Negative reporting aggravates conflict situations

Negative reporting aggravates conflict situations

The National Network Coordinator of the Ghana Network for Peace building (GHANEP) has reminded journalists that peace is always possible in any conflict situation depending on the way events are reported.
Mr. Justin Bayor said negative reporting has the consequences of aggravating conflict situations and urged the media to be careful of people who will want to use them to propagate their parochial interests.
Mr. Bayor highlighted this concern at a day conflict reporting and resolution workshop organized for journalists in the Northern Regional Capital, Tamale yesterday.
The Rural Media Network (RUMNET) and with support from the Sustainable Peace Initiative (SPI) organized the workshop to provide journalists with skills to mitigate conflict situations through effective use of positive reporting to unite the people and encourage them to channel their energies and resources towards development.
The journalists treated topics on basic techniques on conflict reporting, updating and upgrading of stories, sources of information, news structuring, interview techniques and investigative journalism.
The Media Director of RUMNET, Alhassan Imoru in his welcome address said they organized the workshop due to the chieftaincy, religious and land conflict situations that have engulfed in the north which has resulted in the lost of lives and property.
He said in the country when they are talking about conflicts then it is the north and therefore journalists who are on the ground must be given good training to report events accurately. Mr. Imoru therefore implored journalist to avoid stories that have the tendency of inflaming passion in the conflict prone areas.
He noted that in conflict reporting, Journalist must aim to bring about healing and restoration of relationships that have been destroyed but not to infuriate more passion in such areas.
According to Mr. Imoru, the three northern regions are among the poorest in the country and journalists in these areas are lacking skills to help encourage the people to shun conflicts and to undertake development projects.