EYE ON ETHICS

Mr. Bayuni is chief editor of The Jakarta Post.

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Covering a war or conflict is never easy. Because of lack of access to the front lines, journalists will be the first to admit the lack of objectivity in their coverage, unless they can tell the story from both sides of the trenches.

Lack of objectivity is thus a perennial ethical issue, but is probably the least of the problems of journalists covering conflict. As the war drags on, the media have a tendency to start oversimplifying the conflict, reducing it to a simple black and white issue. And yet neither a war nor a conflict is ever simple, and therefore the solution is likely to be far more complex than what the media would have us believe.

Thanks to Peace Journalism, which emphasizes the ethical imperatives of neutrality and keeping the welfare of those most affected in mind, journalists can do a much better job in covering conflicts, and even help speed up their end and even the search for lasting solutions. Peace Journalism, in contrast to traditional “War Journalism”, requires journalists to undertake conflict analysis, understand the origins of the conflict, and help find ways of ending it. This in furtherance of the need to focus on the welfare of those most affected by the conflict.

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