3. The Functions of Journalism:
Why People Consume News
Surveillance – to inform people about what
is going on in the world
Opinion-making - influence on people’s
views and attitudes, whether aimed for or
not
Entertainment – entertaining people about
human nature, nature, life
Education – educating people about
issues, new discoveries, challenges, etc.
“Watchdog” function - monitoring public
accountability of public officials
??? (Shaping/re-shaping culture?)
Jean Lee C. Patindol
5. News and Culture
Linear model
The Feedback Loop
Jean Lee C. Patindol
Source
Facts
Reporter
Media
Audience
Facts
Reporter
Source
Audience
Media
6. What is News?
Any communication or information presented will
do?
The simple relaying of events?
“new, interesting and true”
Interesting to whom? Why is it that only a tiny
fraction of the billions of events that happen in
the world each day that might pass the basic
criteria, do not even make it to the local media,
much less the national and international media?
True from whose perspective? The job of the
journalist is to assess those different accounts
and to try to find a coherent, concise and
objective account of what happened (Accuracy,
Reliability, Meaning)
Jean Lee C. Patindol
7. News
“The sifting and editing of information,
comments and events into a form that is
recognizably different from the pure form in
which they first occurred.
Journalism is about putting events, ideas,
information and controversies into context.
It is about selection and presentation.
Above all, perhaps, it is about the
assessment of the validity, truthfulness
or representativeness of actions or
comments.” (Rudin and Ibbotson, 2002)
Jean Lee C. Patindol
8. Journalism is all about producing a
product– sometimes called a
commodification– and is a social
construction, which is formed and
limited by the dominant ideology of a
society: a set of views and ideas that
are presumed to be “normal” and
“common sense”. As in the production
of any item, those manufacturing and
producing it must know who is going to
want that product. (Rudin and Ibbotson,
2002)
Jean Lee C. Patindol
10. Do “News Values” Equate to Valuable
News?
Conflict as violence
Frequency
Negativity
Unexpectedness
Unambiguity
Personalization/ human interest
Meaningfulness/ cultural
proximity
Reference to the elite
Consonance/ media readiness
Continuity
Composition
Competition
Co-optation
Prefabrication
Predictability
Time constraints
Logistics
Information that people
need to live better,
happier, healthier, more
harmonious lives?
Information that promotes
more:
Truth,
Respect,
Freedom,
Compassion,
Fairness/ justice?
Jean Lee C. Patindol
11. Journalism’s Core Values
Truth-telling
factual accuracy
contextual accuracy
corroboration by multiple-sourcing
but do not break the law
avoid deceiving sources, misrepresentation
use special methods only under justifiable circumstances (hidden cameras and
recorders, undercover reporting, false identities)
Freedom and autonomy
Avoid conflicts of interest : when your interest is what you pursue ahead of your
duty (involvement in particular activities/affiliations, acceptance of favors and
money, financial investments, outside employment)
Keep relationships with sources professional
Justice
Both or all sides must be given equal space/time
Honor right of reply
Correct errors promptly and with the same prominence
Jean Lee C. Patindol
12. Core Values
Humaneness
Portray subjects as human beings; avoid stereotyping
Keep sources confidential if they demand it or when the occasion
demands it
○ On the record – can cite and print
○ Off the record – can’t cite/print, can be used as lead
○ Not for attribution – use info but can’t quote/cite source
○ For background – don’t even mention source; present as multiple
sources or “not her real name”
Do not endanger sources
Respect privacy
Protect vulnerable groups (women, children, cultural/religious
groups, survivors/victims and their families, hospital
patients/relatives, accused/convicted of crimes and their
relatives, individuals at risk)
Jean Lee C. Patindol
13. Core Values
Stewardship/ Responsibility/Accountability
Abide by the same standards you hold others up
to
Protect freedom of expression; others’ freedom
too
Clarify and explain news coverage and invite
dialogue with the public over journalistic conduct
Expose unethical practices of journalists and the
news media
Jean Lee C. Patindol
15. Jean Lee C. Patindol
Concepts of Peace
Pax (Latin) – a pact, a contract; an absence of war
through the imposition of order by a dominant
power
Sala’m (Arabic) – peace with
justice/order/following the right path of God
Shalom (Hebrew) – wholeness, integrity, harmony;
co-existence of opposites through acceptance of
differences; continuous growth of all creative
human powers
Shanti (Sanskrit) – equanimity, spiritual peace,
oneness with the Divine, non-attachment, self-
realization
Heping (Chinese) – harmony within and without,
stability and order
Filipino?
16. Jean Lee C. Patindol
Key Elements of Peace
Absence of war and physical violence
Conditions necessary for human
fulfillment and the growth of our creative
powers
Conditions necessary for human
harmony
Conditions necessary for oneness with
all creation, inner peace
Upholding basic human rights: Truth,
respect, freedom, compassion, fairness,
justice
17. Jean Lee C. Patindol
Peace
Total Peace
Integrated Peace:
Absence of Indirect Violence
Direct/Symptomatic Peace:
Absence of Direct Physical Violence
18. Jean Lee C. Patindol
Violence:
Inflicting Harm, Damage
Direct Violence
-usually physically
manifested (hitting,
beating, shooting,
bombing, raping,
kicking, etc.)
