African broadcast media participation in conflict resolution and peacebuilding : an examination of practices across nine countries

Abstract

This paper draws on interview data from nine African countries and explores how the broadcast media participate in conflict resolution and peacebuilding in Africa. The study found that the media’s news and current affairs programs largely contributed to the resolution of various forms of conflict, including domestic and marital disputes, community conflicts rooted in history, and political conflicts. However, political influence manifested through ownership, control, and censorship; resource limitation and the lack of expertise to provide depth and accuracy to conflict reporting – conceptualized as the PER framework – influenced how media organizations mitigated conflicts. The study further identified public education as a key strategy employed in de-escalating conflicts