Blog of the Media21 workshop

Peace journalism Myth or Reality

2009-08-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

Loose gate keeping and ethnic influences witnessed radio Mille Collines the Rwandan radio fueling hatred in the Hutu and Tutsi venom that swept away eight hundred thousand people in one hundred days in 1994.
The event in Rwandan recorded a classic case of media failures and the human casualties, propelling media scholars and Peace building experts to adventure and carve the must read capsule of media reporting with peace building and sustaining flair.
Students of Mass communication and practicing journalists have repeatedly argued that Social responsibility theory compels journalists to be circumspect about their environment and the need to report for the cohesions of the society in mind.
The concept of peace reporting took center stage during the Media 21 Geneva Peace journalism training on The Media in the environment of peace and hostilities, held from May 18-22 in the Swiss city of Geneva.
The Media 21 training concepts propelled by hands on and respected media experts who covered the world and the many hot spots have successfully harnessed Geneva reputation as a hub for multi-national actors and matching the results on the ground.
But the controversial subject of peace and journalism added a unique twist and dimension to the gathering dominated by experts and media experience sharing.
The event held in collaboration with the Geneva Center for Security Policy, had in attendance journalist from Kosovo, Sudan, Palestine, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Jordan among others.
The Swiss outfit of respected global media watch dog Reporters Sans Frontiers or Reporters Without Borders brought to sharp focus it’s world wide pasture seeking to protect journalists and partnering with global partners to earn freedom for journalists behind bars and several being persecution for their reportage.
Therese Obrecht Hodler of RSF Switzerland outlined the cardinal initiative associated with journalism in fragile political terrains and the need to keep focus on their harmony of their societies and still reporting with professionalism.
Yves Laplume head of editorial of Foundation Hirondelle, the Lausanne based group that has promoted good journalism and democracy through equal assess radio, emphatically stressed that there exist good journalism.
Laplume’s outlet continues to influence democratization in key areas of the continent.
During Liberia’s first post war election in 1997, Star Radio, under Foundation Hirondelle, provided a platform giving diverse political actors unfettered assess to the population.
The election that eventually brought to power ex-rebel leader and now indicted former Liberian President Charles Taylor was hit by concerns of an unleveled playing field in several areas.
Though the station was finally closed by the Taylor government, it has now returned to Liberia though under-funded.
Laplume argues that in any environment where the basic professional precepts are respected the urgency for peace and specific concept of journalism will not be a necessary.
He doesn’t seem to flow along the concept that journalists be drilled into additional skills about reporting style to effectively function in a harsh and peace searching society.
Nasser Attia, the Palestinian journalist from the Gaza strip, reflected on the challenges associated with covering the uneasy holy land.
Nasser asserts that local media have been ignored in covering events with the bigger western press taking credits for dedication and sacrifices of local journalists reporting about the world worse events.
But the complicity about reporting with the tactfulness and caution in a fragile terrain was further highlighted by Inter-Peace Director General Scott Weber.
Weber explained that the coverage of events can be a key factor in consummating peace deals or worsening conflicts.
He informed the gathering that experiences in the middle-east and other parts of the globe have shown that negations have been aborted by reportage that lack the awareness of the environment.
The gathering, held in the headquarters of the World Meteorological Center in Geneva few blocks away from the headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, clearly reflects the contentious nature of journalists’ debates.
Frankly—the intensity of the debate—reflects that one’s position on the matter is significantly dependent on where he or she is situated. The discussion brings to mind a legal issue that embroiled Liberian journalists few years ago. Bobby Tapson [deceased], along with three editors—Jerome Dalieh James Butuah and Abdullah Dukuly of News Newspaper—were arrested and place behind bars for espionage.
The government of ex-President Taylor, by 2001 was engaged with rebels seeking to topple his regime, the economy was in shambles and civil servants salaries not being pay.
The News reported that the government had bought a helicopter gunship amidst the dying economic concerns. Hopes were fading for free and fair trail with invading rebels closing on the capitol.
Then Information Minister Jonathan Refell carved what looked like a one way ticket to freedom for the journalist. The Press Union of Liberia, championing the journalists’ release and a team of pro-bono lawyers, were asked to solicit an apology from their prison cell as a precondition for the dropping of charges, something the Union accepted based on the consent of their imprisoned Media colleagues.
The lawyers representing the journalists were outraged claiming that the PUL had wasted the chance to legally determine whether espionage is a billable offense under Liberian laws.
Visiting American-French journalist and former CNN stringer Edurdoi Que slammed the action as unethical.
The freed journalists insisted that the terrain was unpredictable and as such freedom was paramount.
Journalists must strive towards all of the professional heights they can attain but the complexity and realities of their locality must be what one of the heroes of the American Revolution Patrick Henry calls the lamp of experience that guards our feet.