Indirect Violence – usually
insidiously/subtly manifested
Cultural Violence: hate speech,
gossip, xenophobia,
discrimination in any form,
gender violence, “chosen-ness”,
etc.
Structural Violence: poverty,
slavery, apartheid, colonialism,
corruption, excessive material
inequality
Ecological Violence:
overconsumption, pollution,
environmental harm and damage
19. Jean Lee C. Patindol
What is Conflict?
Conflict is a process through which two or
more actors try to pursue incompatible
goals while trying the undermine the goal-
seeking potential of the others.
It may also arise when two or more actors
pursue compatible goals with
incompatible methods.
Conflict basically arises because of unmet
needs/changes in needs.
20. Jean Lee C. Patindol
Sources of Conflict
Scarce resources
Uneven distribution of power
Poor or no communication between parties
Parties have incorrect perceptions of each
other
There is a lack or very low level of trust
Unresolved grievances exist from the past
Parties do not value the relationship
between them
21. News and Conflict Escalation
9. Destruction and self-destruction
8. Destruction of the opponent
7. Limited destructive blows and sanctions
6. Threatening strategies
5. Open attack and loss of face
4. Formation of coalitions
3. Confrontation, with a “fait accompli”
2. Debate
1. Tension and Crystallization
Jean Lee C. Patindol
How Conflict is Managed
And Communicated
Quantity
and Quality
of
Information
22. Jean Lee C. Patindol
Conflict is not the same as
Violence!
Conflict is part of life. Life means growth.
Conflict is about change. Life is a series
of changes towards growth.
Change requires adjustments and
readjustments of perceptions, attitudes,
behaviors, structures, ways of life.
Responses to conflict can be creative and
collaborative, if change is seen as an
opportunity for new and better possibilities
rather than a threat.
23. The Media
Filter
FACTS
Source
Personal
Knowledge
What source? Hierarchy…
How many? Time…
Interpreters…
What information do
you pick up?
In what condition are you?
How much do you
understand?
Professional
What‘s News?
Journalistic decisions…
Target Group
For whom do you
write and report?
Team
Who is working with you?
Time
…for investigation, for
interviews, for writing
and authorizing?
Money
NO COMMENT…
Editorial
House Style
External Influence
Newsvalue compared to other stories
Space in the paper, program
Taste, personal relationship
Organizational background?
? Report / Article
Jean Lee C. Patindol
24. Peace Journalism
is when editors and reporters make
choices – of which stories to report, and
how to report them – which create
opportunities for society at large to
consider and to value non-violent
responses to conflict.
(Jake Lynch, Annabel McGoldrick,
Reporting the World / BBC)
Jean Lee C. Patindol
25. Characteristics of War/Violence-Focused
Journalism
War Journalism reports on
conflict as a Sports Reporter
does on a tennis match:
• who is fighting (playing)
• what the score is (casualties
taken/territory won or lost by
either side)
• who is winning and who is
losing
Jean Lee C. Patindol
26. Characteristics of Peace/Conflict-Focused
Journalism
Conflict is to a Peace Journalist as disease
is to a Health Correspondent.
e.g. Heart disease reported as:
•Technical aspects,e.g. the latest development in open-
heart surgery (the equivalent of War Journalism
and its talk of ‘surgical strikes’).
•But also: underlying causes (diet and lifestyle, poor
education, housing conditions etc.))
•highlight possible SOLUTIONS - initiatives to counter the
effect of marketing fatty foods to children, or
persuading people to take more exercise.
Jean Lee C. Patindol
27. Peace Journalism vs. War Journalism
Two party geometry
Tug of war
Zero sum gain
Victory or defeat
Demonization for
justification
Good vs. evil
• Round table
• Conflict as common
problem
• Positive sum gain
• Solutions
• Humanizing all parties
• Shades of gray/ colors of
the rainbow!
Jean Lee C. Patindol
29. The Peace Journalism (PJ) Approach
in Analyzing News
How is a conflict framed?
Peace/Conflict-focused journalism or war/violence-focused
journalism?
What is the shape of the conflict?
Two-party geometry or Round-Table?
How is violence portrayed?
Focus on understanding of conflict or highlighting violence?
Use of language, tone?
Implications of layout, colors, etc.?
How is the role of the journalist in presenting the conflict?
Escalates conflict by highlighting violence and promoting
polarization, or de-escalates conflict by promoting deeper
understanding of conflict issues and helping create spaces for
reflection and dialogue?
Jean Lee C. Patindol
30. Is Peace Journalism “Peace
Propaganda”?
Peace Journalism
Independent/Multi-source
Conflict-focused:
presentation and analysis
of conflict issues
Helps create spaces for
peaceful dialogue-based
instead of violent
solutions by providing
well-researched factual
and multi-source
INFORMATION for
DECISION-MAKING
“Peace Propaganda”
Usually uni-source (from
a peace working group)
Also conflict-focused:
presentation and
analyses of conflict
issues but usually in not
as much breadth and
depth
Explicitly encourages
more specific
steps/solutions; is usually
directly involved in the
addressing of conflict
issues through ACTION
Jean Lee C. Patindol
31. Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is
in the minds of men that the defense of
peace must be constructed.
- UNESCO Constitution
Jean Lee C. Patindol