Media, Conflict and Peacebuilding

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Center Highlights

Featured Publications & Tools

Leadership

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Director, Center of Innovation: Media, Conflict, and Peacebuilding / Director, Center of Innovation: Science, Technology and Peacebuilding.

Center Experts

Senior Program Officer
Theo Dolan (Photo: USIP)
Senior 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 better understanding the role of media throughout the conflict cycle: preventing media incitement to violence, protecting media from abuse during conflict, and empowering sustainable peacebuilding efforts in post-conflict situations. Additionally, 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

Promoting Legal Awareness in Afghanistan through Radio Programming
After traveling to Afghanistan to conduct an in-depth media evaluation, the Center is working with local partners to use edutainment to address the challenges of dealing with Afghanistan’s multiple informal and formal judicial sectors through a serial radio drama. The Center is also using new technology and radio to provide youth with the capability to inform others on legal issues and solutions.

Iraq

Preventing Media Incitement to Violence in Iraq

As part of an initiative to formulate a two-track strategy to mitigate media incitement to violence in Iraq, the Center continues to work directly with Iraqi media regulatory officials, civil society media monitoring organizations, and news directors and reporters from across the broadcast sector in Iraq.  Content analysis research is continually conducted as a means of affecting and charting progress in mitigating the inflammatory coverage of conflict-related issues.

 

Salam Shabab: Peace Media for Iraqi Youth Salam Shabab
The Center is helping to highlight and address the many challenges faced by Iraqi youth by  producing a multi-media peacebuilding program called Salam Shabab (Peace Youth), aimed at 14 - 18 year olds. The series, backed by a peacebuilding curriculum and complimented by a social networking component (http://salamshabab.com) is currently broadcasting on the Iraqi state television channel.

Pakistan

Countering Extremist Messages in Pakistani Media
By working with local Pakistani organizations on a comprehensive content analysis initiative, the Center will produce an assessment of the role of the media in promoting extremist messaging. Based on the results of the content analysis, the Center will work with media stakeholders to review the findings and develop actionable next steps to counter extremism in local media.

South Sudan

Radio for Peace in South Sudan
As South Sudan grapples with continued violence, state building challenges, and issues pertaining to national identity, the Center is working with local partners to address these issues through a serial radio drama. With much of the population consuming broadcast radio, the Center’s radio drama will address drivers of conflict, aiming to create lasting peace.

 

Initiatives

Media as Global Diplomat

In partnership with Independent Television Service, USIP produced a series of summits to highlight the expanding power of today’s media to transform public diplomacy and promote peaceful international relations. These events have been hosted by influential public figures such as Ted Koppel and Queen Noor.

Blogs and Bullets

A joint project with the Center for Science, Conflict, & Peacebuilding, the Center explores ways to utilize quantitative and analytical tools to understand the power of online discourse to both promote and prevent conflict.

Tools for Improving the Success of Media Interventions

Through its goal of better understanding the role of media throughout the conflict cycle, the Center has been working on the development of a variety of assessment and evaluation tools. These tools include a strategic framework for media interventions, a template for the assessment of the media landscape in conflict situations and guidelines for evaluating the impact of media programs in conflict areas.