Presentation by Center for Community Journalism and Development Executive Director Red Batario at the Institute for Autonomy & Governance Community Journalism for Peace workshop, Cotabato City, 18 December 2011

1. Community Journalism for Peace
Red Batario
Center for Community Journalism and Development

2. You and the community:
A current reality dialogue
• What is my role as a journalist in my community?
• How am I perceived as a journalist in my
community?
• What conflict issues have I reported over the last
two years?
• What peace issues have I reported over the last two
years?

3. Covering Conflict,
Reporting Peace
Looking at the social consequences
of news reporting

5. Conflict is a social process...
so is the quest for peace
...

6. Conventional role of journalists in
conflict
• Helping parties • Helping to evaluate by
communicate where assessing possible
there is no direct solutions
communication
• Acting as enforcers by
• Exploring conflict by monitoring agreements
carrying messages
between parties • Legitimizing by
encouraging parties and
• Educating parties giving them support
• Convening parties

7. Potential role of journalists in
preventing and managing conflict
• Channelling • Providing an emotional
communication between outlet
parties
• Encouraging a balance of
• Educating power
• Confidence-building • Face saving and
consensus building
• Analyzing conflict
• Solution-building
• Identifying the interests
underlying the issues

8. Pre-Conflict During Conflict Post-Conflict
Issues Indirect communication Heightened tension, Repatriation of
between adversaries of including fighting refugees
issuing threats
Displacement of Implementation of
Increased HR violations
population peace settlement
Promotion of stereotypes
as the “other” including Perceptions of others Potential presence of
us-as-good and them-as- as non-human, peace-keeping forces
evil psychopaths, etc. to or monitors
justify violence
Demands for justice
Channels of (atrocities, etc)
communication
broken down Reconstruction

9. Pre-Conflict During Conflict Post-Conflict
Objective Help prevent outbreak of Help mitigate the Render participation
s of pro- violence by providing an effects of conflict on of individuals in
active information vehicle for the population by society in a positive
groups in dispute
media ensuring they have light
program Develop programming access to credible and
ming which frames the crisis in impartial Continue to give
a manner which humanitarian people, especially
encourages a peaceful information those directly affected
resolution of the conflict by the conflict, a
Produce larger voice
Provide accountability for programming which
human rights abuses
alerts the population Cover issues of
Promote confidence to the role of the repatriation especially
building between parties international relief where returnees are
and identify common community part of ethnic
ground minority and build a
Provide vehicle for culture of racial
discussion on ways to sensitivity and
resolve conflict acceptance
Focus on health and
security issues

11. Redefine perceptions for peace
building by asking these questions
• What is the conflict about? Which are the groups
involved in the conflict and how do they define
themselves? What are their goals?
• What are the major issues involved in the
conflict, such as economic inequality or political
discrimination?
• What are the needs of the parties and what are
their fears? Are these realistic?

12. • What potential outcomes are there, other than
one side imposing itself on the other?
• What is the extent of the conflict’s effects, both
within and outside the conflict areas?
• What is the history of the conflict? What are the
deeper roots, especially cultural? What have
been attempts to resolve it?
• Who is initiating reconciliation efforts?
• What is the nature of the relationship between
the adversaries?

13. Conflict can be perceived by local
populations as...
• Adversarial – viewing conflict as “us vs. them,”
either win or lose, all or nothing
• Reflective – looking inward, reflecting on the
hurt and pain the conflict has caused and
considering the best ways to achieve real goals
• Integrative – looking both as one’s own side
and the need to understand the views of the
opponents

15. Video

16. Typical characteristics of war
reporting
• Reactive rather than pro-active
• Focuses only on the visible and immediate effect
of violence
• Dehumanizes “the enemy” through accounts of
atrocities

17. • Creates an “us” and “them” scenario, helping
“our” half-truths while denouncing “their”
propaganda
• Equates peace with victory and ceasefire
• Conceals or ignores peace initiatives
• Follows the agendas of the military, other armed
force, and/or political elites

18. Case Study 1
Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe has sent in military support to the Eastern
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to back Joseph Kabila’s struggling
FARDC forces against the rebel group National Congress for the
Defense of the People (CNDP). “Their role is real,” said a CNDP
spokesperson.
Commenting on the atrocities committed last week the spokesperson said:
“They raped women, looted and maimed and mutilated families.”
He also claimed that these brutal atrocities in Goma town were designed
by the DR Congo government troops in a bid to put blame on the
advancing rebel army (CNDP).
“Bad things happened in Goma before we ceased fire. When just four
kilometers away and before government soldiers withdrew, they killed
people who don’t speak Kinyarwanda, and this was planned to be
blamed on us to tarnish our image once we took over,” the
spokesperson said.

19. Take another look
Rebels in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) say
Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe has sent in military support to the
Eastern DRC to back Joseph Kabila’s struggling FARDC forces.
A Zimbabwe government spokesperson denies the claim.
The CNDP spokesperson also says the atrocities in Goma town were
designed by the DR Congo government troops in a bid to put blame
on the advancing rebel army (CNDP).
The United Nations says it is looking into the claim.
The current outbreak of violence began one week ago and it has left
tens of thousands of people homeless.

20. Spot the difference
Traditional reporting Conflict sensitive reporting
• The story reports a claim by • The report gives some
unnamed CNDP sources without explanation for the violence
proof
• The story is full of blame and • The report seeks out other
lacks proof – there is no points of view
evidence of Zimbabwe support
• The story is one-sided and takes
sides. It tells the story from • The report brings a human
only one point of view and there element to the story
is no effort to seek comment
from either Zimbabwe or
Kinshasa
• The report does not seek out
other interests of points of view

21. What we should ask ourselves
• Is this necessary news? • Are there enough
What is the public different voices in the
interest in this report? Is report? Did we ask
it news because only enough different opinions
because it is about the from ordinary people and
other side? experts?
• Even if the facts are • Are there words and
correct, will this report comments in the report
encourage prejudice? Can which offend people or
it be reported differently? cause prejudice? Are
these comments balanced
by other comments?

22. Media and citizens as fair-minded participants in
the determining the news agenda
 The journalist as member of the community
 Helping flesh out ideas that could solve local
problems

23. Examining power imbalances
Who has the • Elite
loudest voice? • Positions of wealth
Who is heard • Vulnerable groups
least? • Women and
children
Which story gets • Those with power?
told more often?

24. Power imbalances often lead to
structural violence
• Not only physical violence (war, murder, rape)
• Manifests itself in unequal chances in society
• Some people are marginalized because they are
poor, or they belong to minority groups
• Exploitation, oppression, and deprivation are
symptoms of unequal power structures in society

25. Journalists can begin to...
• Explore the different community layers
• Examine what’s wrong but report also what’s
working
• Find ways by which people can resolve local
problems
• Expand different voices

26. We can also
• Spend time to understand the life of the
community
• Listen more closely to what people are saying
• Suspend our cynicism
• Brace for biases and opinions

27. Hindering and promoting peace
AN EXERCISE

28. How do we go about it?
• Divide into four groups (print
• After finishing writing, the
media, broadcast media,
group member should shake
family, school)
hands and offer the sign of
peace to the members of the
• Form four parallel lines at other groups.
least 10 feet away from the
Manila paper
• Round 2: Each member of the
group, one after the other, will
• Round 1: Each member of the run to the Manila paper and
group, one after the other, will write down a word or phrase
run to the Manila paper and corresponding to something
write down a word or phrase that will promote peace.
corresponding to something
that will hinder peace.