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Peace & Reconciliation Requires different News Selection Harvard Faculty Club

Peace & Reconciliation Requires different News Selection Harvard Faculty Club Sep 21, 2012 – Cambridge. Media are not prepared for ‘Peace Reporting’ Routines seem more decisive than the ‘News’-factor Reporting on reconciliation takes more than peace. Roland Schatz

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Peace & Reconciliation Requires different News Selection Harvard Faculty Club

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  1. Peace & Reconciliation Requires different News Selection Harvard Faculty Club Sep 21, 2012 – Cambridge Media are not prepared for ‘Peace Reporting’ Routines seem more decisive than the ‘News’-factor Reporting on reconciliation takes more than peace Roland Schatz r.schatz@mediatenor.com +41-43-2551920 www.mediatenor.com www.agendasetting.com

  2. Introduction: War and Media War and Media: A Story of Co-Evolution • The evolution of modern mass media has been driven and shaped by the development of military history.- Early broadsheets in the 16th century focused on war and violence. - The Telegraph enabled ongoing up-to-date reporting.- Modern tabloid papers have become powerful tools of propaganda.- Radio evolved as the favorite channel for the NAZI rulers. • Media depend on an unremitting flow of news and images. War is the most important source of dramatic events. War as well is a major threat to the publics – even far away from the hot spots. • Military leadership tries to influence its opponents using the mass media – while at the same time striving to deny the enemy access to information about its own dispositions, resources strategies and goals. • The practice of “embedding” journalists has been widely criticized as a propaganda tool, whipping up public support for military actions. The independence of journalists has been undermined by the practice of “news management”.

  3. Methodology: Media Content Analysis of texts and images • All reports about the Iraq war analysed • Completely • Systematically • Separately according to verbal and visual information. • Measured for each statement (verbal information) and for each take (=visual information): • covered protagonist • topic • evaluation of the protagonist • source of information • If in one sentence more than one protagonists is described,the coverage of each person or organisation was analysed. The journalistic presentation will be analysed for each aired visual and verbal information: • direct statement from journalist ("it is") • indirect statement, not doubted ("somebody has said it is") • indirect statement, doubted ("somebody has hinted it is") • statement without clear proof ("it is possible") • clear subjunctive statement ("it might be/it could be") • don't know statement by journalist • visual information of action: you see the protagonist • talking heads as visual information: you see the source • map • other information Wahl Example of content analysis: • In the picture of Mohammed Al-Sahhaf: Analysis of the visual content • In the spoken text Al-Sahhaf quoted: Collection of text contents • The reporter might doubt Al-Sahhaf’s statements or quote them in indirect speech:journalistic presentation

  4. Poll:Best known German personalities Media coverage: Opinion leaders: General population: George Bush Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler Saddam Hussein Colin Powell Osama Bin Laden Helmut Kohl Helmut Kohl Richard Cheney Gerhard Schröder ??? Gerhard Schröder Gerhard Schröder 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 0 500 1000 1500 2000 Number of reports Frames stick in our heads for quiet some time 2002: U.S. Media coverage and known German ‘personalities‘

  5. Background: The Structures of Foreign News Structure of Foreign News: Visibility of regions, international TV, 07/09-04/10 Only 2 countries are real hot spots on the Screen At least 5% of all foreign news stories At least 1% of all foreign news stories At least 0.1% of all foreign news stories Basis: 116,394 foreign news stories in 40 international TV news programs

  6. Background: The Structures of Foreign News Structure of Foreign News: Tone of Coverage, international TV, 07/09-04/10 Bad News Shapes the Image of the World Negative Without clear rating positive Basis: 116,394 foreign news stories in 40 international TV news programs

  7. Conflict in international TV news, 01-12/2009 Salience of conflict in foreign news in international TV news shows Americans Get the Biggest Share of War News A comparison of international TV news programs reveals strong differences between the analyzed countries: For Americans, 1 in 4 news stories from abroad deals with conflicts, while in South African, it is less than 1 in 33. Basis: 71,159 foreign news stories

  8. negative no clear rating positive Share of statements International TV: CNN International DeskTopic Sub Groups and tonality, 09/01/2012-09/18/2012 CNN International is positive about few things other than markets and new products that may boost the global economy. Overall, international conflicts and catastrophes dominate the agenda, with negative tonality painting a very dire global picture. Basis: 3,006 news stories in CNN: International Desk News War, crime & catastrophe: the world through the eyes of CNN

  9. Islam in Western TV news, 2001-2011 Evaluation of Islam and Muslims in Western TV news False focus on terror leads to overall erroneous frame TV news programs focus very infrequently on Muslims or Islam. The tone has been negative over the last ten years, focusing on violence, social tensions and failed integration, discouraging leaders in the West from giving the new elite in MENA credit. Basis: 2,060 stories in 15 US, UK, South African and German TV news programs

  10. Religion in Swiss TV news, 09-11/2009 Visibility and evaluation of Islam: The sources No Voice for Swiss Muslims – but for Haider Quotes play a minor role in the reporting about Muslims in Swiss news; the journalists themselves account for more than ¾ of all the statements about Islam, followed by parliamentarians from the SVP – who avoid bland criticism. Basis: 408 statements on Islam in 3 TV news programs and Weltwoche weekly

  11. Visual coverage of the Gaza conflict, 26.12.2008-21.01.2009 Victims on screen: Comparison of TV stations Conflicts remain as victims feel unrepresented Most stations focused very strongly on Palestinian victims, the Arab programs in particular devoted less than 10% of their visual coverage of victims to Israelis. German first channel ARD on the other hand reported most intensively about Israeli victims. Basis: 8h 51m of TV coverage of the Gaza conflict (the breakdown relates to the protagonist visible on the screen)

  12. RTL: one third of all pictures do not name source Pictures of unclear origin 20.3. - 2.4.2003 In particular, RTL Aktuell and ARD News showed many different pictures of the war, but did not name the origin of the footage. (N= 4 534 visual information of war related items).

