Media and Peacebuilding in Sri Lanka

Slide 1: Media, Peace & Conflict in Sri Lanka Sanjana Hattotuwa

Slide 2: History of broadcasting in Sri Lanka • Sri Lanka has the oldest radio station in Asia - Radio Ceylon. • Experimental broadcasting was started in 1923 - 3 years after the inauguration of broadcasting in Europe. • 1925 broadcasting began

Slide 3: Statistics

Slide 4: Modes of Information in Sri Lanka

Slide 5: What media do you consume the most on a daily basis television, radio or newspapers? 80 71.2 60 % 40 22.1 20 5.0 1.5 0 Television Radio Newspapers Word of mouth

Slide 6: What media do you consume the most on a daily basis television, radio, newspapers? Gender breakdown 100.0% 1.8% 1.2% 1.8% 8.7% 21.2% Word of mouth 80.0% 23.3% Newspapers 60.0% Radio Television 40.0% 75.6% 66.3% 20.0% 0.0% Male Female

Slide 8: Media and conflict

Slide 9: Media and Conflict • In most cases of long term conflict, media becomes part of the conflict and not part of the solution.

Slide 10: Media and Conflict There is nothing wrong with our We must editorial have more balanced policy ! coverage Why am I the What a only woman jackass ! here? I feel left out… Every single person here has a different What the perspective hell is going on?

Slide 11: Truth?

Slide 12: Security Job security Personal security No training No equipment No insurance No identification Volatile ground situation

Slide 13: What are the problems you see with media?

Slide 15: Media and Conflict • Lack of professionalism/ journalism training in State and Private media • Most of the newsrooms in Sri Lanka are monolingual. • Lack of diversity. • No democracy in the newsroom.

Slide 16: Media and Conflict • Polarization of newspapers on ethnic lines • Self-censorship of Editors • State owned media has been a political tool of the governing political party • Lack of training / Existing training not up to industry demands

Slide 17: Media in Conflict Transformation

Slide 19: Analyzing the conflict Framing and Face saving defining the and consensus- conflict building Counteracting Encouraging a Media Roles in misperceptions balance of Peacebuilding power Identifying the Confidence- interests building underlying the issues Channel of communication between parties

Slide 20: Process Events

Slide 21: Process Events § Long term § Short-term § Variable & changing § Episodic § Different actors at different § Sensational - what bleeds times leads § Difficult to imagine, § Difficult to contextualise / especially as an advance frame project § Hard to understand the § Outbreaks of violent significance of one event periods likely and § Are the foundation of the undermine confidence in public’s perception of a the process peace process § Necessary to maintain the optimism and hope

Slide 22: Media as a shared space

Slide 23: Engender media • Women need to be more visible at the higher decision-making levels • But not just a numbers game - real decision making power is hard to come by • Awareness-raising on gender - especially editorial and management levels • Give women agency & represent agency at all levels • Men & women need to be engaged, not just one sex

Slide 25: Two (different) films

Slide 26: New Media

Slide 27: New Media / Citizens Media “As media proliferate and as the world becomes the more volatile and unpredictable, the greater becomes the need to organise citizens’ media associations and to promote community based media which alone can serve as balancing factors to check the unhealthy dominance of State-media and corporate media.” Javid Jabbar, Convenor, Citizens Media Commission, Pakistan http://www.wiredet.com/cmd/files/studies.asp

Slide 28: What is New Media? • Old Media – Single Producer • New Media – Multiple Producers • Old Media – National, Regional • New Media – Local, Grassroots / “Glocal” • Old Media – Journalists • New Media – Citizen Journalists

Slide 29: http://www.jnw.lk

Slide 30: Mobile Phones & Citizen Journalism

Slide 31: How can New Media help professional standards? • Accountability • Audience feedback and debate • Ethical reporting and standards • Promotion of alternatives, including alternatives & revisions to old media frame • Investigative journalism

Slide 33: www.youtube.com

Slide 34: www.flickr.com

Slide 35: http://radio.voicesofpeace.lk

Slide 36: http://www.groundviews.org

Slide 37: • 500+ (avg) individuals log on to the website on a daily basis (Pageviews) • Around 15,000+ pageviews a month (avg) • 77,360 pages viewed to date from around 29,000 unique readers • 25+ original articles per month are uploaded to the website • The split in local and international readership is 60/40 • 80+ subscribers to email update and its growing.

Slide 38: http://www.vikalpa.org

Slide 39: Growth of new media producers and users globally

Slide 41: Questions • Can New Media work in Sri Lanka? • How useful is New Media in changing the old media cultures? • Can New Media help conflict sensitive journalism and peacebuilding?

Slide 42: Thank You