Reporting on Conflict | Media Watch BlogPeacemakers Trust posts news, reports or announcements of interest to people studying or working in the field of dispute resolution, conflict transformation and peacebuilding. Inclusion of an item on the media watch blog does not imply endorsement or agreement of Peacemakers Trust with views expressed by authors of posted items.
Peru’s highest court, the Constitutional Tribunal, said the executive branch isn’t fully complying with international conventions that oblige it to consult with indigenous peoples before approving projects, especially in the mining and hydrocarbons sector.
(...more)As a former ballet dancer, a teacher, and a technologist, it dawned on me what incredible power there is in flexibility. It’s not uncommon to assume an easily movable object is a flimsy one. People tread nervously across suspension bridges and balk at the thought of buying a camera tripod as silly-looking as this one. And yet, the more I think about it, the more I realize the ingenuity and inherent power in flexibility. Surveying many educational environments reveals that some of our most powerful assets as teachers and learners are, in fact, the most flexible ones. These assets include the wires beneath our school grounds, the resources we find online, and most importantly, our very selves.
(...more)A recent graduate from Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Amy was volunteering as a rape crisis counselor in Chicago when she learned about the alarming levels of sexual violence in Congo. When Amy told family and friends that she wanted to relocate to the Democratic Republic of Congo, her cousin gave her the email address of Father Charles, a Catholic priest from the war-torn province of North Kivu. Father Charles found housing for her with the Crosiers, an order of monks and priests, and also introduced her to Maman Marie Nzoli, who works with victims of the ongoing war, especially rape victims.
(...more)For decades, the Castro government has been very effective in repressing dissent in Cuba by, among other things, preventing its critics from publishing or broadcasting their views on the island. Yet in recent years the blogosphere has created an outlet for a new kind of political criticism that is harder to control. Can it make a difference?
There are more than one hundred unauthorized bloggers in Cuba, including at least two dozen who are openly critical of the government…
Like other government critics, these bloggers face reprisals…
(...more)JUBA, Sudan — South Sudan vowed on Monday to end its use of child soldiers by the end of the year, as the former rebel force works to transform itself into a regular army ahead of a 2011 independence referendum.
(...more)Sarah Shahi USA Networks has announced their new programming lineup and Facing Kate, the new drama featuring Sarah Shahi that has family mediation as its center, is set to air in January. The series focuses on the world of lawyers who, like Kate, resign from practicing law and simply mediate clients’ disagreements.
(...more)Washington – On the 47th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington on Saturday, the first sight on the National Mall for thousands of marchers was a four-story art installation that displayed four images and quotations of Martin Luther King Jr.
The participants in Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally paused as they walked toward the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial. Some stopped to have pictures taken with King as the backdrop.
As recordings of King’s booming baritone filled the air, some of the Beck followers laughed and others booed…
(...more)I never thought I’d say it, but here goes. Glenn Beck is right! Reviving the message of Martin Luther King , Jr. would indeed go considerable distance toward restoring honor to America.
Unfortunately, Beck fails to grasp the implications of his call; MLK Jr.’s message entails radical politics of just the sort that he and his reactionary followers would find appalling.
(...more)An Israeli military court has found the leader of a West Bank protest movement guilty of incitement and organizing illegal demonstrations.
In a move strongly criticized by the European Union, the court convicted Abdallah abu Rahmah of organizing weekly protests against the route of what Israel calls its security barrier and what Palestinians call the apartheid separation wall.
“The individual was convicted of incitement and participation in an illegal riot,” the Israeli military said.
But the organizers of the protest say it is a grass-roots nonviolent movement.
Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative, said the union considers abu Rahmah to be a “human rights defender” and she was “deeply concerned that the possible imprisonment of Mr Abu Rahma(h) is intended to prevent him and other Palestinians from exercising their legitimate right to protest against the existence of the separation barriers in a nonviolent manner.”
(...more)As opposed to what some press accounts may have you believe, the UN mapping report is not a report on the Rwandan genocide of Hutu refugees in the Congo. The sections on the massacre of refugees is a small part of a 565-page report that chronicles many different mass atrocities between 1993 and 2003…
But you need to know what the report talks about, I don’t expect you to read 565 pages. Here are the first highlights of the report, chronicling the period between 1993-1996.
