Seminar to train journos in conflict reporting

Sri Wahyuni ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Yogyakarta   |  Sat, 06/21/2008 12:22 PM  |  The Archipelago

The Philippines-based Peace and Conflict Journalism Network (Pecojon) is holding a five-day seminar in Jakarta to train local journalists in conflict reporting.

Held in cooperation with the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) of Indonesia, the training, which kicked off on Wednesday evening, is designed to provide participants with the skills to better cover and report conflicts.

The training covers a wide range of conflict-related topics, including how to penetrate conflict zones, understanding the role of journalists, the effect of the media, conflict analysis, peace and the basic principles of conflict, violence and conflict escalation.

"This is not a new form of journalism, but a refinement of the existing concept," Pecojon International Coordinator Antonia Koop, who is also the main trainer, told The Jakarta Post.

Also lecturing at the seminar is Philippines-based AFP photojournalist Therence Gary N. Koh, who was invited to share his experiences in covering conflicts in Mindanao.

Koop said reporting on conflicts didn't differ much from traditional reporting in that both sought truth and accuracy.

She added in terms of accuracy, for instance, conflict reporting required journalists to not only quote statements exactly as they were given, but also to dig deeper into the conflict to find out what lay at the heart of it.

It also required them to be aware of the impact of their reports, but not to sacrifice the basic principles of journalism by "softening" stories or concealing the truth.

Koop said one way of achieving this was by encouraging journalists to word their reports so as to avoid escalating the conflict being reported on.

"This way, journalists will also be prevented from being easily used for propaganda," said Koop, a former camerawoman for German broadcaster Sat1 Television, who reported on the Israel-Palestine conflict between 2001 and 2004.

She also stressed the key role of mass media in conflicts. The voices of journalists decide how parties in a conflict are perceived -- either as victims, perpetrators, suffering innocents or simply evil, she said.

"Journalists are neither peacemakers nor mediators. But we have the responsibility not to make conflicts escalate because of our reports in the media," Koop said.

"In other words, media strongly influences the course of events."

The training is Pecojon's third such program in the country and is funded by InWent, a German government-sponsored not-for-profit institution. Fifteen journalists from across Indonesia are participating.

"I think the training is very relevant here, because Indonesia is a country with many conflict-riddled areas," Bambang Muryanto, chairman of AJI's Yogyakarta branch, said at the seminar's opening ceremony.

Pecojon held its first seminar in November 2007 in Jakarta and Yogyakarta. The second session was held in the capital last week and concluded with the establishment of Pecojon Indonesia.

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