AMED – Journalist Emma DeSouza, who has closely followed the conflict and peace process in Northern Ireland, emphasised the critical role of the media in the peace process, stating: “The media is also part of explaining what peace is. Ensuring that the language used is appropriate for peace will make a significant contribution to peace.”

 

The launch of the Peace and Democratic Society Process has increased interest in experiences where conflicts have been resolved through peace. Foremost among these is the peace agreement known as the "Good Friday Agreement", which brought an end to the conflict between the UK and the IRA. 

 

In Ireland, which was under British rule, the Irish Republican Army (IRA), established by the Catholic minority, launched an armed struggle against the British administration in 1960. Thus began the long-standing conflicts against the British, which the Irish refer to as “The Troubles”. 

 

During the conflict, 3,700 people lost their lives, including over 2,000 civilians, more than 1,000 British security personnel and over 500 IRA members. A further 50,000 people from both sides were injured in the conflict. During this period, it is estimated that 500,000 people were affected by the conflict; for Northern Ireland, a tiny community of 1.5 million, these figures represent a significant toll. 

 

Following the severe devastation, the process leading to the end of the conflict began in 1994. Although intermittent talks took place between the IRA and the British government, the path towards the peace process was formally initiated in 1994. On a Friday in April 1998, the peace agreement, known as the “Good Friday Agreement”, was signed with the participation of all parties. Under the agreement, separate committees were established to address various issues. The most significant issues were disarmament, prisoners and the formation of police forces. 

 

THE LANGUAGE OF THE MEDIA

 

Emma DeSouza, a journalist who closely followed the conflict in Ireland, the end of the fighting and the peace agreement, stated that the language used by the media is important in peace processes. Emma DeSouza said: "Media has a really critical role in any peace process because it is essentially the vehicle through which the public is going to be able to get their information. Now, in the Good Friday Agreement, the media was an essential source of providing factual, unbiased information. The context today is very different from 1998 because now you're operating in a very different environment for the media, with social media, AI, and also, I think, perhaps a shift towards more divisive media landscapes, and that makes it much more difficult for the media to operate.”

 

Noting that the media must convey accurate information during peace processes, she said: “The role of the media in an active peace process is also to ensure that contentious issues, or issues that the government is trying to see not addressed, are kept visible, and ensuring that actual people's lived experiences, and victims, and those who are more vulnerable, are kept visible in that process.”

 

Noting that media with opposing views must come together to create a plan for building peace, Emma DeSouza stated, "When it comes to trying to get the media to cooperate, what you do is engage in back-channel communications, where you can create a safe space for journalists working in these different areas to meet without cameras or visibility. It's not on social media, it's not public, but you try to create personal relationships and find common struggles, common issues, and where people want to work together. You build that relationship first and then try to find cooperation. I think that the role of the media during the peace process was to create a safe space for people to meet and communicate with each other."

 

DIGITAL MEDIA AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

 

Highlighting the press’s significant role in peace-building, Emma DeSouza said, "In the Northern Ireland example, the media played an effective role. When we look at the different media organisations on either side—for example, the language and word choices used by the BBC on the English side or regional television stations in Northern Ireland—it is possible to see this influence. However, independent media subsequently played a very important role, and it was observed that this disparity gradually diminished. At that time, there was no social media or artificial intelligence. There was only television, the written press and radio. So we are talking about a very different media environment.”

 

'THE PRESS MUST EXPLAIN PEACE TO SOCIETY'

 

Noting that peace can be built by the press explaining it to society, Emma DeSouza said, "Explaining what peace is also falls within the media’s remit. It must be explained how peace affects our lives, how it impacts people socio-economically, and what kind of effects it can create. In short, the media is also part of explaining what peace is. Ensuring that the language used is appropriate for the language of peace will make a significant contribution to peace.”

 

MA / Fethi Balaman