Institutional Racism

UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE
www.usip.org
SPECIAL REPORT
1200 17th Street NW • Washington, DC 20036 • 202.457.1700 • fax 202.429.6063
ABOUT THE REPORT
Across the globe, media have been used as tools to
inflame grievances and accelerate the escalation
towards violent conflict. In Rwanda, radio was used to
lay the groundwork for genocide. In the Former
Republic of Yugoslavia, television was manipulated to
stir ethnic tensions prior to civil war. In the former
Soviet republic of Georgia, territorial disputes were
exacerbated by the propagation of nationalist
mythology in the media.
In light of this historical evidence, Internews Network,
which fosters pluralistic independent media in
emerging democracies and focuses its media
development efforts on reducing conflict within and
between countries, undertook an analysis of media
abuse by actors intent on inciting conflict. The results
of the study, published here, are intended to help
media assistance organizations direct interventions to
where they can be most beneficial.
The analysis was conducted by Mark Frohardt,
Internews Network regional director for Africa, and
Jonathan Temin, Internews Network program associate.
For more information on this project, including case
studies, go to www.internews.org/mediainconflict.
The views expressed in this report do not necessarily
reflect views of the United States Institute of Peace,
which does not advocate specific policies.
SPECIAL REPORT 110 OCTOBER 2003
CONTENTS
Introduction 2
Clues to Conflict 3
Structural Indicators 3
Content Indicators 6
Opportunities for Intervention 8
Structural Interventions 8
Content-Specific Interventions 13
Aggressive Interventions 14
Recommendations 15
Mark Frohardt and Jonathan Temin
Use and Abuse of Media in
Vulnerable Societies
Summary
• Conventional media—radio, television, and newspapers—usually play a positive and
informative role in society. However, there are many documented cases of media
being manipulated by actors intent on instigating violent conflict.
• Analyzing the “clues to conflict” in vulnerable societies can enable policymakers to
identify societies that are particularly vulnerable to media abuse and decide on the
most appropriate type and timing of media interventions.
• These clues are divided into two categories. Structural indicators concern media outlets,
media professionals, or government institutions concerned with media; these
indicators can include media variety and plurality, degree of journalist isolation, and
the legal environment for media. Content indicators concern content designed to create
fear (such as a focus on past atrocities and history of ethnic hatred) or content
designed to create a sense of inevitability and resignation (such as discrediting alternatives
to conflict).
• In response to the clues to conflict, a number of opportunities for intervention are
suggested. These media interventions fall into three categories: structural interventions,
such as strengthening domestic and international journalist networks; contentspecific
interventions, such as issue-oriented training; and aggressive interventions,
such as radio and television jamming.
• Early interventions are less expensive and more effective than later interventions,
because by the time media abuse is widespread there may be little or no recourse.
• The international community should undertake four actions: media in vulnerable societies
should be monitored; there should be greater collaboration between media organizations
and conflict resolution organizations; media organizations need to build a
better case for monitoring and early intervention and need to encourage appropriate
donor support; and a systematic review of media behavior in vulnerable societies
should be conducted to enhance the international community’s understanding of this
important dynamic.