| MEDIA, INFORMATION FLOWS AND CONFLICT
Just as important as the realities of crime and violence are the information flows surrounding those realities and which play a part in determining perceptions of conflict and criminal violence. Media and mechanisms for information flow, in all their forms – official, informal and street rumour mills - have major impacts on levels of insecurity and prospects for peace. They can, on the one hand, drive a vicious circle of fear and prejudice, and in the most extreme forms, may propel people to violence. On the other hand, they can also shape public understanding of the dynamics of violence and harness or encourage peaceful ways of addressing them.
IfP-EW’s Media for Peace cluster seeks to analyse the ways media organisations operate within the post-conflict contexts of Liberia, Nepal, Sierra Leone and between Kosovo and Serbia. It specifically explores alternative systems of information exchange and the means through which local information and assessment of trends in violence can be transmitted to the wider public in order to understand how these can be better supported and acted upon by international institutions.
In Liberia, Nepal and Sierra Leone, research is being conducted on how media can influence people’s perceptions of insecurity, including impacts at the local/community level in constructing or undermining public understandings of the dynamics of violence. Participatory research between Serb and Kosovar graduates will also identify the positive and negative roles and impacts of media institutions in divided societies. Briefing papers, workshops and exchanges of media professionals will discuss and share findings between participants in Liberia, Nepal and Sierra Leone, while trainings on the media and conflict sensitive reporting will be conducted in these countries plus Timor-Leste.
The IfP-EW partners collaborating in this work are Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), International Alert and Search for Common Ground.
Cluster coordinator : Richard Reeve
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