Peace And Electoral Journalism In Cameroon

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IN THIS ISSUE Fiji reporters organize PJ workshop Dispatches from Pakistan, Ethiopia,Spain, Colombia, Uganda, Afghanistan Rwandan radio offers valuable lessonsPeace Journalism workshop, Yaounde, CameroonPeace and Electoral Journalism inCameroonA publication of the Center for Global Peace Journalism at Park UniversityVol 6 No. 2 - October 2017

3 Cover storyContents15 ColombiaCommunity radio, PJ in CameroonThe Peace Journalist is a semiannual publication of the Centerfor Global Peace Journalism at ParkUniversity in Parkville, Missouri. ThePeace Journalist is dedicated to disseminating news and informationfor teachers, students, andpractitioners of PJ.Submissions are welcome from all.We are seeking shorter submissions(300-500 words) detailing peacejournalism projects, classes, proposals, etc. We also welcome longersubmissions (800-1200 words)about peace or conflict sensitivejournalism projects or programs, aswell as academic works from thefield. We do NOT seek submissionsabout peace or peace projects, butare instead focused only on articleswith a strong media angle.Deadlines: March 3 (April edition);September 3 (October edition).Editor: Steven Youngblood, Director,Center for Global Peace Journalism,Park UniversityProofreading: Dr. Carol GettyContact/Social Media:steve.youngblood@park.eduTwitter-@Peace JournFacebook-Peace Journalism groupCenter for Global PeaceJournalism, Park University8700 NW River Park DrParkville, Missouri 64152 USAA Park University Publicationpg 2October 2017Fulbright Assn. sponsors event16 RwandaRadio teaches valuable lessons18 PakistanTeachers learn PJ19 AfghanistanDocumentarians team up6 FijiWorkshops conducted in two cities9 KenyaElection coverage challenges PJ10 SpainBest practices: refugee reporting12 UgandaTiny FMs tackle land disputes14 Middle EastWorkshop analyzes narratives20 United StatesStorytelling genres similar to PJ22 South SudanForeign journalists banned23 United StatesCharlottesville challenges reporters25 Kurdistan/IraqHalabja museum tests PJ approach26 Karachi, PakistanIs PJ used to cover Karachi conflict?What is Peace Journalism?Peace Journalism is when editors and reporters make choices that improve theprospects for peace. These choices, including how to frame stories and carefully choosing which words are used, create an atmosphere conducive to peaceand supportive of peace initiatives and peacemakers, without compromisingthe basic principles of good journalism. (Adapted from Lynch/McGoldrick,Peace Journalism). Peace Journalism gives peacemakers a voice while makingpeace initiatives and non-violent solutions more visible and viable.A number of valuable peace journalism resources, including resourcepackets and online links, can be found at www.park.edu/peacecenter.Center for Global Peace JournalismThe Center for Global Peace Journalism works with journalists, academics, andstudents worldwide to improve reporting about conflicts, societal unrest, reconciliation, solutions, and peace. Through its courses, workshops, lectures, thismagazine, blog, and other resources, the Center encourages media to rejectsensational and inflammatory reporting, and produce counter-narratives thatoffer a more nuanced view of those who are marginalized—ethnic/racial/religious minorities, women, youth, and migrants.www.park.edu/peacecenterOctober 2017PJ empowers community media in CameroonBy Alexander VojvodaIn 2018, four elections are scheduledto be held in Cameroon. Camerooniancitizens will be asked to elect the nextPresident, the representatives for theNational Assembly, Senate, and tovote at Council level. The electionswill be a test for the Central Africancountry currently facing economicstagnation, violent protests by theanglophone minority in the SouthWest and North-West regions againstsocio-political marginalisation, and anincrease in Boko Haram attacks in theFar-North region.The Cameroon Community MediaNetwork (CCMN) held a 2-weektraining session to explore the role ofcommunity media during electionsand discuss the potential of a peacejournalistic approach going forward insupport of peaceful elections in 2018.The CCMN invited Prof. StevenYoungblood (Center for Global PeaceJournalism) to train a total of over120 journalists during four workshops and seven in-house trainingsin Yaoundé, Bafoussam, Bamenda,Mamfe, Kumba, Limbe and Buea. The2-week workshop series was financially supported by the US Embassy inYaoundé, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, and the Center for Global PeaceJournalism and implemented bythe CCMN – Cameroon CommunityMedia Network and its 22 members.Alexander Vojvoda is communitymedia activist and holds a MScin Sociology and a MA in PoliticalCommunications. He currently collaborates with a community medianetwork in Cameroon on community-based journalism, communitydevelopment andconflict-sensitivejournalism withinthe frameworkof the Civil PeaceService (CPS)Programme.Vol 6, No 2A participant reviews her notes at the Fredrich Ebert foundation in Yaounde.Youngblood, members of the CCMNand participating print, radio, TVand online journalists discussed thepotential of peace journalism before,during, and after elections. The mainobjective was to build a basic understanding of the principles of peacejournalism.Is violence during the 2018 Electionsin Cameroon likely?The key questions during the workshops and in-house trainings for theCCMN were: Will the elections in 2018turn violent? If yes, what are possiblefactors promoting violence before,during, and after the elections?Youngblood, the CCMN members, andparticipating journalists reflected ona framework to create an atmospherewhere violence before, during, andafter elections is enabled. Youngbloodintroduced the following factors todiscuss the possibility of violence during the 2018 elections in Cameroon: Having a persistent and sustainedsense of election fraud; Having an election where the outcome is not so contested, but there isa bitter and non-accepting loser; Violence is the cause of an externalor domestic source not immediatelyparticipating in the election process(another state, ‘terrorists,’ economic‘profiteers’ of violence) Violence connected to contestedlegitimacy of the state itself or the failure/weakness of the nation-buildingprocess Situations where violence is supported or provoked by the government toimplement controversial restrictions,to consolidate political power or toweaken certain communities Situations where violence is pursuedby non-state actors (including opposition parties) to economically profitfrom conflict, to consolidate politicalpower or to weaken certain communities. (Stremlau and Price, 2009).The more than 120 journalists whoContinued on next pagepg 3

