Empowering the Public Sphere or Echoing Official Sources? Journalists’ Use of Twitter in Conflict-affected Societies

Abstract

ABSTRACT In the conflict-affected Cypriot society, journalism’s role becomes crucial in providing a conducive environment for peace process. The article studies the Cypriot journalists’ use of Twitter during the intensification of the Cyprus Peace Process (CPP), 01 September 2016–31 July 2017. Through network analysis, the article examines the clusters within which information about the CPP flows and the journalistic roles that are enacted. It investigates the relationships between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot journalists and their connection with official and unofficial sources through their tweeting practice during negotiations, to suggest that social media tools in the hands of journalists in deeply divided societies like Cyprus, could be useful for renegotiating their normative and cognitive professional roles and for developing a model of journalism that would contribute positively the peace process.