By Alber Jaja, member of Media21 network from Liberia, journalist working for THE RENAISSANCE NEWSPAPER, TRUTH FM and REAL TV.

The UN and the New Challenges

2009-08-13T08:13:00.000-07:00

The end of the Cold War propelled the United Nations to adopt a far more multi dimensional approach to keeping peace and expanding beyond the traditional duties of observing cease fires and hurriedly arranged truce.

Professor Terry Tardy’s deliberation at the Media 21 peace and security training in Geneva, Switzerland under the Theme: “War and Peace, Exploring The Role of the Journalist” seemed an in-depth and breath taking reflection of the United Nations and other world bodies’ quest to grapple with challenges of keeping peace and taking into account its realities and attending consequences.
From Liberia to Sierra Leone, currently playing host to the blue helmets, and Sudan anticipating one expanding towards Palestine, journalists deeply involved with the everyday issues were assembled from May 18-22 in the Swiss City of Geneva.
Media 21—a blend of experienced media practitioners and former international correspondents— well aware about Geneva’s reputation as a host to hundreds of influential multi-national organizations preoccupied with efforts aimed at providing diverse services and badly needed assistance.
The trainings are fashioned to provide an encounter with journalists from key places of interest across the globe and a queue of international actors in Geneva. True to the Media 21 training architecture, delegates from Africa, Europe and the Middle-east, witnessed a fruitful experience sharing with actors from the United Nations, Red Cross and Inter-Peace among others.
Prof. Tardy recounted that despite the United Nations been more pronounced and domineering today in their assigned areas of peace keeping, blending military and civilian professionals to seek peace, come and a generic approach to transforming conflict prone society.
He recollected that the capstone doctrine released by the United Nations Department of Peace Keeping Operations clearly spell-out the terms and conditions which could give rise for the intervention of the United Nations blue helmets in any conflict zone.
He notes, among other things, that there must be a peace to keep before the world body moves in. The capstones doctrine and other connotations followed the 2000 Brahami’s report commissioned by former United Nations Secretary General Dr. Kofi Annan, who was apparently keen on solving the failures of the blue helmets with the Rwandan Genocide and Internationally failure apparently be a sad reminder .
Professor Tardy recognized in his presentation that the world body’s remains handicapped by funding and manpower hitches.
He painted a grim picture about the alarming disparity between officials at the United Nations headquarters in New York and men on the field noting that the ratio of men in the offices in New York is over hundred to one. The significant portion of the United Nations deployment being in Africa also tells another story. Terry’s presentations and a host of other fruitful information sharing that follow captured the motives seminar sought to espouse.
The Media 21 tradition seeks to part with the tradition of simply rambling through definitional concerns and media theories by addressing key issues that continue to plaque issues of the world.
From climate change to water safety, to human rights and security, journalists conversant with the everyday issues of the globe are engaged with key actors from strategic international groups.

By Alber Jaja, member of Media21 network from Liberia, journalist working for THE RENAISSANCE NEWSPAPER, TRUTH FM and REAL TV.

The Kosovo Experiment

2009-08-07T05:47:00.000-07:00

Following the workshop on peace and security, the Roumanian journalist Marius Deae publish an article entitled : The Kosovo experiment in the newspaper Ghimpele de Gorj.

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Le Kosovo : une indépendance au goût inachevé

2009-06-25T01:25:00.000-07:00

Après une double-page sur la conférence genevoise, la journaliste algérienne Mekioussa Chekir vient de publier dans le quotidien La Tribune un grand reportage sur le Kosovo suivi de deux articles portant sur le rôle du HCR (Haut Commissariat pour les Réfugiés) et de l'OMM (Organisation Mondiale pour les Migrations), ainsi que les actions de réseau international de soutien aux médias Irex.

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Two new reports in a Sudanese newspaper

2009-06-22T00:52:00.000-07:00

Insaf Elawad, participant of the workshop on Peace and Security in Geneva, just published in Akhir Lahza newspaper two reports about the workshop and the ICRC activities in Sudan.

Le Kosove gangrené par le chômage

2009-06-12T03:03:00.000-07:00

Le journal suisse Le Courrier vient de publier aujourd'hui un reportage sur le Kosovo d'Aline Andrey réalisé dans le cadre de l'atelier de Media21. Aline Andrey s'est concentrée sur la dérive économique de ce micro-État, où le chômage atteint des niveaux très élevés.

