Center for Global Peace Journalism

The Center for Global Peace Journalism works with journalists, academics, and students worldwide to improve reporting about conflicts, social unrest, reconciliation, solutions, and peace. Through its courses, workshops, lectures, magazine (The Peace Journalist), blog, and other resources, the Center encourages media to reject sensational and inflammatory reporting, and produce counter-narratives that offer a more nuanced view of those who are marginalized—ethnic/racial/religious minorities, women, youth, and migrants.

What is Peace Journalism?

Peace Journalism is when editors and reporters make choices that improve the prospects for peace. These choices, including how to frame stories and carefully choosing which words are used, create an atmosphere conducive to peace and supportive of peace initiatives and peacemakers, without compromising the basic principles of good journalism. (Adapted from Lynch/McGoldrick, Peace Journalism). Peace Journalism gives peacemakers a voice while making peace initiatives and non-violent solutions more visible and viable.

Peace Journalist Magazine

The Peace Journalist is a semi-annual publication of the Center for Global Peace Journalism at Park University in Parkville, Missouri. The Peace Journalist is dedicated to disseminating news and information for and about teachers, students, and practitioners of peace and conflict sensitive journalism.Submissions are welcome from all. We are seeking shorter submissions (300-500 words) detailing peace journalism projects, classes, proposals, etc. We also welcome longer submissions (800-1200 words) about peace or conflict sensitive journalism projects or programs, as well as academic works from the field.

Latest Issue – October 2017

Peace Journalist Magazine Index

Editor: Steven Youngblood, Director, Center for Global Peace Journalism Park University

Editorial Assistance: John Lofflin, Frank Hamilton, Jeff Smith, Carol Getty – Park University

Resources

Projects

Peace Journalism: An Introduction–Addis Ababa and Jimma, Ethiopia, July 2017. As a U.S. State Department Speaker and Specialist, Prof. Youngblood made presentations at two universities and in several public forums.

Peace and Electoral Journalism-Cameroon, July, 2017At the invitation of the Cameroon Community Media Network, Steven Youngblood gave three peace journalism seminars and conducted in-house trainings in Buea, Bamenda, Yaounde, Limbe, Bafoussam, and Kumba.

Regional Peace Journalism Conference-Kisumu, Kenya, March 2017. Youngblood taught two sessions at the conference (Peace Journalism Fundamentals and PJ: Next Steps).

Peace Journalism and Health Reporting-Freetown, Sierra Leone, November 2016. Meeting with 30 journalists, the center’s director discussed the basics of peace journalism and their own reporting on the Ebola crisis.

Peace Journalism Principles and Practices: Responsibly Reporting Conflicts, Reconciliation, and Solutions-Textbook published by Routledge/Taylor and Francis in October, 2016. (Link)

Reporting Syrian Refugees Using Peace Journalism—Germany/Austria, May/June, 2016. Youngblood lectured on peace journalism at four universities in Germany (Bundeswehr; Ludwig Maximilian) and Austria (University of Salzburg, University of Klagenfurt), and met with professional journalists in Salzburg.

Workshops: Peace and Reconciliation Journalism –Juba, South Sudan, May 2016. Working cooperatively with the media association of South Sudan, Youngblood taught two peace journalism seminars for professional radio journalists. The project was sponsored by USAID/VISTAS.

Visiting Professor/Peace Journalism Short Course—University for Peace, Costa Rica, February, 2015. Youngblood taught PJ to graduate students in the media/peace concentration.

Reporting Syrian Refugees—Building Communities of Understanding—Adana, Malatya, and Istanbul, Turkey. January 2015, May 2015, and November, 2015. Youngblood conceived, coordinated, and taught peace journalism seminars for Turkish students and professional journalists about how to responsibly report about refugees. The project was sponsored by the US Consulate-Istanbul and the US State Department.

The center’s director traveled to Kashmir to work on a peace journalism project with professional journalists and with students and faculty at the Islamic University of Science and Technology in Awantipora. See the Peace Journalism Insights blog for more information.

Working on a State Dept grant, the center presented seminars in Adana, Turkey and a summit in Istanbul, Turkey designed to improve reporting about Syrian refugees in Turkey. See the Peace Journalist magazine for more details. The project will continue in Malatya, Turkey in October.

The center’s director traveled to Rongo University (Kenya) to conduct seminars and workshops with a peace theme. Multimedia products detailing the project include audio stories and a photo album.

The center’s director participated in the Media For Social Change symposium in Mexico City, Mexico sponsored by Ashoka México y Centroamérica.

Peace Journalism and Immigration Seminar, BronxNet/Lehman College, Bronx, NY. The seminar/project focused on effective, compassionate reporting about immigrants.

Peace Journalism project in Cyprus. This included lectures at Eastern Mediterranean University, and a Peace Journalism and Migration seminar at the Cyprus Community Media Centre in the buffer zone in Nicosia. For more, see the April 2014 Peace Journalist magazine.

The center’s director participated in the Sustained Humanitarian Presence Initiative workshop, sponsored by Irish AID and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. This workshop in Limerick, Ireland for NGO leaders was the first part of a larger project to develop a course to help NGO’s operate more effectively in a crisis area. Steven Youngblood’s  instructional segment at the workshop centered around how NGO’s might most effectively utilize media in a crisis zone.

Symposium-“Doing the Wrong Thing: The Struggle for an Ethical Media,” held at Park University. Video of the event is archived at at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/parkadmin/.

Peace Journalism Bootcamp, Bronx, NY. Held in conjunction with BronxNet and Lehman College.

Speaker: Generation Next Seminar, Sponsored by Fulbright Association, Issyk-Kul, Kygryzstan. Topics: The Peace Movement and Social Media, Peace Journalism.

Peace Journalism seminar, Advanced peace journalism seminar, Professional journalist training, Beirut, Lebanon. Held in conjunction with Media Association for Peace-Lebanon.

Keynote speech: “The Ethics of Peace Journalism: Serving a Higher Calling.” Communication and Media Days, Univ. of California-San Marcos, April 24, 2013.

“The Crisis in Mexico: Is Peace Journalism Possible?” A special symposium was held on Feb. 22 at Park University. The event was co-sponsored by the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C. Expert panelists includes Cristina Zesatti (Zacatecas, Mexico), and Mary Sanchez (Kansas City Star).

Center Director Steven Youngblood appeared on KCUR-FM (NPR in Kansas City) in December to discuss peace journalism and his book about teaching in Uganda, “Professor Komagum”.

International Peace Research Association—Youngblood presented two papers on peace journalism at an international conference in November in Japan. For details, see the April, 2013 Peace Journalist magazine.

Bronx Peace Media Project–A peace media project was held in October 2012 in the Bronx, NY. It featured two peace journalism seminars for journalists and students at BronxNet. Among the discussions: the concept of forgiveness, even for the worst among us. Students went out into the streets to initiate a discussion about if Osama Bin Laden should be forgiven.

Kenya peace journalism project—PJ seminars were being taught for radio journalists in two Kenyan cities in June, 2012. See more at: http://stevenyoungblood.blogspot.com.

Peace media/counterterrorism project–A peace media and counterterrorism program launched in Dec., 2011 and continued in 2012. The project brought together media and security officials to in Uganda to establish frameworks of cooperation on anti-terrorism efforts. It was funded with a $150,000 State Dept. grant.

“People Building Peace 2.0”–A story about the Uganda PJ project is featured in the book “People Building Peace 2.0”. The Uganda story by S. Youngblood was selected for the book as part of a “Stories of Peace” contest sponsored by the Peace Portal.

Park University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Park University is a private, non-profit, institution of higher learning since 1875.