Ethics Centre - Peace Journalism

The first lecture in this year's Ethics Centre programme at Newington was delivered by Professor Jake Lynch of Sydney University on Peace Journalism. It was a fascinating talk - looking at the way in which war is reported and truth distorted by journalists - in the interests of appealing to a particular audience, selling newspapers or trying to reduce complex scenarios in to easily digestible 'news' porsals for the masses.

The table below gives a great explanation of the contrast between 'war/violence journalism' (epitomised by Fox, but there are many others) and 'peace journalism'.

He also talked about the way in which media often reduces a complex scenario to a 'tug of war'- where a war (he says the word 'conflict' is too often used as a synonym for war - which it actually isn't) is simplified as being between two protagonists where one wins and the other, therefore, loses. The more A is winning, the more B is losing. When the media does this, the protagonists find themselves conforming to this paradigm and resolution becomes impossible because the war has now become a matter of 'winning' or 'losing'.

There was discussion of the war in Libya, and the contrast between news reporting in Australia and the UK. A more critical press will 'join the dots' to weed out corruption, which too often isn't followed through here (in part due to the vested and commerical interests in media, the location of Canberra (in the middle of nowhere) distancing, literally, politicians and journalists from real life (in a way that Westminster doesn't - you don't have to go far from College Green to talk to 'real' people). In Australia political discourse is frequently narrow because the two main political parties too often agree and present a 'false dilemma' within a debate. Journalists play it safe by asking politicians for their views, rather than academics because this insulates them from criticism. A politician who says something inaccurate or misleading brings criticism upon him/herself, whereas a journalist may be criticised for his/her choice of an academic interviewee.

If you're interested in reading more, check out http://newmatilda.com/. Lynch also presents a media-critical show called 'News Goo', which targets the ABC as well as other mainstream channels. Most intelligent people know that Channel 9 is not a serious channel for news, but the ABC is often charged with failing to present stories in a balanced way; contrary to what most viewers would believe.
There will be more on a similar theme in the next few days. It's the NSW election tomorrow, with the likely outcome of the incumbent Labor Government being virtually wiped out....