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"Les droits de l'Homme sont bons pour les affaires"

2009-06-11T05:22:00.001-07:00

Irene Khan, secrétaire générale d'Amnesty International, est intervenue lors de la séance de cloture du Forum International sur la Sécurité. Le journaliste suisse de L'Hebdo Michel Beuret, participant à l'atelier Media21, l'a interviewé sur le rapport 2009 d'Amnesty International et les grands enjeux contemporains.

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L'interview a été publiée dans L'Hebdo du 28 mai 2009.

De la responsablité et du rôle des médias en temps de guerre et de paix

2009-06-10T04:59:00.000-07:00

Mekioussa Chekir, journaliste algérienne du quotidien La Tribune, est une participante de l'atelier sur les médias et les conflits organisé par Media21. Elle vient de publier un reportage de deux pages sur l'atelier dans son journal, accompagné d'une interview de Daniel Wermus (relations extérieurs Media21) et une autre de Thérèse Gastaut, porte-parole du mouvement international des femmes pour la paix. Il est possible de consulter ses articles ci-dessous, pages 4 et 5.

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Kosova by Fernando Espinosa

2009-06-10T00:59:00.001-07:00

During the field trip in Kosova, Fernando Espinosa, cameraman and photographer from Colombia took a lot of impressive pictures. Media21 selected the best of them for its blog.

Three Questions to Robert James Parsons

2009-06-05T05:01:00.000-07:00

Mr Robert James Parsons is an American journalist working for the Swiss daily newspaper Le Courier and some American magazines, he is correspondent at the UN Palais des Nations in Geneva.
What are your main reproaches considering coverage of mainstream media during conflicts ?
My reproach is that the media do not question what is behind the conflict. For example in Sri Lanka, the reporting is all about the government and the Tamil Tigers. There is gigantic amount of manipulation there particularly since the truce was broken last January. At that time according to the opinion polls carried on in Sri Lanka. The polls were saying roughly 80-85% on both sides favored a peaceful resolution and they believed it was possible. And then the government broke the truce and started this warfare with the view that they would destroy the Tamil population if necessary to retake this land. It goes back to what Ralph Peters said for example at the military academy if we had only bombed Vietnam we could have saved it from Communism if we had used nuclear weapons. What they are saying now is better red than red. You see this coming in Sri Lanka and you see none of this in the media. It is a major geostrategic state that is here, the media are not talking about it. Instead they make a scene like it is just an argument between the Tamil and the Sinhalese and the Tamil.
You spoke about alternative media. How could they work better ?
They can work better with more money. The internet is, as I said, until the internet is shut down or censured the way it is in China, there is a great deal up there because it is very cheap have an alternative news site on the internet.
There are also a lot of manipulations going on in internet because we do not know what are the sources ...
That is not true, internet comprises a vast variety of things. There are sites that are excellent and we do know the sources. If you got any common sense you go to the sites who refer to you, you do not go the sites if you do not know what the sources are, where the news is coming from.

L’objectivité du journaliste lors des conflits

2009-06-03T00:43:00.000-07:00

Il y a toujours eu beaucoup d'intérêt politique au sujet du rôle des médias dans une situation de conflit, autrement dit, dans une situation de crise et de guerre. Un des thèmes les plus persistants explique que les médias deviennent souvent les outils majeurs permettant aux gouvernements de mobiliser l'appui public. Cet argument est devenu particulièrement fort dans les analyses du rôle des médias lors de la guerre du Golfe en1991, et il serait extrêmement étonnant si l'on parvenait à des conclusions différentes au sujet du rôle des médias américains dans les conflits en Afghanistan et lors du déclanchement de la guerre en Irak.
L’un des sujets traités dans l’atelier de Medias21 concernant la paix et de la sécurité qui a eu lieu à Genève le 18-21 mai, 2009, était : « Le Journalisme de paix » et la relation entre les médias et les gouvernements.

