Media Ethics and Conflict Reporting: Indo-Pak Conflict and the Scope for Peace Journalism

Abstract

Peace journalism has emerged as a very important field in Peace studies, because of the crucial role that the media play in spreading the sentiments conducive to either peace or war. Peace journalism questions the ethics of reporting on violent conflicts or wars in the mainstream media and problematizes the fanning up of jingoism and hatred therein. It regards the media as a very important actor which can promote the values of peace and help in transforming conflicts through responsible reporting. Based on insights from the work of Johan Galtung, the pioneer of this approach in this discipline, the paper analyses newspaper reporting in India on the issue of Indo-Pak conflict. A qualitative analysis of newspaper coverage of the key English and Hindi newspapers is attempted to identify some of the key themes that emerged on the aspect of India’s response to two major incidents of terror in India: the Parliament attack of December 2001 and Mumbai attacks in November 2008. The coverage reveals the bias in matters of reporting on such emotive issues in India, with pieces advocating war and preparing the people for sacrifices even to the extreme limit of toying with the idea of a nuclear war. This paper suggests how newspapers could carry a message for conflict resolution and transformation in the region by emphasizing the use of peaceful methods for resolving conflicts, like arbitration, negotiation and mediation and people-to-people initiatives. By offering examples from the peaceful settlement of conflicts, like that of Northern Ireland, and thorough coverage on how violent conflicts and wars cause irreparable devastation, the media could discourage warmongering and foster a spirit of peace and mutual understanding in the region. While taking note of the problems in which the mainstream media is embedded, the paper concludes by offering suggestions for peace journalism in India.