(...more)At a time when there are signs of hope emerging from the churches in the Middle East around the conflict in Palestine and Israel, a World Council of Churches delegation led by General Secretary the Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit will be travelling to the region to emphasise the need for a “just peace”.
(...more)If the situation continues down the current path, with a unilateral reconciliation process, no fixed date for elections, and little genuine effort to address the grievances of urban and rural poor, there is likely to be a deepened political divide and renewed violence, exacerbated by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s continuing role.
(...more)In addition to spawning passionate debates in the public, the news media and the political class, the proposal to build a Muslim community center near Ground Zero in New York has revealed widespread misconceptions about the practice of Islam in this country — and the role of mosques in particular.
(...more)As historians of American Catholicism, and Catholics, we are concerned to see the revival of a strain of nativism in the current controversy over the establishment of an Islamic center some blocks from Ground Zero in lower Manhattan.
(...more)The Expressive Arts and Conflict Transformation (EXA-CT) M.A. is a three year program concentrating on the use of creative methods to address conflicts within teams, communities, and international states…
Professional artists, peaceworkers, art therapists, mediators, educators, coaches, and humanitarian workers are encouraged to pursue the EXA-CT MA program.
For further information please contact the Program Director MaryBeth.Morand(at)egs(dot)edu
149 K
(...more)Today’s edition of Reporting on Conflict was stimulated by a short electronic conversation with a colleague about the ethics of using photos of horrific suffering to raise funds or to sell news or causes during disasters, famine or armed-conflict. We have posted six stories:
We acknowledge Susanne Ure of Amnesty International Canada who pointed out most of these articles. Please let us know about other articles on this topic or online policies or standards of humanitarian organizations of which you are aware.
The photographic reporting of famine, especially in ‘Africa’, continues to replicate stereotypes. Malnourished children, either pictured alone in passive poses or with their mothers at hand, continue to be the obvious subjects of our gaze. What should drive our concern about this persistent portrayal? This morning [13 April] I came across an example that demonstrates how criticism needs to be careful before it can make its point effectively.
(...more)The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), “a professional society that promotes the highest standards in visual journalism,” has a code of ethics that all members are required to endorse. Whether or not you are a member, I think that they are excellent guidelines for any photographer working in the field, documenting people and humanitarian situations.
(...more)Photographic and video images can reveal great truths, expose wrongdoing and neglect, inspire hope and understanding and connect people around the globe through the language of visual understanding. Photographs can also cause great harm if they are callously intrusive or are manipulated…
Visual journalists and those who manage visual news productions are accountable for upholding the following standards in their daily work:
1. Be accurate and comprehensive in the representation of subjects.
2. Resist being manipulated by staged photo opportunities.
3. Be complete and provide context when photographing or recording subjects. Avoid stereotyping individuals and groups. Recognize and work to avoid presenting one’s own biases in the work.
4. Treat all subjects with respect and dignity. Give special consideration to vulnerable subjects and compassion to victims of crime or tragedy. Intrude on private moments of grief only when the public has an overriding and justifiable need to see…
Field officers doubling as amateur photographers face a variety of challenges in maintaining an ethical stance toward photo subjects: lack of awareness and guidance on legal, editorial, and ethical issues; language and literacy barriers; and time and resource constraints….
In addition to laws and editorial principles, you may wish to consider these five general ethical principles in developing policies for best practices in development photography:
1. Autonomy – In what way can I show respect for a person’s right to decline or consent to photography? How do I handle informed consent?
2. Non-Maleficence (Do No Harm) – Am I creating and using photos in a manner that will do no harm to persons appearing in photos?
3. Beneficence (Do Good) – What is my intention or purpose for taking this photo? How can I use a photo to promote a good cause while ensuring that I do no harm to individuals in photos?
4. Fidelity – Am I using photos in a context that fairly represents the real situation, subject identity, or physical location of the image? What steps am I taking to properly credit the photographer?
5. Justice – Am I photographing people and communities with the same respect I would show to neighbors and strangers in my home country?…
© Peacemakers Trust, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007
