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Peace Journalism

Ten Commandments of Peace Journalism

Persian translation attached

Saturday 15 December 2007, by pedram


1. Never reduce the parties in human conflicts to two. Remember that when two elephants fight, the grass gets hurt. Pay attention to the poor grass.

2. Identify the views and interests of all parties to human conflicts. There is no single Truth; there are many truths.

3. Donot be hostage to one source, particularly those of governments that control sources of information.

4. Develop a good sense of skepticism. Remember that reporting is representation. Bias is endemic to human conditions. You, your media organization, and your sources are not exceptions.

5. Give voice to the oppressed and peacemakers to represent and empower them. 6. Seek peaceful solutions to conflict problems, but never fall prey to panaceas.

7. Your representation of conflict problems can become part of the problem if it exacerbates dualisms and hatreds.

8. Your representation of conflict problems can become part of the solution if it employs the creative tensions in any human conflict to seek common ground and nonviolent solutions.

9. Always exercise the professional media ethics of accuracy, veracity, fairness, and respect for human rights and dignity.

10. Transcend your own ethnic, national, or ideological biases to see and represent the parties to human conflicts fairly and accurately.

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P.S.

The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics 2002; 7; 58 Majid Tehranian Peace Journalism: Negotiating Global Media Ethics

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