AL-JAZEERA ENGLISH RESEARCH PROJECT: MEDIATING CONFLICT: AL-JAZEERA ENGLISH AND THE POSSIBILITY OF CONCILIATORY MEDIA

As one commenter noted on this blog last week, the Al-Jazeera English Research Project, in conjunction with scholars Mohammed el-Nawawy of the School of Communication at Queens University of Charlotte and Shawn Powers of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California, have analyzed the impact of media on reconciliation efforts.  Media outlets like CNN and Al-Jazeera are becoming actors in international conflict.  The increase in the number of media outlets has allowed people to choose the network that best complement their own personal opinions and beliefs.  This could reenforce pre-existing attitudes and opinions–stifling the search for common ground.  Al Jazeera English has attempted to create a forum for cross-cultural communications.  The scholarly article includes some interesting conclusions from the authors’ research:

1.  Al-Jazeera English viewers found it to function as a “conciliatory media,” which is a media that is more likely to cover contentious issues in a way that contributes to creating an environment that is more conducive to cooperation, negotiation and reconciliation.

2.  The more months viewers had been watching AJE, the less dogmatic they were in their thinking.

3.  Viewers tune into international news for affirmation rather than information.

The Common Ground Blog encourages its visitors to read the document and provide their own feedback and opinions.  How has the media hindered or helped negotiations in the past?  Has the media been instrumental in bringing people together or tearing them apart?