How Can the Power of the Mass-Media Be Used to Help Resolve Rather Than Inflame Conflicts

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Abstract How can the power of the mass-media be used to help resolve rather than inflame conflicts? In this age of instant digital communication, is there a role for pro-active deployment of radio, television and the Internet to help the complex process of conflict management and transformation to peaceful, liberal democracies? History has shown that the media can incite people toward violence. Hitler used the media to create an entire worldview of hatred for Jews, homosexuals, and other minority groups. Rwanda’s radio RTLM urged listeners to pick up machetes and take to the streets to kill what they called ‘the cockroaches.’ Broadcasters in the Balkans polarized local communities to the point where violence became an acceptable tool for addressing grievances. The media’s impact on the escalation of conflict is more widely recognized than the media’s impact on peace building. Yet it is not uncommon to hear experts pronounce that the media’s impact on peace building must be significant given its powerful impact on conflict. However, this simple relationship must not be taken for granted and should be critically examined in order to most effectively use the media for conflict prevention and peace building. There are ways the social media can assist peace building. Introduction In the past 5 years, social media websites have turned out to be ubiquitous. It gives people a whole new definition to communication and interaction. It had radically advanced and changed the way people interact. It made it easier to exchange information, and thus made it easier for people to know what is going on around them. Thus it has a huge impact on the world peace, as it is no different than other communication methods, except just that it is faster, easier to use, and more efficient. Social media, previously considered a novelty, now has more impact on the way people communicate,

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