Exploring peace journalism practices for conflict prevention in Rwanda: The case study of Pax Press initiative

Abstract

This research focuses on media practices related to Peace Journalism in preventing and transforming conflict in post-genocide Rwanda. It has as a case study the Pax Press, a local organization that provides practical and professional skills in regards to Peace Journalism promotion. Its two specific objectives are to assess how the media professionals in Rwanda comply with peace journalism practices and to identify the challenges that hinder the media sector to improve in order to contribute to conflict prevention and transformation. The researcher uses the qualitative approach to conduct this study, notably collecting data using interview guides and interpreting the data that are categorized by themes. The research sample consists of 15 journalists from all types of media outlets and who have the work experience at national and international levels. The findings reveal that by complying with peace journalism practices, the journalists who are members or partners of Pax Press contribute to conflict prevention and transformation through community debates, news reporting and talk shows. At the same time they work more professionally than before. They have their own guiding principles they abide to in dealing with conflict situations in rural areas where they are encouraged to cover stories from. The research has also identified three types of challenges that affect the profession of journalism in Rwanda and constitute a danger to the future of Peace Journalism. They are related to financial resources, to the regulation of the media sector where there is a lack of clear media law that protects the profession from being open to non trained people, and violation of the media code of ethics, expressed through behaviors that lead them into what has been labeled in this research as confrontational and suicidal journalisms. However there are some other media journalists who practice what peace journalism scholars call accidental peace journalism and this is actually dictated by the editorial line of their media houses, or the general political line of the country which promotes unity and reconciliation among Rwandans.