October 2017April 2017Cameroonfrom Pg 4include radio and TV programmes,print and online articles which wouldinclude topics like information on thevoter registration process, informationon the importance of elections in ademocracy and thereby fighting political apathy especially amongst youngvoters.In Bamemda,Cameroon, journalists review stories for PJ content.Cameroonfrom Pg 3participated in the various workshopsor in-house trainings confirmed thatat least one or more (some journal-ists stated all) of the aforementionedfactors are applicable in Cameroonand that therefore violence – undercertain conditions – is most likely tooccur during and after the elections.Particularly, the current, on-goingconflict between the anglophoneminority and the government and theconfrontations between Boko Haramand the Cameroonian military in theFar-North region can contribute tofurther escalation of violence in timesof elections.Furthermore, political apathy andsocio-political exclusion of certaingroups especially of young persons,economic stagnation and the intensifying socio-political tension in thecountry can contribute to a possiblefragile situation around the elections.A press scrum in Kumba with StevenYoungblood (top); CBS radio in Buea.pg 4How can the Camerooniancommunity media contribute topeaceful elections?After discussing the likelihood andthe factors that could contribute tothe Cameroonian elections in 2018turning violent, participants discussedwhich contributions journalists canmake to prevent violence before,during, and after the elections in theircommunities.The general idea of participatingjournalists was that practicing goodjournalism was key to reducing mediainduced violence during the electionperiod. Good journalism includes butis not limited to making reports factbased, avoiding rumour and chitchatreporting, fair and objective reporting,and to avoiding one-sided and biasedcoverage on electoral issues.Furthermore, Youngblood added tothis list from the peace journalismperspective and concluded that inaddition, the elections should not beportrayed as a race between two candidates who want good reports aboutthemselves and bad reports abouttheir opponents. He encouraged journalists to rather address issues whichare relevant to every day people andinclude their opinion in their reports,instead of solely focussing on theopinions and messages from elitesand the government.Especially the idea of a public announcement campaign as a methodfor political education was consideredan interesting and possible tool to prevent violence before, during and afterthe elections in Cameroon. The publicannouncement campaign wouldContinued on next pagewww.park.edu/peacecenterA Way Forward: Building Networksfor Peace JournalismDirectly after the workshops andin-house trainings a number ofparticipating journalists from theCentral, Far-North, North, West andNorth-West regions started to set-uplocal and trans-regional communication platforms via social media suchas Facebook or WhatsApp. Thesegroups and forums are dedicatedto the exchange and discussion ofpeace journalistic material e.g. radioprogrammes and cultural eventsdedicated to highlighting the work ofpeace builders and inform the localcommunities of the potentials, tools,and principles of peace journalists.This exchange builds a fruitful foundation for further activities. Somejournalists, media houses, and civilsociety organisations already showedinterest to extend the collaborationfrom the virtual realm to the realworld and build networks or communities of practice in their cities orregions. In so doing, they can promotepeace journalism as an alternativeto conventional journalism, keep theexchange and discussion going andco-ordinate common activities aroundthe elections and other events.The CCMN will offer support to thesecommunities-of-practice, collectivesand peace journalists to build strongconnections and to use these platforms to promote peace journalisticprinciples and common activities during the 2018 elections in Cameroon.For further information, visit the Cameroon Community Media Networkwebsite at www.communitymedia.cm.Vol 6, No. 2A journalist discusses PJ at a post-seminar press conference in Buea (top), and aparticipant looks over stories at the Fredrich Ebert foundation in Yaounde.pg 5

