30/03/2009Anurag Gangal, Professor, Political Science, Jammu

Unuversity, Jammu1

Role of Media in Conflict Areas

Elizabeth Rehan and Ellen Sirleaf in their book Women, War and Peace said," Thepower of media in [conflict and] warfare is formidable. It can be a mediator or an interpreter or even a facilitator of conflict. If only by editing away facts that do not fit the demands of air time or print space”(Emphasis added).

30/03/2009Anurag Gangal, Professor, Political Science, Jammu

Unuversity, Jammu2

Typology of Media and Conflicts - I

� Different Media and diverse type of conflicts are there

� Print, audio, audio-visual and cyberspace media are there

� As such Newspapers, Magazines, Telecommunication, Radio, TV, Internet are major means of information, Education, Entertainment, Communication and NEWS. This may be called dissemination of Knowledge.

30/03/2009Anurag Gangal, Professor, Political Science, Jammu

Unuversity, Jammu3

Typology of Media and Conflicts - II� Variety of Conflicts: 1. Personal and familial2. Local conflicts limited to a given area, locality,

institution, place and locale specific3. Community specific 4. Regional 5. National6. Territorial7. Ethnic and Identity oriented8. Conflicts for protection of fundamental human

rights and securing social justice9. Religion specific10. Crime and law and order oriented11. International (with unlimited range)

30/03/2009Anurag Gangal, Professor, Political Science, Jammu

Unuversity, Jammu4

Media and Conflicts

� Media is interested in what they call stories from North, East, West, South or NEWS

� News for Media is when, as it were, ‘man bites a dog’ and not vice versa.

� Media is primarily interested in what is not common and normal.

� Yet media is also interested in masses and whatever is massive in nature.

30/03/2009Anurag Gangal, Professor, Political Science, Jammu

Unuversity, Jammu5

Media’s Role and Conflicts� Media is generally not engaged in

conflict prevention� Reporting by itself can lead to prevention

of conflicts sometimes when an alarming piece of information is highlighted about a probability

� It is not just conflicts but also their management, resolution and transformation that concerns media

� Media’s role is also in fostering the building of mutual trust and projection of rightful image

30/03/2009Anurag Gangal, Professor, Political Science, Jammu

Unuversity, Jammu6

Major Representative Instances of Media’s Role in Conflict Areas� International Media and Developing

Countries: Biased Reporting � Reporting terrorism� Case of Jammu and Kashmir� Anthony Smith, Geopolitics of

Information highlights a system of tilted, biased, racially afflicted and exploitative media perspectives

� Limitations of media: Journalists write on the back of advertisements and Mediapersons air their stories in the advertisers’ leftover timeslots

30/03/2009Anurag Gangal, Professor, Political Science, Jammu

Unuversity, Jammu7

Media’s Real Life Role

� Mediapersons look for a scoop and, as such, when World Trade Centre collapsed, they all, in the first instance, jumped with happiness in their offices for having had this great opportunity and moment to cover.

� Yet, mediapersons and police both have to face real life threatening situations in their daily imparting of duties.

30/03/2009Anurag Gangal, Professor, Political Science, Jammu

Unuversity, Jammu8

Media’s Role, Police and“Provention”� John Burton’s sustained proactive

efforts for prevention of conflicts of “Provention” is required for media and police to realise.

� Proper grasping of conflicts and conflict resolution methods needs wider people to people active participation and continued interaction. It must not remain nearly an exclusive domain of academic experts, political negotiators, and diplomatic officers only.

� Methods and technical profundity is required absolutely. This knowledge must, however, percolate down to every common person. That is how things have to be planned for future.

30/03/2009Anurag Gangal, Professor, Political Science, Jammu

Unuversity, Jammu9

Select Bibliography

� Bajraktari, Yll, and Christina Parajon, “The Role of the Media in Conflict”, http://www.usip.org/pubs/usipeace_briefings/2007/0705_media_conflict.html

� Bondurant, Conquest of Violence: The Gandhian Philosophy of Conflict, Princeton University Press, New Jersey, 1988

� Burton, John, Conflict: Resolution and Provention, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1990

� Gangal, S.C., Gandhian Thought and Techniques in the Modern World, Criterion, New Delhi, 1988.

� Huntington, Samuel P., “The Clash of Civilisations?”, Foreign Affairs, 1993.