Culture – Media forum on “Peace Journalism” held by HWPL NGO in France with the participation of 176 reporters
As the world has suffered from the continuous threat of terrors and wars due to religious or ethical conflicts, journalists, students, and citizens gathered in media forum under the theme of ‘What is the Peace Journalism?’.
The forum, organized by an international peace NGO called Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), was held at the Hôtel CIS Paris Ravel in Paris on June 22nd.
In commemoration of the 230th Bastille’s Day coming up next month, the forum had an open discussion between the journalists and the citizen about the role of the media and journalists for the realization of peace.
As discussed by the former BBC anchor Jake Lynch and Johan Galtung who expressed the concern that reports regarding violence take larger parts than reports regarding peace among internationally-interested news, peace journalism stresses that if the press put more weight on the peace-oriented perspective when it reports on the conflicted area, news audience would have a balanced view of the world, not a distorted view.
Ralph Sittie, a producer of Novart Production in France, said “Journalists have the influence to plant concept into the people either to build or to destroy so we as journalists need to be aware of our influence and tell the truth to the world without fear. The media should urge to stop the murder and weapons production caused by the war or conflict, and encourage a culture of peace through the Peace Journalism.”
Peace forums by HWPL have been held 40 times since November 2016 to facilitate peace journalism and peace-related news coverage with 176 journalists from 22 countries.
According to HWPL, this voluntary discussion to seek freedom and responsibility of journalism will be further developed as a media network for peacebuilding.
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