October 2017PJ workshops conducted in two Fiji citiesBy Rukhsana AslamA series of workshops on peace journalism was conducted in two citiesof Fiji - the capital Suva and Nadi - inSeptember, 2016.They were significant in many ways:it was the first time the Fiji journalistsfrom across the board were formallyintroduced to the concept of peacejournalism; the workshops were designed and conducted by myself basedon the ‘CAUSE’ model I had developedfor peace journalism education in 201.The resulting stories produced by theparticipants clearly showed that Fijijournalists operating within the fragiledemocracy and media regulation inthe country were more than ready toembrace this new concept. Lastly, allstories produced were published indiverse media platforms in Fiji including newspaper, television, magazines,and online.The PJ workshops bannered underthe title ‘Investigative and DiversityReporting in Fragile Democracies’were part of the broader 30-monthproject ‘Valuing Voices,’ funded bythe European Union and delivered bythe British Council. The overall projectaimed to contribute to the democraticprocess by enabling greater breadthof voices in mainstream and socialmedia through creative arts.Investigative journalism is consideredthe best practice in journalism butit is discouraged or constrained inmany fragile democracies includingFiji,which has seen its fair share ofdictatorships. Journalists are eitherrestricted or penalised by law for theirinvestigative work mainly due to themedia decree that was imposed in2010 during Bainimarama’s dictatorialrule. The decree produced on Fiji media ‘a chilling effect in which in-depth,analytical and investigative storieswere avoided because of a complexmix of personalities and legal interpretation that could come into play’(Morris, 2016, p. 26).Even after the general election in 2014which ironically saw Bainimarama asthe country’s new elected leader, themedia landscape remains dominatedby the media regulatory body MIDA(Media Industry Development Authority) which is criticised both by journalists and scholars for its controlling anddraconian methods (Morris, 2016).Against this backdrop, the over-Dr. Rukhsana Aslam is an independent scholar living in New Zealand.Associated with the AucklandUniversity of Technology (AUT)asvisiting faculty member, she doesconsultancy on peace journalismprojects internationally. She wasalso the recipient of Asia-NewZealandFoundation’sAsianJournalism Fellowship.arching goal of the PJ training was togather around 40 Fijian journalists onone platform and help them develop abetter understanding of socio-politicalissues within their socio-politicalcontext. It also aimed to inspire themwith the creativity of journalists inother countries; to enable them toacquire the requisite skills; and to empower them with various media tools,networks, and platforms.The workshops were designed on themodel formulated for peace journalism education by myself, called CAUSE– creativity, attitude, understanding,skills, and ethics. Creativity pertains todesigning messages and exploring theright medium; attitudes as a reflectionof biases prevalent in society and traditional media; understanding to gaintheoretical perspective and knowledge of the issues; skills as required inthe journalistic professional practice;and ethics as they apply to peopleaffected by the issues. Together theyhelp journalists apply the principlesof PJ as an approach and set of skillsto effectively leverage various mediaplatforms.The primary benefit in using this model is that the generic modules allowthe curriculum to be developed intolectures and presentations within theParticipants discuss journalism in Fiji at a “Valuing Voices” PJ workshop in Fiji.pg 6Continued on next pagewww.park.edu/peacecenterFijiOctober 2017from Pg 6regional and specific socio-politicalcontext of a country. In this case, theyhelped to design a course that wasspecific to the socio-political contextof Fiji and suitable to the respectiveparticipants of various media organisations. Guest lectures were includedto bring in the local expertise andperspective on issues that are sensitive in the Fijian society yet seldomtalked about.According to the evaluation report, 12stories were submitted by the participants in the first two months, followed by 14 more in the later months,which covered a range of topics thatare relevant in the Fijian society. Theyincluded child identity theft on theInternet; sexual and physical abuse ofchildren; rape cases; non-communicable diseases; problems in the fisheriesindustry; dangers of using alternatemedicine; workers’ say in local miningprojects; excessive mineral extractionthat is shallowing the local