Germans from East and West stand on the Berlin Wall in front of the Brandenburg Gate in this Nov. 10, 1989, photo, one day after the wall opened. (AP Photo/FILE)
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The Use of Media in the Pursuit of Peace
By Erika Hurn
"Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice.” — Baruch Spinoza
Ad Campaign Raises Support for Peace Agreement
Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness, left, and Gerry Adams give the "thumbs-up" to the announcement that Northern Ireland voters approved the peace agreement with a 71.12 percent "Yes" vote at the count in Belfast Saturday, May 23, 1998. (AP Photo/Max Nash)
By Brendan Hughes
When public support for the Good Friday Agreement between Ireland and England faded in 1998 the British government sought help from an advertising agency. McCann Erickson, a leading agency, developed a media campaign that emphasized the benefits of the Good Friday Agreement. After a month, support for the agreement reached 71 percent on all sides of the conflict. The advertising campaign played a positive role in the acceptance of the agreement, which produced a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
The media has a lot of influence in the world, and in terms of peace and conflict, it is difficult to know when and how to use it effectively. Unfortunately, history shows that the media has had more influence in promoting violent acts that in the promotion of peace. Just consider how Hitler used it to turn the world against minorities, or how a Rwandan radio station managed to turn its citizens against one another. Even when it comes to more “day to day” media coverage, such as of the Israel-Palestine conflict, the information passes through a plethora of politicians, public relations professionals and other private organizations before even being seen by the public. This manipulation results in news coverage full of limited, one-sided perspectives.
Unfortunately, most people do not have the time or interest to do their own research of conflicts, so they depend on the information given them through television, newspapers, internet, and the radio. Biased framing has the tendency to sway public opinion in a certain direction, which can be very detrimental to our society and our understanding of situations around the world. Simply the way a conflict is explained can sometimes lead to a problem escalating even more, which is why this practice needs to be addressed in order to aid the pursuit of peace.
The United States Institute of Peace claims that “Media have been both targets and weapons in violent conflict.” Control of information is consistently being abused by using tactics such as blocking internet access, seizing airwaves, and intimidating journalists in order to promote a war agenda. In order to counter this exploitation of the media in conflict situations, new processes are needed for monitoring and supporting independent media voices during times of conflict. Further, we need to start developing new journalistic practices in order for the media to be an asset in peacebuilding. There have been many efforts thus far, but we are still continuing to learn the most beneficial ways of using media in conflict management.
The bottom line is that media works as a business, and people buy what they are selling. In order to change the attitudes and behaviors of the public, bringing people together needs to be the ongoing goal of any worldwide campaign for peace. We need to use media in a way that promotes the pursuit of peace and creates an idea in which future generations will want to invest in.