(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
What about peace journalism, one of New Age's three core areas? In the celebration script for Galtung's 80th birthday, Experiments with Peace (edited by Jørgen Johansen and John Y. Jones, 2010), among others, writes Jake Lynch on peace journalism, where journalists are accused of going in power's business without taking responsibility for what they present: "News is controlled by conventional representation […] dominant conflict reports highlight 'official' sources rather than 'human sources'; events rather than processes, and violence rather than peace. "To this, Galtung replies to L'Alfaz:" Embedded journalism works for those in power. You might say in-bed-with, as you see reporters working. "
Lynch emphasized in the article seven years ago how television news creates psychological stress, fears and anxiety. In addition, trauma from soldiers returning home from conflict is exacerbated. And what about the pointlessness of death as conveyed by provocative photographs of death? (See also article about Stanley Greene) Moreover, the public is confused with the political "propaganda" of governments that conspire to create new enemy images. Reality understandings change. Translating aspects is pushed in the background. Because when will you know why someone chose to bomb – both background and deeper context – rather than who killed and how many who died and details of the injuries?
While war journalism is propaganda oriented, peace journalism is truth-seeking.
Galtung complements: "Journalism must change. We need peace journalism that is open to deeper structural and cultural aspects. ”Journalism can be complemented by the ABC of Peace Journalism -“ attitude, behavior and contradiction ”.
One must have a vision for peace, he says during our visit to L'Alfaz: "Remember that negative peace is just the absence of violence. A ceasefire is good, but does not resolve the conflict nor heal the traumas. But positive peace means building good relationships. This is something journalists neither know nor write about. You find almost no articles about it. ”
Also read our interviews with Johan Galtung,
Part 1 og Part 2
