I decided I wanted to be a journalist aged 13, and I’ve now worked in the profession for more than 30 years now – so you won’t be surprised to hear that I think it’s an important part of any democratic society. But when I find that even I’m avoiding the news, you know something’s wrong.
We’ve had a very difficult few years. A lot of the time I’ve felt as if a tsunami of pain and hurt is constantly rising in the distance every time I turn on the radio. And yet my instincts are still that an effective member of society should know what’s happening – in fact it’s almost an obligation. But when studies are starting to show that peoples’ mental health is being harmed by news consumption, we need a rethink.
This is an area I was already interested in. My PhD study looked at the impact of Peace Journalism methods on the coverage of the development of devolution in Northern Ireland. Despite its name, peace journalism is not about promoting peace. Instead, it’s a style and theory of reporting that aims to treat stories about war and conflict with balance. Advocates of peace journalism say that traditional journalism, or what they call ‘war journalism’, displays a bias toward violence. If that sounds complicated, think about the standard structure to any news story: Introduction to the ‘problem’. X says the situation is black. Y says it’s white. Only time will tell.
Sound familiar?
The idea of peace journalism is to look at the other sides of the story – what are the solutions? Where do people agree? Let’s hear how some people are achieving positive results. Maybe we don’t start with the ‘problem’ at all.
And there are other similar movements that look to rework ideas and theories around journalism – constructive journalism, solutions journalism, even slow journalism.
Once upon a time, seasoned hacks like me would have been suspicious of these re-inventions of the wheel. But when media across the world are losing consumers – at a time when traditional media is already under severe attack due to free online content, these issues cannot be ignored. The recent documentary series on BBC Radio 4, Living with the News, has explored this.
For me, combining my journalistic skills along with my teaching and research experience, leads me to think that some of what we need is more people who understand how the media work, and how representation is vital. That is particularly important in small close-knit communities, where it’s all too easy for rumour on Facebook to become a news source.
As part of my work with Shared Future News, this is an important area for us. We are always looking at developing ways that communities can influence how they are reported on and about, and ensuring they are included in the process. Our podcast and book, What Northern Ireland Means to Me, published as part of the centenary of Northern Ireland, aimed to do just that, by hearing from a diverse range of voices from across the community.