Positive reporting and healing of trauma in children in conflict zones

Worldwide, the media has influence on how people view the world. Newspapers, radio, and television as well as social media serve as the link to current happenings outside our neighbourhoods. This coupled, with the fact that... [ view full abstract ]

Worldwide, the media has influence on how people view the world. Newspapers, radio, and television as well as social media serve as the link to current happenings outside our neighbourhoods. This coupled, with the fact that the world has become a global village, no happenings, however local, can go unnoticed. The angle in which a reporter frames a story can favour one party or a solution and can also increase or minimise the conflict they cover.
Genocides and ethnic strife that have occurred in many parts of the world, including Rwanda, South Sudan and Kenya in Africa and Yugoslavia in Europe, have posed challenges for survivors to cope with and overcome. Several media tactics have been employed to lessen the effects of such trauma. In Rwanda, for instance, writing and drawing about one‘s experience, reflections and discussions have proven useful. A series of radio programmes produced and broadcast around the country helped people to understand and deal with healing.
Other efforts include trauma healing through narratives and story-telling that leads to acknowledgment, apology, forgiveness and reconnection. There are many media programmes that underscore the therapeutic value of drawing and writing about trauma. This constructive communication helps facilitate reconnection with one’s social environment and allows victims to restore their place in society. In conflict situations, therefore, journalists should be peace oriented as opposed to war oriented, truth oriented as opposed to propaganda, people and children oriented as opposed to elite oriented and solution oriented as opposed to victory oriented.
The paper will discuss a checklist of things to consider when journalists report conflicts. It will be based on review of literature to identify ethical issues in media reporting as well as good practices in trauma healing by the media for children caught up in conflict situations.