Published:
Op-Ed Contributor
Objective Journalism And Peace
By Kamala Sarup
A free (non-government controlled) press, or media in general, must remain somewhat objective. Objective journalism promotes making journalism peaceful. The connection between objective journalism and peace is that they use the truth resources.
There is such thing as "violence and peace" in journalism. Something is either logic or illogical. Our examples are of several kinds of reasoning leading to peace conclusions, but not necessarily illogical.
Therefore, there is an inconsistency between the accumulation of bad journalism and the promotion of an attractive and healthy journalism. It is true, violence harms journalism. Unfortunately, continued violence will deteriorate the media in spite of the best efforts of people to make the nation and life safer. So, Journalism's role to defend the peace can achieve some good results for the people.
Some media sends lots of peace messages and it helps to counteract the violence, but there is no substitute for eliminating the violence. Why would it be important for us to launch such a healthy and peace journalism? The reason is a simple one. We are being used by freedom which we believe we do understand well.
Simple people want a peaceful existence. Journalists must think that publishing an article or interview on peace is promoting freedom. Journalism has to play a crucial role in a conflict. Journalism's role needs in the dissemination of correct and fact-based news.
Journalists must write for peace because we want the healthy growth of peacejournalism, which has been given a great degree of freedom and democracy.
Is there anything wrong with fighting violence through journalism or media? Of course not. We as a believer in democracy who is struggling to understand peace, security and justice in the world should know that in the opinion of many, our current plans seem to carry such a taint or curse. However, we should write our own conscience and beliefs. We must proceed, that we are going to do everything in our power to defeat the violence.
Therefore, what's the difference between the healthy journalism and peacejournalism? Is it a long division of spoils in the long war on violence ? Is it a rearranging of the people up in forgiveness? Journalism must also deal with the human security.
Recently, journalism has been giving unjustified publicity to the violence. We as a journalists must condemn the violence. Thus, the media has to be very alert and not let itself be used by any individual or group. The media, in fact, must be concerned with developing peace.
So we hope that peace journalism will improve things in the nation because the people deserve a more peaceful and prosperous life.
(Kamala Sarup has been nominated as Universal Peace Ambassador (2006) in the framework of the Universal Peace Ambassadors Circle, Geneva Switzerland. She is an editor of peacejournalism.com )
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