Posted at 10/14/2011 6:32 PM | Updated as of 10/14/2011 6:32 PM
New media and the democratization of the Internet gives
“marginalized” people a new battleground and potential parity with
state-controlled or influenced media in the realm of hearts and minds.
Digital media, however, is also under siege by interest groups and
propagandists, who stir up already volatile socio-political landscape in
many countries.
At the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) conference on Reporting on Violence and Emergencies, Pinpaka Ngamson, news editor of the Thai website, Prachtai.com, acknowledged how Thai news organizations earned the ire of Red Shirt protesters in 2010 for perceived bias.
The Red Shirt protests stemmed from the ouster of the populist Thai Premier Thaksin Shinawatra on charges of corruption and the successful effort by a coalition of middle- and upper-class politicians and groups, with strong military and royalty support, to destabilize the Thaksin-allied successor government elected with a huge margin.
The Red Shirts fought back with mass protests despite a government crackdown. The summer of rage led to a dramatic rise in the use of social media to complement and fuel street protests, according to Ngamson.
Lese Majesty
Digital media “opens up space to marginalized people,” Ngamson said, noting that Facebook and Twitter became main platforms of expression for Red Shirts in the face of government censorship and media self-censorship.
When new organizations accused the Red Shirts of being violent, the pro-Thaksin forces flooded social media with photographs showing unarmed protesters. To bypass the filters of mainstream media, the Red Shirts used Youtube and Facebook pages to stream their protests, allowing a national and global audience to watch first hand.
Thailand’s Lese Majesty law, which punishes “defamation” of royalty – and has since come to include anti-state pronouncements – has seen cases jump from a mere four or five a year to 400 from January 2006 to May 11.
While social media provides an alternative platform for free expression, Ngamson said the Thai government has encouraged cyber-scouts -- citizens and government personnel who troll Facebook and report potential violations of the lese majesty law to authorities.
“There is plenty of witch-hunting,” the Thai journalist said, adding that she refrains from sharing other people’s status updates because her news site has regular fans monitoring for any development that could fall under the purview of the lese majesty law.
Interest groups
But social media also brings challenges to reportage, Ngamson acknowledges. Interest groups will always complain about coverage seen as critical. They will also report events from their own perspective.
This is where professional journalists are needed to provide a more comprehensive, balanced story. When journalists abdicate their duty to have various voices heard, they add to polarization and encourage the spread of alternative news outlets that provide only one side of a conflict.
With the development of mobile communications technology, citizen journalists can fill the vacuum in reportage. But Ngamson noted that most new media lack the proper narrative background.
Operating beyond the ethical and professional standards demanded of journalists, citizen journalists may frame events in inflammatory terms, thus worsening conflicts.
Citizen journalism may complicate lives for professional journalists, said Philippe Stoll, ICRC public relations officer for East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, of social media. ““Someone’s tool becomes everyone’s tool. People have their own agenda and way of looking at things.”
Stoll pointed out how the ICRC’s Facebook page became a battleground for pro- and anti-government forces in Syria.
Stoll also mentioned the experience in Haiti of humanitarian groups, who were criticized for acting too slowly in reconstruction.
“The level of frustration was understandable. I’m sure there were problems… but critics did not take account of huge problem of land ownership… All documents were lost during the earthquake and it was very hard to verify,” which made for slow release of reconstruction funds.
Balancing act
Yuli Ismartono, deputy chief editor of the Indonesian magazine, Tempo, stressed the importance of staying independent from all forces in a conflict. That could be a great challenge for local journalists covering events that affect their own families and media groups should work together to help colleagues sort through ethical minefields.
On the one hand, one cannot be detached from events. On the other, partisanship could lead to tragic results when journalists fail to provide a balance to interest groups. In Ambon, an Indonesian province, a once harmonious press community splintered into religious lines, Ismartono pointed out.
With many key political actors prone to posturing and belligerent words and actions, journalists are also confronted by an ethical dilemma. Do they shrug off the consequences of reportage that could further inflame tensions? When does caution turn into self-censorship?