  13. Introduction: Quotes on TV war coverage André Marty, Swiss TV Reporter in Gaza We are excluded from the actual battle. Independent reporting is impossible. AP mixes up HAMAS with Hizbullah – the speed and the pressure take their toll. What concrete facts do we journalists know from the front line about military actions, number of victims, diplomatic activities’? Not many. There is a jealous relationship between the correspondents “out in the field” and the editors “at home”. Those in their warm armchairs have their special problems, that’s what we in the field say. Those outside are difficult, comes the response. The newsroom wants to see soldiers: Get uniforms. But even Israeli TV does not come anywhere near to their troops. We are exposed to a propaganda concert - astonishing how many spokespersons are created by the war. Just give them a microphone: the Army, the Foreign Department, the Government Press Office, lobby organizations like The Israel Project, civilians, religious organizations. You are amazed, how many journalists seem gladdened by death. My cameraman insists on listening to the CD of “Spiel mir das Lied vomTod” – the main theme of “Once upon a time in the West”. André Marty, Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Jan 11, 2009

  14. Media and Peace Percentage of TV Reports on Violence, by TV Program, 2008-2009 Not all Media Take the Same Stance on Violence TV shows from countries that are involved in the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts as well as the news channels CNN and Al Jazeera focus more strongly on violence than programs from other regions.

  15. Business coverage in Les Echos, FT, WSJ US & Business Day Rating of company news by region – 05-07/2012 Media even differently on “simple” business facts positive balanced negative Basis: 2,346 / 8,691 / 6,017 / 8,992 stories

  16. Only around 20% of US TV reporting is “foreign“ news The number one problem of getting on the media agenda is that space comes at a premium. When we consider that only 20% of US television news space is available for foreign reporting, reaching any level of awareness for a nation is difficult. Basis: 22, 238 reports CBS, ABX, FOX, NBC 2008 : 5687 foreign reports.

  17. Only 19 countries are above 1% of foreign coverage Iraq : 18% China: 12% Afghanistan 6% Vietnam: 0.03% Iraq, China and Afghanistan occupied over a third of the available foreign coverage in the US media – the next 16 countries around one quarter. For a country like Vietnam, a share of 0.03% of foreign coverage means it is struggling to gain awareness. Basis: 22, 238 reports CBS, ABX, FOX, NBC 2008 : 5687 foreign reports.

  18. Criterion 2 Media rating of Asian countires Asia remains a “no go” region to global TV audiences Most Positive Most Negative Natural crisis like the Tsunami in Japan as well as floods were the main topics of reporting in global TV news. Among those countries with the best media reputation around the world have been Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and India. Basis: 17,249 reports in international TV News programs

  19. What you know of Pisa ?

  20. And what is really there

  21. Pace Journalism Worldwide TV reports on the Structures of Peace, Jan 2006 – Dec 2009 Peace Journalism: Covering the Structures of Peace Peace coverage should not only address conflicts in a more constructive way, but as well give more room to the structures that support peace, as they have been identified in the Global Peace Report.

  22. Peace Journalism Number of TV Reports Focused on Peace by TV Program, 2008-2009 Peace up to now a Non-Issue in International TV News Peace reporting mirrors violence reporting: U.S. and UK news did not cover peace to a significant extent: The dominant conflicts push positive developments from the media agenda. Basis: 367 reports on peace in international TV news

  23. Peace Journalism Diversity of coverage on conflict issues: 2008/2009 Reporting about Conflicts: Diversity of Perspectives Top 10 11-30 Al Arabiya Share of all reports MEDIA TENOR has assessed the performance of 37 international TV news with regard to the coverage of conflicts and violence. One criterion was the diversity of issues that were addressed in conflict reporting. Basis: 197,649 international coverage reports in 37 international TV News programs

  24. Number of reports Peace Journalism MEDIA TENOR Global Peace Media Award 2010 Different Backgrounds Foster Good Journalism Overall score Basis: 197,649 international coverage reports in 37 international TV News programs

  25. Peace Journalism Take aways Few basics helping Media think about reconciliation • Media are participants there is no neutral role. • News selection and the framing of events shape not only the perception of the public and their attitudes to the conflicts and the conflict parties, but determines how long this country is framed a place of problems – hurting tourism, investments etc. • Media coverage can either block or support the solution of conflicts and the propagation of peace. • Peace Reporting does not only focus on the activity on the battlefield but as well on the background of the conflict and on possible solutions. • As long as one thinks “only bad news are good news” one not only misses the full picture, but furthermore blocks an overall sentiment which is needed to turn peace into Reconciliation.

  26. Next Conference 1.-3. Nov. 2012

  27. Thank You !

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