Global Issues

Reporting on Conflict

If truth is the first casualty of war, then journalists reporting from regions of conflict face unique challenges in providing accurate and impartial news. “For journalists who live and work ‘on the front line,’ one careless word or one inaccurate detail can ignite a conflict. But equally, one clear, balanced report can help to defuse tension and neutralize fear,” says Fiona Lloyd, one of two media trainers who designed a special training program for Internews aimed at journalists who work for media outlets within strife-torn areas.

Since 1999, the Reporting for Peace (RFP) training program has taught hundreds of print and radio journalists how to move beyond the “body count” style of war reporting—and how to report on conflict constructively. The program has been taught in Indonesia, Timor Leste, Kosova, the Caucasuses, Afghanistan, Uganda, Thailand and Kenya.

Internews has also helped journalists in countries such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Sudan address issues of conflict in their countries.

The Search for Solutions

A key aim of the RFP program is to develop local reporters’ understanding of the dynamics and causes of conflict in order to improve their coverage techniques. The training also explores the similarities between the role of a conflict mediator and that of a journalist. Over time, Internews trainers will mentor those journalists in producing stories that can open up dialogue between conflicting parties and eventually broaden the search for solutions.

“It takes persistence, perseverance and often a lot of courage to produce this kind of journalism in conflict environments,” explains Daniel Bruce who has managed Internews’ conflict programs in Kenya and Uganda. “Once the bloodshed has stopped, the real issues that caused the conflict risk being neglected unless local media commit to providing communities with the information they need to prevent it happening again.”

Conflict Journalism Case Studies

Kenya’s Fragile Democracy

Since independence in the 1960’s, Kenya has witnessed ever changing levels of openness and transparency in the democratic process. Hand in glove with the electoral process has been a cycle of violent conflict since 1992, with the most devastating uprising occurring in the wake of a disputed presidential election result in late 2007. For many Kenyan citizens, the throes of democracy open a rich seam of anger and frustration at perceived historical injustices over land distribution and inequality between different ethnic groups.

Internews Kenyan journalist Tole Nyatta interviews people about the violence that followed a disputed Presidential Election result in early 2008.

In early 2008 many Kenyan journalists, and their employers, found themselves at the eye of the storm. Hundreds of people died in the worst post-election violence seen in the country in recent history. The vast majority of local journalists had little or no experience of reporting on such events and matters were made worse as some key broadcasters stood accused of using hate speech, fuelling the inter-ethnic violence.

Internews introduced the Reporting for Peace project towards the end of 2008 to work with carefully selected mainstream and community broadcasters in Nairobi and across the Rift Valley Province where the violence was most acute. Today, long after the cameras and microphones of the international media have departed, dozens of dedicated Kenyan reporters are being supported by Internews in their efforts to untangle the complex web of issues that drive internal conflict in the country, stimulating reconciliation between communities and providing them with the information they need to build lasting solutions.

Child Soldiers Become Reporters in Uganda  

Northern Uganda was devastated by a 20-year civil war between government forces and the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army. The LRA became globally notorious for abducting young children to train them for combat against their own people. By August 2006, a fragile peace was finally achieved as a cessation of hostilities was agreed upon, and peace negotiations commenced.

Daniel Bruce/Internews Community ‘Peace Wall’ at the Local Council headquarters in Gulu, Uganda.

Internews ran a two-year conflict journalism program at this critical stage in the process. Journalists from at least 20 community radio stations in the North were equipped with skills to effectively cover the complex peace process whilst also reporting on the challenges of reconstruction and rehabilitation. 1.7 million people had been forced from their homes and many former LRA abductees were routinely stigmatized by their communities. A number of reformed child soldiers were among the reporters trained by Internews; bringing a valuable personal perspective to coverage of these emotional issues.

Frontlines of East Timor and Banda Aceh

Internews’ first RFP programs were launched in 1999 when South African media trainers Fiona Lloyd and Peter du Toit began working together to develop the program. The first courses were held in East Timor and Banda Aceh where the trainers worked with journalists covering independence struggles in these regions. Training in both areas continued over several years as conflict in each of these regions continued to evolve.

For the most part, participants were relatively inexperienced journalists who represented small community-oriented radio and print organizations. They were also members of the affected communities and had first-hand experience of living on the frontline. Many of these journalists reported that the RFP approach and philosophy enabled them to see how they, as professionals, could make a positive contribution towards creating conditions within which peaceful dialogue could take place.

Internews’ media development work in the above countries was funded by grants from the US Agency for International Development.