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The Impact of Media in Conflicts

RADIO WARS: BREAKING THE WAVES OF HATE, TURNING THE TIDE TOWARDS PEACE

Conflicts can be defined as a prolonged armed struggle, a serious disagreement or simply a difference between principles and opinions. Up to this day, it is still present in every facet of society; whether it is between family members, a group of individuals or an entire nation, conflict occurs indiscriminately. Conflict is also known to have a balancing effect and is capable of affecting the status quo of a situation or environment. However, it should be noted that, it does not balance the powers and create equilibrium, but rather it seeks the balance to the powers. Simply put, it is the process of balancing powers with the result of instilling the victor of the conflict as the supreme power. Thus, to be able to understand the current holder of the power, it is crucial to comprehend prior conflict and the reasons behind it.

Media Understands Its Role And Effect

Before covering a particular conflict, it is crucial that media understand its role and effect, be it directly or indirectly, on it. During this process, the media can work something out that can lead to peace while covering the story and events. They could serve as a venue for communication between conflicting parties while remaining fair to the issue, resulting to be a mediator to both parties. The ideal effect of media being a mediator is acquiring a peaceful resolution by allowing both parties in opposition to open a dialogue with each other. This mediator role of the media is critical in the conflicts occurring today, since no other branch of society can perform this important role in a conflict as media.

Effective Agent Of Peace

For media to become an effective agent of peace, several doctrines must be followed, such as responsibility, impartiality and accuracy while covering the events of a conflict. When an absence of objective reporting occurs, media can increase the tension in a particular conflict and, sometimes, escalating the conflict. Today, in the era known as the Information Age, misinformation reported by the media can immediately create a response, be it negative or positive, depending on the structure of the message and how it was reported.

These days, media concentrate on operating in societies where the freedom of information and expression have not been fully institutionalized yet. Their work becomes a challenge during conflicts in these societies, especially if the state itself is involved. Without transparency and an effective information dissemination mechanism, the objectivity of media gets compromised. As bits and pieces of information are being supplied to them by interest groups and the state itself, media can be an unwitting pawn in the conflict.

Analyze A Conflict

To overcome these difficulties, media men should be able to analyze a conflict objectively and the facts being presented by the conflicting parties. Upon understanding the implicit and explicit cause of the conflict and the persons involved, they can present demands that will lead to peace. Conflict analysis is necessary to establish an objective reason in a conflict. This can be a venue for conflicting parties to take steps to negotiate peaceful settlements in on-going disputes and to reduce hostilities that affect the population.

References:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/22/AR2010092203806.html

http://www.life-peace.org/sajt/filer/pdf/New_Routes/nr200302.pdf

October 30, 2010 - Posted by chase baker | Society | Effective media Agent Of Peace, media of peace, Media's Role And Effect, The Impact of Media in Conflicts