Media: Conflict reporting
September 11, 2001, placed added strains on international journalists, while ethics and standards have come under fresh pressure, especially with calls for quick judgments to slake the thirst for news from a multitude of
«There are no broadcasters in the world who can say they never had to deal with an outside pressure exerted on them. Journalists have to strive towards freedom of expression,» said session moderator Milica Pesic, from the British-based Media Diversity Institute.
A major theme of the sessions on issues such as reporting on religious and fundamentalist issues was the need for good training for journalists, especially for those entering conflict zones. This would follow the example of major news organizations such as the BBC, Reuters, the Associated Press, CNN and some newspapers.
The official use of propaganda, especially, is a weapon increasingly used to effect, especially in the U.S.-led war against terrorism. The use of such propaganda together with time demands facing journalists is a potent, and misleading, brew. Propaganda should have no place in a free press.
Another issue was the importance in conflict zones of stringers, or local reporters who help foreign journalists. Unlike major international news agencies and television organisations, who have journalists in most regions and often are in conflict zones before, during and after a major upheaval, most reporters entering such zones have little local knowledge.
There was also a call at the conference for a greater amount of historical perspective to be used by reporters in conflict reporting.
A session on the reporting of religious issues and fundamentalism, focused almost exclusively on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Yuri Shtern, a member of the Israeli Knesset (parliament) who, from the outset, said his remarks would be biased, accused journalists of playing a negative role «not only towards terror but to the whole fight on terror».
Shtern, Israeli chairman of the Inter-Parliamentary Association Russia-Israel, also accused the international media of distortion. «Does the international media reflect the tragedy of Israeli families on the same scale as the tragedies on the Palestinian side? No. Most Western media coverage is severely distorted,» he said.
In a spirited exchange, Shiraz Paracha, editor of Future Events News Service (FENS), South and Central Asia Report, in Pakistan, said: «I can give you dozens of examples of
»I am culturally Moslem and I think no person denies Israels right of existence. Israel is a democratic country. Israel is a modern country. You (Israel) are powerful. You have the backing of the powerful. Let us start from a new beginning and forget about this ethnic and communal past which you are prisoners of,«Paracha added.
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