Publisher description)
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"In Debates in Peace Journalism, Jake Lynch traces the major controversies in this emerging field - philosophical, pedagogical and professional - and links his own contributions to them with important new material. The book is intended for those wishing to immerse themselves in the main conceptual c
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urrents of peace journalism, and to navigate their own path around some of its rocks and shoals." (Publisher description)
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"This study furnishes the media, the civil society organisations, the public authorities and international organisations in the region with a point of reference in context to the rising debate about extremism, especially Islamic fundamentalism, and terrorism. It provides insight into how the mass me
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dia cover these sensitive issues and how the public authorities react to it. These issues have had resonance on a wider scale within the last two years. The recurring, and often violent, reactions in some Muslim countries on the publication of a set of controversial cartoons in Danish newspapers depicting the Prophet Muhammad also suggest that there is a need to look more closely at the relationship between the media and political extremism. The Central Asia findings in the research served as the basis to formulate recommendations to all parties involved in media policy and practice, both in the region and externally." (Page 5)
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"The first casualty of war is truth. Disinformation and tactical ruses of war have constituted essential components of warfare throughout history. Over time, influencing public opinion - and consequentially securing the prime position to exert such influence - has become ever more significant. In mo
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dern armed conflicts various stakeholders compete to communicate their truth. Attempts to instrumentalize journalists, to get a hold on certain information, to censor and erase some, and to promote the distribution of other information constitute the rule rather than the exception. Evidently, accurate and impartial reports conveyed from war zones have become ever more important; they constitute "a fundamental component in establishing historical truths and allowing post-war reconciliation." At the same time, quantum leaps in information technology have facilitated the outreach of the media to military operations even in the most remote corners of the world from where information can nowadays be broadcasted virtually in real-time. Evidently, journalists - and more generally media professionals - play a crucial role as the messengers and shapers of information. The risks they run in the performance of their profession are accordingly high. Images and news can be decisive for the outcome of a conflict and deliberate interference with journalistic work is frequent and increasing." (Abstract)
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"While the relationship between war and media is examined in literature, the cases of the positive use of mass communication channels in the reconciliation of post-conflict societies are virtually unknown. The goal of this study is to respond to the gap in literature by examining theoretical evidenc
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e and practical case studies describing media promotion of peace across the world. As a result, a total of 40 media projects in 18 countries are documented and two case studies are examined in detail. Initial lessons from the practical projects in conjunction with historical developments of media in wars suggest that the current practice would benefit from: integration of all available media channels and practices, incorporation of media into other social institutions and processes and regulation of hate media as well as production of peace-oriented media." (Abstract)
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