Northern Ireland and the Media’s Failure to Highlight Non-Violent Conflict Resolution

By Brigitte L. Nacos
After decades of violent and often lethal sectarian conflict during which the people of Northern Ireland suffered through many “black” days, Monday of this week signaled finally hope for a peaceful future. When Ian Paisley, the hard-line leader of the Protestant Democratic Unionist Party, and Gerry Adams, a former “soldier” in the Irish Republican Army and leader of the largest Catholic Party Sinn Fein, sat down at the same table and agreed to form a coalition government, it was a triumph for non-violent conflict resolution whatever difficulties remain on the road to a lasting peace. Although the agreement was truly historic, had its roots in a peace initiative by the Clinton administration, and was certainly not only of interest to Irish-Americans, it did not get the news attention it deserved in the United States. Thus, on Monday night, ABC’s World News devoted 71 words, NBC’s Nightly News 69 words, and the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric not a single word to what Williams called “a history-making power-sharing deal.” Leading newspapers did report more extensively—but not in major front page stories either. An article in yesterday's Washington Post about the need for a brokered peace in Iraq refers to the example of Northern   Ireland. And some bloggers raised the question whether a lesson can be learned from the Northern Ireland example in Israel.

Had the television networks and much of the print press just devoted a fraction of the coverage they waste on highlighting the saga of Anna Nicole Smith, the escapades of Britney Spears, or even the health problems of public figures, they would have presented their still largest audiences with important public affairs information that transcends the case of Northern Ireland. If the seemingly unthinkable can become reality in Northern Ireland—not because of terrorism but rather as the result of non-violent efforts, if seemingly uncompromising sides finally can agree to work within the political process, the agreement of last Monday might be helpful in conflict resolution efforts elsewhere. Both Catholic and Protestant extremists recognized finally that violence and uncompromising positions had not brought their respective sides closer to their objectives. This, ultimately, brought them to sit at the same table. In a world of increasing and unspeakable violence, this was a bright development indeed.

But non-violent approaches and successes are not the stuff for today’s breaking news. Violence trumps non-violence most of the time, even all the time. Tidbits of celebrities—even though these people are often the creation of the media—trump hard news. Thus the media elite does not ask or encourage their audiences to wonder to what extent the developments in Northern Ireland offer a model that might be utilized in and adapted to other conflict resolutions. There are plenty of conflicts in which terrorism has hardened the parties involved and non-violent options did not work so far that deserve nevertheless more tries. Think of the Basque separatists of ETA and the Spanish government; the Tamil Tigers and the government of Sri Lanka, the Chechen separatist and the Russian government, the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, and even the differences between the warring factions in Iraq.

Comments

[Linc]

Hi all. The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.
I am from Marino and now teach English, tell me right I wrote the following sentence: "and select major cities on the west coast."

With best wishes :p, Linc.

[Brigitte]

John: Unfortunately, the suppliers of news are not challenged, or not challenged enough, by those who receive the news. While fully aware that media organizations are businesses and want to make a profit, I also know that there was a time when the three TV networks made efforts to present news in the public interest--tried to inform citizens by emphasizing public affairs news. Today--these and other major news organizations serve the "news consumer" using focus groups and surveys to find the lowest common denominator. Unless more of us demand "hard" news rather than "soft" infotainment, the downhill slide will continue.

[John Burkitt]

Thanks, again, Brigitte for a thought-provoking blog. The "dumbing down" of the media, esp. TV, is sad. The so-called news programs are polluted with pop culture instead of hard news. As an Irish-American here in San Francisco I spoke out against the city hiring IRS terrorist fugitives and lost some "friends".