Engaging journalists to promote peace...

Bernama journalist Syed Iylia Hariz Al-Qadri Syed Izman learned more about peace journalism today as he proceeded with his month-long fellowship programme in South Korea.  

He attended the Korean Press Foundation (KPF) Journalism Conference 2018 beginning today that focussed on peace journalism in the Korean Peninsula.

“As North and South Korea engage to bring an end to the long-standing war between them, journalists worldwide play a big role in promoting peace journalism coverage which would be conducive to promote peace in the two Koreas,” he wrote.

Peace journalism is a form of reporting which shows the varied background and context of conflicts; listens to all sides; explores hidden agendas; and, highlights peace ideas and initiatives from anywhere at any time.

In the discussion, Yonsei University’s distinguished Professor Dr Moon Chung-in shared four propositions for journalists to engage in peace journalism.

He said the first proposition was not to demonise (portraying as wicked and threatening) North Korea, as the communist country had often been subjected to controversial reporting.

“If we demonise them (North Korea), the North Korean leader will become a demon, and demons do not negotiate,” he told the conference.

Moon, who is special adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in said journalists should also set their priorities right and the top priority should be on the resolution of nuclear and missile issues.

He said if the issue could be resolved, than trust was being built and other issues, including human rights, would be resolved easily.

The other proposition he mentioned was to ensure journalists be realistic and practical; avoid rigid and unilateral approach.

Moon was a special delegate to the first (2000), second (2007) and third (2018) Pyongyang Korean summit.

He said peace and war could be a function of journalism and objective reporting could foster peace whereas journalism of distortion would only trigger distrust, misperception and conflicts.

The two-hour discussion had also posed challenges to the media to prevent bias coverage.

A CNN Seoul Bureau correspondent, Paula Hancocks who was also one of the six panellists said it was quite a challenge to obtain information or to gain confirmation from the North Koreans.

Due to its restriction to cooperate, many fake news regarding the country had spread like wildfire, and this might thus, affect the people’s perception towards North Korea.

The two-day KPF Journalism Conference themed, ‘Trust, Technology and Audience’ is aimed at educating journalists in the digital era.

Nearly 150 local and international journalists registered for the conference.