Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

1-1-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A. in Journalism

First Advisor

Zenebe Beyene

Second Advisor

Debora H. Wenger

Third Advisor

Charles D. Mitchell

School

University of Mississippi

Relational Format

dissertation/thesis

Abstract

News is a vital element to keep people informed. Though the orientation of the stories is often debated over whether it is based on facts or lies. In a polarized society, it may not be the event that contributes to violence, but how the event is reported. Here is where the role of peace journalism comes in where reporters or news managers can shed light on structural and cultural causes of violence. It is in this context that this study attempted to investigate the level of awareness of peace journalism among Bangladeshi and Ethiopian journalists. To this end, the researcher used a survey and sent a questionnaire to 200 journalists of the two countries and received 112 complete responses. The data shows that out of 112 responses 86 of the participants do not have any training on peace journalism. Though the respondents feel the necessity to practice peace journalism, but most of the media houses practice conventional journalism focusing on elites. Acknowledging pressure from their respective authorities the respondents say their bosses believe that sensational news attracts a larger audience. The findings also show some contradictions. One of those is that although most of the respondents do not have any training on peace journalism, their responses to some questions indicated their awareness of some elements of peace journalism. The study concluded that maybe journalists of the two countries apply some of the elements of peace journalism but not in totality, which raises a question regarding finding a solution to conflicts. So, the ultimate goal of peace journalism remains unfulfilled. The findings also highlighted the need for more training in peace journalism.

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