Opinion: New media may help advocate peace journalism

"At their worst, blogs can be untruthful, bad sources of news and gossip. But without the profit motive, the need for immediacy, and the thirst for conflict, blogs can also help show a more complete picture of the Middle East," said Gilinsky.

Gadi Wolfsfeld, professor of communications at Hebrew University, suggests that peace journalism, which focuses on stories about peacemaking and co-existence, may not be as appealing as reporting on more violent, conflicting issues.

"News is immediate. It is about what's happening right now. Peace is as slow as molasses. News is about drama. Conflict has lots of drama. Peace, on the other hand, is usually boring," writes Gilinsky.

Another problem with Middle Eastern reporting is that it risks being ethno-centric, as news content and editorial decisions in different outlets may use "inconsistent terminology, narratives, and facts on the ground."

Peace journalism online may be getting a boost as newspapers like the Los Angeles Times include blogs that have stories that are "shorter, more visual, not so hard, and not so bloody."

Other blogs that focus on more peaceful issues include Life Must Go On In Sderot and Gaza, written by an Israeli in Sderot and a Palestinian from a Gaza refugee camp, as well as EMS Peace, written by an Australian peace activist in Jaffa.

Blogs that may be promoting freedom of speech include Baheyya (an Egyptian blog criticizing the state) and Bahrain Online, an online hug for Bahraini bloggers that is operated by Ali Abduleman, who was previously imprisoned for posting blog entries that criticizeed the country's monarchy.  

Gilinsky proposes that instead of censoring blogs or imprisoning their authors, governments could start blogs of their own, following in the footsteps of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has a personal blog that is offered in four languages.

Source: Media Shift