Media and Terrorism: Infusing
African Gnosis into Peace
Journalism to Conceptualize Hybrid
Peace Journalism for Conflict
Resolution and Peace-building in
Africa
Fredrick Ogenga, Ph.D:
HOD, Communication Media and Journalism and
Director Center for Media, Democracy, Peace and
Security , Rongo Unversity College, Kenya
America foreign policy shift and lead
from the back approach in
International Relations;
• September 11 experience in the US and 1997 bombing in Kenya (Global
War on Terror as a new found Democratic Principal)–The reality of Terror
in Kenya (Operation Linda Nchi and Usalama Watch)
• Allies to be in the frontline (2010) Umass Boston 8th Biannual Conference
in Dispute Resolution
• 1993 Black Hawk Down Experience – America Humiliated?
• American/foreign Western Backed Regime in Somalia -Local resistance
• Alshabaab threatening liberty and Western/secular interests and therefore
Kenyan interest
• Operation Linda Nchi a proxy long war - Diffuse the Alshabaab threat to
Kenya’s political-economy (Abduction of Tourists, Piracy, insurgency,
militancy etc)
Ideological War
• Three decades of Salafi-Wahabi Proselytization that
entrenched social conservatism giving it strong fiscal
and ideological support even without routine coercion
(Daawa) (ICG, 2014)– ideological deconstruction,
multi-pronged approach (Education and sensitization,
poverty reduction, community policing, addressing
corruption; revising security laws, media’s role in
cultural interaction and citizenship and avoiding
alienization e.g Operation Usalama Watch or Security
Watch targeting mainly Somali immigrants and
Muslims)
Conceptual Framework
•
•
•
•
Copy and paste journalism ; Bandwagonism
Peace Journalism (Lynch and McGoldrick, 2005)
AfSol - Hybrid Peace Journalism (HPJ): African Gnosis/lenses
Institutionalizing HPJ - Research Center; Center for Media,
Democracy Peace and security (CMPDS) which houses: MA and
Certificate programs in Media, Democracy and Peace Studies;
Regional Peace and Reconciliation Radio Reporting with community
radios with the Center for Global Peace Journalism, Park University,
USA and Center for Peace Journalism in Uganda.
• Research in Media and deconstruction of terrorism for peace and
security (Hall, 1977; Hawk, 1992; Ferguson, R. 1998)
HPJ Institutional Model
Premise; Peace Journalism = Good Journalism
Good Journalism(West)
Universal Attribute
(African Gnosis)
HBRID PEACE
JORNALISM
(HPJ)
Departure from
Conflict Reporting
Development
Oriented
Negative Peace;
Prevents conflicts
Positive peace ;
tolerance, Godly
Peace
Peace
Reporting
Representation of News stories on
Terrorism
Traditional War Journalism (sensational reporting)
• “If it bleeds it Leads” Escalates the threat of terrorism
however little it is, creates hysteria
• Use graphic images that wounds the minds of audiences
• Sensationalize and propagate war through words such as
Islamic Terrorist; Muslim Jihadist; Somali Terrorist – A
criminal is a criminal
• War centered reporting - war destroys development
• Reference to the word violence and no reference to
“Peace”
• Portrays conflict as involving only two parties
• Use emotive words such as massacre, tragedy etc
Treatment of News Stories
Hybrid Peace Journalism
• Clump down the heat and terror threats
• Avoid using images that impacts negatively on audiences
and show empathy– Victims of terror are brothers, sisters,
fathers, mothers, nephews, nieces or in short related to
someone (Ubuntu e.g SA; umoja (Harambee), e.g Kenya;
Ujamaa e.g Tanzania inspired by Mandela, Kenyatta and
Nyerere respectively– I am because you are; communal
belonging before individual belonging)”We are One” after
Westgate attacks – discursive practice
• Avoid using language prejudicial language that labels others
with the mark ‘terrorist” like Islamic Terrorist; Muslim
Jihadist; Somali Terrorist – A criminal is a criminal
Treatment of News Stories
• Peace centered reporting – peace is a pre-requisite for
development, Africa needs peace in order to develop
and Africa needs development. Therefore Africa needs
reporting about peace and development and not war
journalism(a post-independent 1980’s development
journalism approached in Africa dismissed by Afropessimists as sunshine journalism)
• Avoid inflammatory words make reference to “Peace”
• Voice all parties involved in a conflict
• Avoid use of emotive words such as massacre, tragedy
etc
References
• Lynch, J. and McGoldrick, A. Peace Journalism.
Gloucestershire: Hawthorn Press.
• Ferguson, R. 1998. ‘Reflection and Representation’ in
Ferguson, Robert. Representing ‘Race’: Ideology,
Identity and the Media. Arnold: London, 1998.
• Hall, S. 1977. Culture, the Media and Ideological Effects
in Mass Communication and Society. Ed.. Curran J.,
Gurevitch M., & Wollacott, J. London: Edward.
• Hawk B.G. 1992. Africa’s Media Image. London:
Praeger
• ICG, 204. Somalia: Al-Shabaab – It Will be a Long War.
Retrieved 05 March 2015 from www.crisis group.org