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Peace Journalism: Alternative Perspectives

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Handbook of Global Media Ethics

Abstract

Since the 1970s, a movement has emerged amongst academics, peace activists, and journalists promoting the principles and practice of peace journalism (PJ). This chapter argues that the theory has inappropriately prioritized the mainstream media, failing to acknowledge adequately the alternative media. It, therefore, first highlights research identifying the corporate media’s essential function—to promote the overall dominant political, military, economic, ideological, and cultural interests. A particular focus is placed on the journalism of John Pilger as an example of media “hybridity” since his work falls in both the mainstream and alternative spheres. The essay then defines the contemporary international peace movement which PJ aims to inform, inspire, and entertain. It also argues that a broadening of the conventional definition of journalism and the journalist is needed for an understanding of PJ. A range of international media activists is identified. The chapter concludes by highlighting the special importance of peace journalism in a world of mass poverty, environmental degradation, and human rights abuses and yet where government prioritizes spending vast sums on the means to wage wars.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See Keeble, “Giving Peace Journalism a Chance.”

  2. 2.

    Carruthers, The Media at War; Keeble, Secret State, Silent Press; Keeble, Covering Conflict.

  3. 3.

    Cobain, Ian, Ewen, MacAskill,Katy Stoddard and the Guardian Interactive team. “Britain’s 100 Years of Conflict.” The Guardian, February 11, 2014. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/ng-interactive/2014/feb/11/britain-100-years-of-conflict

  4. 4.

    Blum, Rogue State, 21.

  5. 5.

    Shaw, “Rise and Fall in the Military/Democratic State” 150.

  6. 6.

    Andersen, A Century of Media, A Century of War; and Der Derian, Virtuous War.

  7. 7.

    Andersen, 315.

  8. 8.

    Zollmann, Media, Propaganda.

  9. 9.

    Herman and Chomsky, Manufacturing Consent.

  10. 10.

    Habermas, The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere.

  11. 11.

    Atton, Alternative Media, 35.

  12. 12.

    Fraser, “Rethinking the Public Sphere,” 123.

  13. 13.

    Zollmann, 46–47.

  14. 14.

    Robinson, “The Next Economic Crisis,” 84.

  15. 15.

    Galtung, “High Road—Low Road.”

  16. 16.

    Lynch and McGoldrick, Peace Journalism, 28–31.

  17. 17.

    Keeble, Secret State, Silent Press, 94–95.

  18. 18.

    Lynch, Debates in Peace Journalism, 224.

  19. 19.

    Shinar and Kempf, State of the Art.

  20. 20.

    Dente Ross, “(De-)constructing Conflict,” 74.

  21. 21.

    See Keeble, Tulloch, and Zollmann, Peace Journalism; and Atton, Alternative and Community Media.

  22. 22.

    Lynch, Hackett, and Shaw, “Introduction.” 8.

  23. 23.

    Hackett, “Is Peace Journalism Possible?” 93.

  24. 24.

    Bourdieu, On Television, and Shoemaker and Reese, Mediating the Message.

  25. 25.

    Hackett, 93.

  26. 26.

    Hallin, The ‘Uncensored’ War.

  27. 27.

    Pilger has more than 159,000 Twitter followers.

  28. 28.

    See johnpilger.com. There is also a comprehensive archive of his work at the British Library.

  29. 29.

    Housmans Bookshop, 5 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DX. www.housmans.com

  30. 30.

    Stephan and Chenoweth, “Why Civil Resistance Works.”

  31. 31.

    See https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/04/23/what-revolutionaries-in-the-middle-east-have-learned-since-the-arab-spring/

  32. 32.

    See, for instance, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0jHFpTJQSw

  33. 33.

    Atton, Alternative Media, 25.

  34. 34.

    Curran and Seaton, Power Without Responsibility, 37–38.

  35. 35.

    See https://freepress.org/article/northern-light-tony-sutton-coldtype-interviewed-jason-miller

  36. 36.

    Edwards and Cromwell, Propaganda Blitz.

  37. 37.

    Keeble, Journalism Beyond Orwell, 226.

  38. 38.

    Shaw, Human RightsJournalism, 11.

  39. 39.

    Curran and Seaton, Power Without Responsibility, 11.

  40. 40.

    Rai, “Peace Journalism in Practice,” 210.

  41. 41.

    Ibid., 211.

  42. 42.

    See Forde, Challenging the News, 84.

  43. 43.

    Rai, “Peace Journalism in Practice,” 217.

  44. 44.

    Keeble, “The Progressive Left,” 306.

  45. 45.

    Kampmark, “The Smugness of Celebrity Self-Isolation.”

  46. 46.

    Coles, “Countdown to ‘Full Spectrum Dominance.’”

  47. 47.

    Coles, “The Plot to Blame China for covid-19.”

  48. 48.

    See https://www.sipri.org/media/press-release/2020/global-military-expenditure-sees-largest-annual-increase-decade-says-sipri-reaching-1917-billion

  49. 49.

    See https://www.ukpublicspending.co.uk/uk_national_defence_analysis

  50. 50.

    See https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/overview

  51. 51.

    See Joseph Rowntree Foundation at www.jrf.org.uk/

  52. 52.

    Tisdall, “Why is the World at War?”

  53. 53.

    Pilger, “Foreword,” xi.

  54. 54.

    Camus, The Plague, 170.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK

    Richard Lance Keeble

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  1. Richard Lance Keeble
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. UBC Graduate School of Journalism, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Stephen J. A. Ward

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Keeble, R.L. (2021). Peace Journalism: Alternative Perspectives. In: Ward, S.J.A. (eds) Handbook of Global Media Ethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32103-5_52

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