The Myth of the Common Good

Abstract

This article examines the role of journalism in internal armed conflicts using the Colombian example as a case study. The author explores the complex interactions between journalists, journalism, and information with different social actors in the Colombian armed conflict. She questions notions of journalism that regard the media solely as creators of public opinion whose role is to give different visions and versions of the armed conflict. She analyzes the complex forms of interaction between journalists, different sectors of society, and armed actors (the guerrillas, the paramilitary, and the armed forces) that go far beyond the media itself and involve different symbolic, political, and military processes in the struggle of hegemony over information. The author calls for a return to a type of journalism that allows for the making of critical connections between events, social actors, and political contexts.