Introduction The role of international Media in conflict Hate Media Social Media and Information Warfare in the Ukraine-Russia War The role of Media in Constructing a Culture of Peace

1. IRL 4075A: MECHANISMS
OF INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION
The Role of International Media in Conflict:
Hate Media and The Role of Media in Constructing
a Culture of Peace: Peace Media/Peace Journalism

2. Topics/Subtopics
Introduction
The role of international Media in conflict
Hate Media
Social Media and Information Warfare in the Ukraine-Russia War
The role of Media in Constructing a Culture of Peace
Peace Media/Peace Journalism
Community Media
Conclusion

3. Introduction
What is Media?
Several mediums or channels used in an organized fashion to
communicate information to groups of people as a service to the
public.’’
- Howard 2002
• What is Conflict
Conflict can be defined in many ways and can be considered as an
expression of hostility, negative attitudes, aggression and
misunderstanding.

4. Definitions Of Conflict cont.
Conflict may emerge between different organisations or within organisations,
or between organisations and their social and political environments .
A conflict is serious disagreement or argument between two or more persons
According to Joe Kelly,
“Conflict is defined as opposition or dispute between persons, groups or
ideas”.
According to Follett,
“Conflict is the appearance of difference, difference of opinions, of interest”.

6. Role of Media
in Conflict Prevention
 Immediacy
 Specific actions and events
 Drama
 Violence, crisis or conflict, Extremist
behaviors
Outrageous acts
 Simplicity
Clear cut opinions, images, major
personalities, two- sided conflicts
 Ethnocentrism
 Our beliefs, myths and symbols Our
suffering
Hitler used the
media to create
entire worldview of
hatred for Jews,
homosexuals, other
minority groups.

7. Role of Media in Conflict Prevention cont.
 Media as information provider and interpreter
 The media interpret events beyond, our physical realm and help us make sense of
them. ( ex: Otpor movement in 1998)
 Media as watchdog
 Third party watchdog provide feedback to public and local problems.
 Media can bring hidden stories out in to the public.
 Media as a policymaker
 Media has influence on policymakers, particularly as they think about how to
prevent and respond to violent conflict (ex: CNN has taken over policymaking at
least in humanitarian disaster situation.)
 Media as a diplomat
 Media may help to create bridges among enemies and build confidence needed to
open negotiation

8. De-Escalation: Influence
of Media on the Process of Peace
 Media as a peace promotor
Media events can be used at the beginning of negotiation to build
confidence, facilitate negotitaions or break diplomatic deadblocks
to create a climate conducive to negotiation.
 Media as a bridge builder
Promote positive relationship between groups
Showing the other in similar light to self (ex: Iraqi news
media that emphasize how both Shia and Sunni suffer from
violence help build a bridge of common empathy

9. Practically Media can
prevent conflict and build peace
 Radio for peace building Africa (RFPA) is non profit
organization search for common ground (Burundi,
Central African Republic, Kenya)
 Example: organized 90 workshops
 Bosnia, Burundi, Israel/Palestine and Rwanda there are
documented positive accomplishment of initiate
project of post conflict recovery through the role of
the media.

12. The concept of Media in Peacebuilding
The field of conflict prevention and peace-building has
done little to lay out our specific products within different
frameworks.
Usually, discussions of using the media aim for some
general goal to 'promote peace.’
Peace itself is not really a product.
It is an idea, but does not necessarily suggest automatically
some new specific behavior that the public should adopt.

13. The concept of Media in Peacebuilding cont.
The first step in assessing the wisdom of using the media for
conflict prevention and peace-building in a region is to
determine the specific goals of local conflict prevention and
peace-building experts that can be 'packaged' as tangible and
realistic products to sell.
Violence polarizes people (pitting some groups against other
groups of people).
Peace-building seeks to build a bridge between groups of
people -de-polarizing people's attitudes and behaviors toward
each other.

14. Peacebuilding
 Goals of Peacebuilding
 Provide security
 Establish the socio economic foundation of
long term peace
 Establishpoliticalframe work of long term
peace
 Generate reconciliation, a healing of the
wounds of war and justice
 Change unjust structure
 Transform the way of living
 Heal their relationship Crete a space for
mutual trust respect and interdependence
Peace building attempt to
encourage development of
structural conditions,
attitudes, band modes of
political behavior that may
permit Peaceful, stable and
ultimately prosperous social
and economic development.’’

17. Hate speech
Hate speech is, outside the law, speech that attacks a person or group
on the basis of e.g. race, religion, gender, disability, or sexual
orientation.
Hate speech is speech that attacks a person or group on the basis of
attributes such as race religion, ethnic origin, national origin, gender,
disability, sexual orientation.
The law of some countries describes hate speech as speech, gesture or
conduct, writing, or display that incites violence or prejudicial action
against a protected group or individual on the basis of their
membership of the group.

18. Hate speech defames, belittles, or dehumanizes a class of people on the basis
of certain inherent properties typically race, ethnicity, gender or religion.
Hate speech attributes to a certain class of people highly negative qualities
taken to be inherent in members of the class.
Hate speech as it is defined by the Council of Europe, covers all forms of
expression which spread, incite, promote or justify racial hatred, xenophobia,
anti- Semitism or other forms of hatred based on intolerance, including:
intolerance expressed by aggressive nationalism and ethnocentrism,
discrimination and hostility against minorities, migrants and people of
immigrant origin.

19. Hate speech cont.
Social media platforms like Facebook and twitter has raised concerns
about emerging dubious activity such as the intensity of hate, abusive
and offensive behavior among us.
In the USA, the issue that arises when dealing with hate speech is the
fact that hate speech is protected by the First Amendment free speech
rights in the U.S. This makes it difficult to punish perpetrators and to
seek justice for victims.
Also due to the anonymous nature of online communication, it is
easier for people to hide behind the computer screen to discriminate,
oppress, subjugate and victimize other people online.

20. Theories of Hate Speech
There are a number of theories that I would like to introduce in my research.
 Implicit Personality theory:
The term was initially used by Bruner and Tagiuri to describe
assumed relationships of traits…
The term could be used to correspond to the broad conception of
classic personality theory, namely, a set of assumptions about why
people behave the way they do (Schneider, 1973).
The theory relates to factors that influence people to write hateful or sexist
messages against women online.

21. Challenges of Media in
Conflict prevention and peacebuilding
 Link between media freedom and human
rights
 Fragile democracies
 Politics
 Poverty
 Ethnic differences

22. Conclusion
The media’s role in contributing to cognitive, attitudinal and behavioral
change on a large scale is unique.
Conflict prevention and peace building professionals cause the media in
harmony with their other programs – if they know when, why, and how to
use the media for the most strategic impact in lessoning the polarization
between groups.
On the other hand, media professionals still have much to learn about why
and when their work can contribute to preventing violent conflict and
building peace between groups.
The media a interest in the dynamics of conflict.

23. THANK YOU