Robert Hackett, Ph.D School of Communication at Simon Fraser University, BC
What kind(s) of journalism are appropriate to help global society address our era's fundamental challenges ñ of environment and climate, conflict and governance, human rights and mass migrations, globalized poverty and inequality ñ challenges so interlinked and profound that they constitute a crisis of global civilization? Criticisms of hegemonic (American) journalism abound ñ it legitimizes unjust power, trivializes public discourse, foments division and conflict. This talk moves beyond the critiques to outline positive alternatives, arguing for journalism as a crisis discipline, and paying particular attention to the contested concept of journalistic objectivity.
"Peace Journalism: A new approach to reporting conflict"
4:00pm, Communications Rm 120
Drawing on the field of conflict analysis, especially the work of Johan Galtung, Peace Journalism has emerged as a coherent "challenger" paradigm since the late 1990s. It purports to offer both a critique of conventional conflict coverage (which PJ proponents consider tantamount to conflict-escalating war journalism), and a toolkit of practical alternatives. Drawing from Hackett's recent co-edited book, Expanding Peace Journalism, this talk sketches some basic concepts of PJ, as well as critiques of it, and directions for future research and practice.