“To have to choose between humanity and professionalism,” is a situation faced by many journalists reporting on conflict. There are no clear answers. Perhaps, it shouldn’t be an either or situation. When professionalism becomes synonymous to humane behavior, media may start becoming part of the solution without having to give up its observer status.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/insights/10/14/11/citizen-journ-and-conflict
At the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) conference on Reporting on Violence and Emergencies, Pinpaka Ngamson, news editor of the Thai website, Prachtai.com, acknowledged how Thai news organizations earned the ire of Red Shirt protesters in 2010 for perceived bias.
The Red Shirt protests stemmed from the ouster of the populist Thai Premier Thaksin Shinawatra on charges of corruption and the successful effort by a coalition of middle- and upper-class politicians and groups, with strong military and royalty support, to destabilize the Thaksin-allied successor government elected with a huge margin.
The Red Shirts fought back with mass protests despite a government crackdown. The summer of rage led to a dramatic rise in the use of social media to complement and fuel street protests, according to Ngamson.
Lese Majesty
Digital media “opens up space to marginalized people,” Ngamson said, noting that Facebook and Twitter became main platforms of expression for Red Shirts in the face of government censorship and media self-censorship.
When new organizations accused the Red Shirts of being violent, the pro-Thaksin forces flooded social media with photographs showing unarmed protesters. To bypass the filters of mainstream media, the Red Shirts used Youtube and Facebook pages to stream their protests, allowing a national and global audience to watch first hand.
Thailand’s Lese Majesty law, which punishes “defamation” of royalty – and has since come to include anti-state pronouncements – has seen cases jump from a mere four or five a year to 400 from January 2006 to May 11.
While social media provides an alternative platform for free expression, Ngamson said the Thai government has encouraged cyber-scouts -- citizens and government personnel who troll Facebook and report potential violations of the lese majesty law to authorities.
“There is plenty of witch-hunting,” the Thai journalist said, adding that she refrains from sharing other people’s status updates because her news site has regular fans monitoring for any development that could fall under the purview of the lese majesty law.
Interest groups
But social media also brings challenges to reportage, Ngamson acknowledges. Interest groups will always complain about coverage seen as critical. They will also report events from their own perspective.
This is where professional journalists are needed to provide a more comprehensive, balanced story. When journalists abdicate their duty to have various voices heard, they add to polarization and encourage the spread of alternative news outlets that provide only one side of a conflict.
With the development of mobile communications technology, citizen journalists can fill the vacuum in reportage. But Ngamson noted that most new media lack the proper narrative background.
Operating beyond the ethical and professional standards demanded of journalists, citizen journalists may frame events in inflammatory terms, thus worsening conflicts.
Citizen journalism may complicate lives for professional journalists, said Philippe Stoll, ICRC public relations officer for East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, of social media. ““Someone’s tool becomes everyone’s tool. People have their own agenda and way of looking at things.”
Stoll pointed out how the ICRC’s Facebook page became a battleground for pro- and anti-government forces in Syria.
Stoll also mentioned the experience in Haiti of humanitarian groups, who were criticized for acting too slowly in reconstruction.
“The level of frustration was understandable. I’m sure there were problems… but critics did not take account of huge problem of land ownership… All documents were lost during the earthquake and it was very hard to verify,” which made for slow release of reconstruction funds.
Balancing act
Yuli Ismartono, deputy chief editor of the Indonesian magazine, Tempo, stressed the importance of staying independent from all forces in a conflict. That could be a great challenge for local journalists covering events that affect their own families and media groups should work together to help colleagues sort through ethical minefields.
On the one hand, one cannot be detached from events. On the other, partisanship could lead to tragic results when journalists fail to provide a balance to interest groups. In Ambon, an Indonesian province, a once harmonious press community splintered into religious lines, Ismartono pointed out.
With many key political actors prone to posturing and belligerent words and actions, journalists are also confronted by an ethical dilemma. Do they shrug off the consequences of reportage that could further inflame tensions? When does caution turn into self-censorship?
“To have to choose between humanity and professionalism,” is a situation faced by many journalists reporting on conflict. There are no clear answers. Perhaps, it shouldn’t be an either or situation. When professionalism becomes synonymous to humane behavior, media may start becoming part of the solution without having to give up its observer status.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/insights/10/14/11/citizen-journ-and-conflict
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