Middle East media to visit to understand conflict reporting in Northern Ireland 11/03/2011

Middle East media visit to understand conflict reporting in Northern Ireland

11 March 2011

For Immediate Release:

Middle East journalists arrive in Belfast today to understand reporting in conflict zones from journalists who have reported on the ‘Troubles’ here, among them former BBC security correspondent Barney Rowan.  Hosted by the Irish Peace Centres, a delegation of thirty three journalists from Israel and Palestine will look at how the media in Northern Ireland has portrayed both sides of the community during the conflict. 

The five day visit will give the Middle East journalists the opportunity to understand the relationships between the media and communities throughout the conflict.  Leaders from Republican and Loyalist groups will offer a view from the perspective of the ‘other.’  Former UVF political prisoner and Irish Peace Centres fieldworker, Alastair Little will facilitate dialogue between both communities and the journalists.  The journalists will hear about the impact of media reporting on the community who feel disenfranchised and fall prey to reporting that has failed to show an understanding of the community background.

Irish Peace Centres (IPC) is a consortium of peace-building organisations located across the island of Ireland.  It seeks to cultivate and sustain positive relationships at a local level across the region and across traditional sectarian and new social divides.  The consortium is managed by Co-operation Ireland, in partnership with Corrymeela Community and Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation.  The consortium adopts an integrated approach to peace-building which comprises capturing and sharing the learning of peace-building interventions; interface community dialogue; development of sustainable peace networks; exploring faith and peace; research studies; strategic interventions at local and regional levels; and international exchanges.  The Irish Peace Centres project is funded through the EU Peace III programme.

Peter Sheridan, CEO of Co-operation Ireland, Chair of Irish Peace Centres and former Assistant Chief Constable of the RUC/PSNI said: “Irish Peace Centres is delighted to host this delegation of journalists from the Middle East.  The media have a crucial role to play in peace-building to the extent where they can become a core theme in the efforts to bridge intra-group and inter-group conflict.  We hope that these journalists will use this opportunity to learn from their counterparts here in Northern Ireland and engage in dialogue with the other community in the Middle East to understand the weight of their words and how reporting can have a massive positive or negative impact on communities in a post-conflict or transitional zone.”

Through a series of reflective dialogue workshops, the journalists will explore how they can develop a strong working relationship with their colleagues on the ‘other’ side and will learn from the questions that journalists in Northern Ireland ask themselves when reporting on difficult and sensitive questions.

 Ends

Notes to Editor:

1.       The Irish Peace Centres is a consortium of three peace-building organisations, led by Cooperation Ireland, in partnership with Corrymeela Community and Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation. 

2.       The peace building and reconciliation activities of Irish Peace Centres aim to develop positive and sustainable relationships through integrated action, shared learning and creative co-operation.  The range of methodologies and activities adopted by Irish Peace Centres aim to build the capacity of groups and individuals, and empower them to embed their learning and shared understanding in a community context. 

3.       The journalists from the Middle East have come in equal number from Israel and Palestine and are actively working in areas of heightened conflict and at a grassroots level.

4.       Contact:

Bronagh Sharpe

Communications Officer, Irish Peace Centres

Co-operation Ireland, Linfield Road, Belfast

Direct Line: (028) 90891025

Mobile: 07872 816661

Email: bsharpecooperationireland.org