Media, Conflict and Peacebuilding

Center Highlights

Media as Global Diplomat II: New Findings on the Science of Media and Conflict
Keynote Speaker: Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan
October 1, 2009 | Public Event
While public diplomacy experts struggle to develop strategic communications campaigns to win hearts and minds abroad, new research on the frontiers of neuroscience and psychology suggests a different approach. This meeting, co-sponsored with the Alliance of Civilizations Media Fund, brought together researchers and media makers in an unprecedented dialogue on these new findings and their implications for the international community’s ability to use media to prevent conflict. | Read HM Queen Noor's Remarks

Peace Media Clearinghouse Launch
April 20, 2009 | Online Resource
Using input from peacebuilding media practitioners around the world, the Center launched the beta version of its Peace Media Clearinghouse. The Clearinghouse is an online resource that aggregates a collection of key audiovisual media resources and best practices related to conflict management. It provides a central site where educators, students, organizations, and the community of practitioners working in the conflict management field can access multimedia materials that support conflict analysis and prevention, conflict resolution, and post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation. | Visit the Peace Media Clearinghouse

Leadership

	Sheldon Himelfarb Associate Vice President, Center of Innovation for Science, Technology, & Peacebuilding / Media, Conflict, & Peacebuilding

Center Specialists

	Theo Dolan Program Officer, Center of Innovation for Media, Conflict, and Peacebuilding

This Center of Innovation focuses on harnessing the power of the media for peacebuilding, and on developing new strategies for countering the abuse of media during conflict.

Media have been both targets and weapons in violent conflict. Seizing the airwaves, broadcasting divisive messages, blocking Internet access and intimidating journalists are just some of the well-known tactics used to ensure control over information and promote violence. Less well developed is the capacity of the media for building peace.

Although there have been many efforts to use different media as peacebuilding tools, there remain huge gaps in our understanding of what works and how to integrate media into conflict management strategies. This Center, headed by Sheldon Himelfarb, seeks to bridge those gaps through systematic analysis and innovative programming. The Center conducts research, develops programming across all forms of media, and promotes cooperation and information sharing among policymakers, experts, media actors, and peacebuilding practitioners.

Work in Zones of Conflict

Afghanistan- The Center traveled to Afghanistan in October 2009 to conduct a media evaluation using USIP's Template for Assessing Media Needs in Fragile States. A report is forthcoming.

Iraq– The Center is continuing work on three projects:

Peace Media for Iraqi Youth
The Center is working with in-country Iraqi media and youth leaders to assist in the design and production of a carefully researched multi-media peacebuilding program and curriculum. An expert working group composed of Iraqi educators and media and conflict resolution specialists met in late April to determine the overall framework and educational goals. The event was followed by a two-day youth summit in Iraq for young Iraqi leaders in July 2009. The youth designed the program format and content, which will be followed by the production of a pilot television program and social networking website.

Preventing Media Incitement:
The May 2008 Istanbul Declaration called for renewed focus on preventing incitement in the Iraqi media. In order to provide baseline research on the level and nature of hate speech in the media, the Center is commissioning a media monitoring study by an Iraqi research organization. Additionally, the Center is formulating a two-track (regulatory and non-regulatory) strategy to address media incitement in Iraq by bringing media regulation experts with experience in conflict-affected countries to participate in a forum with Iraqi media regulatory officials and private-sector Iraqi media figures.

Current Projects

Media and Conflict: A Strategic Framework - The Center has initiated a two-year project to develop a strategic framework for media interventions throughout the conflict cycle. The framework will explore areas identified during the earlier two-day seminar at USIP entitled "Media, Conflict Prevention, and Peacebuilding: Mapping the Edges Seminar," which brought together scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss the draft framework and provide feedback.

Assessing the Media Landscape in Conflict - The Center has initiated a project to produce a Template for Assessing Media Needs in Fragile States. A longtime concern of practitioners and donors alike, this template will offer a clear and concise process for evaluating the range of opportunities and challenges in producing peacebuilding programming in fragile states—providing a critical connection between integrating strategic media pprogramming with peacebuilding planning.

Facilitating Cooperation Among Media, Conflict and Peacebuilding Stakeholders - The Center regularly convenes a working group of scholars, practitioners, policymakers, journalists and donors in the Washington, DC area to analyze substantive and timely issues relating to the field of media, conflict and peacebuilding. USIPeace Briefings are published after each session and made available on the USIP website.

Online Archives

Online Archive for Online Discourse in the Arab World: Dispelling the Myths (Blogs and Bullets Initiative)
June 17, 2009 | Online Resource
On June 17th, 2009 the Center of Innovation for Science, Technology, and Peacebuilding, in collaboration with Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, presented findings from an unprecedented, comprehensive mapping of the Arabic-language blogosphere. Researchers from the Berkman Center unveiled for the first time a new report on the Arabic-language blogosphere, which applied cutting-edge social network mapping analysis to more than 35,000 blogs from 18 countries. A panel of experts explored the implications of blogging and online discourse for political change and conflict in the Middle East. BBC Online published this story about the event.

Center Launches Online Archive for Media As Global Diplomat
February 3, 2009 | Online Resource
The Center recently released an online archive for the successful Media As Global Diplomat. The event--loctated at the Newseum and moderated by Ted Koppel--is now available online.

Clip from Panel, Public Diplomacy 2.0

Online Archive for Blogs and Bullets: The Power of Online Media to Prevent or Incite Conflict
January 8, 2009 | Online Resource
The Center recently released an online archive from its presentation at USIP's Passing the Baton event, a remarkable full-day public conference that convened high-level, bipartisan US foreign policy leaders to speak on crucial foreign policy and security issues facing the Obama administration as it transitions into power.

Clip from Panel, Blogs and Bullets