Les médias ne sont souvent que des outils pour le gouvernement

Les relations entre médias et gouvernements sont assez complexes en temps de paix et deviennent ambiguës lors des conflits armés. Selon Yves Laplume, directeur éditorial de la Foundation Hirondelle/médias pour la paix et droits de l’Homme : The journalists always work with a team. It’s always a team choice”…finalement Laplume a ajouté: “I don’t know what is peace journalism, but I know what is journalism …
Les médias de masse sont le moyen le plus efficace pour diffuser l’information au public : propagande et censure restent des valeurs largement utilisées par le gouvernement durant les conflits afin de justifier et de faire accepter leurs choix politiques et stratégiques. Les hommes politiques abreuvent donc les médias d’informations en désignant des sources officielles auprès desquelles les journalistes peuvent aller chercher l’information facilement. Cette communication par les sources permet aux gouvernements de définir des stratégies circonstanciées de communication et de relations publiques dans lesquelles s’intègrent leurs rapports aux médias. Dans cette perspective d’action, les sources peuvent produire elles-mêmes des événements dont elles informent les médias. L’auteur parle alors d’« armes de communication massive » (Mercier, 2004.p.167-168).
Luisa Ballin, porte-parole de l’Union Interparlementaire, a bien résumé l’idée que nous avons voulu résumer ici : Its important that we know that journalists cannot change the world but ONLY to give the floor to victims, citizens and of course governments.

Sources : Mercier,A (2004). Guerre et médias : permanences et mutations. Raisons politiques, numéro 13 p.97-110.

Liz Hiller

Photo des intervenants lors de la conférence sur le journalisme de paix.

Survey : War ,peace and journalism...

2009-05-29T00:21:00.000-07:00

During the tree days of the workshop on "War and peace" I found the interactions between the journalists and the panelists intresting to observe and I discover some interesting conclusions :

In addition, the most popular issues in the workshop were:

-The question of the objectivity of journalist in time of conflict(Government, local/foreign journalist)
-What role for journalists in conflicts, peace building & peace keeping.
-Peace journalism: Tool or weapon?

Liz Hiller.

Construite et maintenir la paix

2009-05-22T03:17:00.000-07:00

Une fois la guerre terminée, le plus dur est souvent à venir : maintenir et renforcer la paix. Parmis les permiers intervenants cet atelier Media21 sur les conflits, Thierry Tardy a exposé aux journalistes présents les enjeux du maintien de la paix ainsi que l'engagement de l'ONU dans les opérations de "peacekeeping" et de "peacebuilding". Dr Thierry Tardy est un membre du Centre de Politique de Sécurité (GCSP) à Genève et directeur du programme européen de formation sur la politique de sécurité.

Peacekeeping 18.05.09

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Après la présentation, il a répondu aux interrogations des journalistes. Voici sa réponse à notre question:
Pourquoi les Etats-Unis, qui sur le plan militaire ont rapidement gagné en Afghanistan ou en Irak, n'arrivent pas à construire et maintenir la paix ?
La conduite la guerre conventionnelle et le peacekeeping sont deux activités tellement différentes qu'elles peuvent difficilement être comparées. Le maintien de la paix et la reconstruction impliquent des processus de transformation politique, économique et sociale extrêmement complexes et qui vont bien au-delà de l'action des militaires. Les Etats-Unis ne disposent d'aucun savoir-faire particulier en la matière.
Par ailleurs, en Afghanistan comme en Irak, les opérations menées ne relèvent pas du peacekeeping, mais de l'imposition de la paix ou de la guerre. On est très loin du type d'opérations mises en place par l'ONU en Afrique par exemple.

Dealing with media in armed conflicts

2009-05-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

Ms. Charlotte Lindsey Curtet is a deputy director of communication working for the International Commitee of the Red Cross. She gave a lecture on dealing with media in armed conflicts. The ICRC is the oldest and the most important humanitarian organization assisting victims of conflicts. It is famous for its confidentiality and neutrality, Ms. Lindsey Curtet explained to the journalists participating to the media21 workshop when, why and how the ICRC communicates to the media.

Icrc

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Detecting and countering human trafficking

2009-05-19T13:54:00.001-07:00

Martens Human Trafficking In Conflict

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Jonathan Martens delivered this presentation on human trafficking this morning to the audience of international journalist participating in the Media21 workshop on War and Peace. Jonathan Martens is a Counter-Trafficking expert working for the International Organization for Migration in Geneva. He contributed to several publications on migration and human trafficking. He worked for IOM programs South Africa and Bosnia ans Herzegovina.

Jean-Philippe Chauzy, spokesman of the International Organization for Migration; Jonathan Martens, specialist on human trafficking for the IOM; and Fred Tanner, director of the GCSP.

The Challenges of rebuilding a just peace

2009-05-18T11:17:00.001-07:00

During the first panel of the Media21 workshop entitled : "From conflict prevention and peacekeeping to peacebuilding", Dr Rama Mani gave a speech on the challenges in peacekeeping, underlining the role of social justice. Dr Mani worked for the NGO OXFAM as Conflict Policy Coordinator and African Strategy Manager in Ethiopia and Ouganda. She lived one year in Sri Lanka and is currently an associate fellow of the Geneva Center for Security Policy.

Media Workshop 18 May 2009

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