Developing Media in Stabilization and Reconstruction Operations (PDF; 2.3 MB)
Source: United States Institute of Peace
From summary:
+ In war-torn societies, the development of independent, pluralistic,
and sustainable media is critical to fostering long-term peace and
stability. Post-conflict civilian populations are particularly
vulnerable to manipulation by mass media as tensions run high and the
possibility of violent relapse remains strong. Many civilians harbor
deep skepticism and mistrust of the media, being accustomed to
platforms that are controlled either by the state or by political
groups looking to further their political agendas.
+ An effective media strategy can mitigate postwar tensions by
elevating moderate voices and dampening extremist ones. It can create
peaceful channels through which differences can be resolved without
resort to violence. The creation of a robust media culture will also
allow citizens to begin holding their government accountable for its
actions and ensuring its commitment to democracy.
+ Efforts to develop local media institutions should be undertaken
separately from attempts to develop strategic communications. In an
increasing number of non-permissive environments (i.e., environments
where security is not fully established), the distinction between these
two endeavors is blurred because of a mistaken assumption among some
players that both activities share the same purpose and goal.
+ A poorly developed media strategy can be detrimental in a
war-ravaged country still rife with violence. A hastily conceived plan
may reinforce divisions between warring parties or create a weak media
sector that is vulnerable to exploitation by warlords, political
patrons, and spoilers. Media development efforts also fail when the
public does not trust them to establish a credible source of
information.
+ Ideally, given the media’s capacity to shape war-torn countries,
interveners should apply a coherent strategy in the pursuit of media
development. Unfortunately, no such strategy yet exists and thus
interveners have little guidance as to what tools and methods work best
in the development of media institutions. In fact, media development is
still conducted on an ad hoc basis from conflict to conflict.
+ This report seeks to fill this strategic gap. More particularly,
it recommends that interveners take the following series of steps as
they generate a strategy for media development in post-conflict zones.