river; andthreat of the climate change to thelocal residents. Some of these topics,such as non-communicable diseasesand child sexual abuse, are sensitiveissues and there is a social reluctanceor taboo about discussing them inpublic. One participant chose to display a photographic exhibition.change in a village near capital Suvacontains interviews of several peopleon how it affects their lives. The threestories on various aspects of illegalgravel extraction in Sigatoka Riverbring to fore the concerns of the silentresidents. Similarly, the story on coalmining focuses on what the workers and miners have to say about theproject as opposed to the governmentofficials and land owners. The storyon the child who is sexually abused byher male relative is a great exampleof how her silent voice is brought tothe fore. And the story on the dangersof using alternate medicines tells thestories of two people who used themand suffered the consequences.Because of the diverse range of media platforms used to publish thesestories, the stories were evaluatedlooking at the attributes of peace journalism and the aspects of the CAUSEmodel (creativity, attitude, understanding, skills, and ethics) exhibitedin them.The participants used several tools toinvestigate their story, unveil the truthand expose lies. They include finding facts and figures, studying otherdocuments and reports, conductinginterviews from various sides, andproviding various interpretations offacts through analysis.All stories demonstrated the inclusivity aspect of peace journalism approach by talking to the people whoseemed invisible but were affectedby the issue. The participants madean effort to gather as many diversesources of information as possibleand interviewed as many people asthey could. The story on the climateA significant example of journalisticcreativity was the photographic exhibition that was created by a participant for the Tropical Cyclone WinstonCommemoration and showcased inFebruary 2017. In terms of makingan impact, at least two participantsshared their experience as to howtheir stories – one on farming problems in Sigatoka aired on Fiji TV andVol 6, No. 2Participants discuss peace journalism at a recent workshop in Fiji.the other on the shallowing of Sigatoka River through excessive gravelling published in Fiji Times – madegovernment officials take notice of thematters and prompted some kind ofaction on them.The post-training feedback given bythe organisers and the participantsshowed how deeply they felt thevalues of peace journalism were‘meaningful’ and ‘invaluable’ to theirwork. After submitting the promisedstories for evaluation, several participants have continued to producenews stories with peace journalismapproach. According to the ProgramSpecialist, Sivendra Michael, the training was ‘a true inspiration to all of us’.And the head of the British CouncilNew Zealand, Ingrid Leary, after thefinal one-day workshop in which allparticipants gathered to share theirexperiences, said via email that shefound the experience ‘deeply moving’ and was ‘really touched by thecommitment the journalists showedin the face of various real pressuresincluding those within the newsroomplus from Government and others. Tomy mind they had really learned a lotand showed a new maturity in theirapproach to journalism.’Reference: Morris, Ricardo. (2016).‘Journalism of hope’: realities in postelection Fiji. Pacific Journalism Review,22(1), 25-37.pg 7

April 2017October 2017Kenyan election 2017: Did journalists practice PJ?By Steven YoungbloodKenyan press coverage of electionsin March 2013 and August 2017 hasgenerated larger questions about theapplicability and desirability of peacejournalism in electoral settings.In both2017 and 2013, critics wondered if theKenyan press went too far by advocating peace and ignoring conflict.In 2012, The Institute for War andPeace Reporting (IWPR) wrote, “Somecritics have condemned the media fornot following up on claims made bypoliticians that the poll was rigged.For example, parliamentary candidateAyiecho Olweny cried foul after he lostthe Muhoroni seat which he had beenexpected to win easily.”Learningpeacejournalismat a publicforumin AddisAbaba(top left);at JimmaUniversity (topright),and at theUniversityof AddisAbaba.On my “Peace Journalism I

Peace Journalism is when editors and reporters make choices that improve the prospects for peace. These choices, including how to frame stories and care-fully choosing which words are used, create an atmosphere conducive to peace and supportive of peace initiatives and peacemakers, without compromising the basic principles of good journalism.

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