Constructive journalism has an important role to play both within and without conflict situations, editor Philip Lee says in the 3/2024 issue of Media Development, WACC’s quarterly journal.

Such communication can help those outside a conflict situation to better understand what is happening and increase trust by those on the inside, he observes. It is “vital to truth-telling, building trust, and helping resolve difficult and seemingly intractable challenges to sustainable peace.”

The articles in “Communication in Conflict Situations” explore the obstacles and opportunities for constructive communication in crisis zones, peace-building processes, and conflict transformation.

Contributors spotlight threats to reporting and truth in war zones, media as a contributor to peace, the need to inform the public about disaster risks, and the rise of AI-enabled disinformation and the importance of language rights in humanitarian contexts.

Profiles of community radio as a peacebuilder in Nepal and of a model for bottom-up crisis communication round out the thematic focus.

The issue also includes the introduction to the special edition of Global Information Society Watch “WSIS+20: Reimagining horizons of dignity, equity, and justice for our digital future,” a contribution to the review process of the World Summit on the Information Society.

Media Development 03/2024 is available to subscribers and WACC members. Articles in the issue include:

• Freedom of expression, and the protection of journalists in conflict situations, Peter Prove
• How the media can contribute to conflict transformation, Deutsche Welle
• 11 reasons to report on Disaster Risk Reduction, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
• What’s AI doing to information airways in conflict and crises? Helen McElhinney
• Community radios for peace building, Suman Basnet
• Communication in conflict situations, George Sahhar
• Health care for all – leave no language behind, CLEAR Global
• Digital justice: Reclaiming a radically changed context, Alan Finlay, Valeria Betancourt, and others
• On the screen: Oberhausen, Cannes, Transilvania International Film Festival, Karlovy Vary