Research Article
War and Peace Journalism: The Role of Local and International Media during the Intra-Afghan Peace Talks
Abstract
The former government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (hereinafter referred to as the Islamic Republic) and the Islamic Taliban Movement (hereinafter referred to as the Taliban) attached great deal of importance to media coverage of the intra-Afghan peace negotiations (can also be called Doha peace talks) that took place in Doha, the capital of the State of Qatar, between September 2020 and August 2021. They, for their part, claimed that the local media in particular had been taking sides and disseminating propaganda throughout the peace negotiations. This comparative case study has used mixed method to elaborate on how the local and international media covered Doha peace talks on Afghanistan. Using John Galtung’s model of peace and war journalism as its theoretical framework, this article analysed 229 stories—including news articles, roundtables, interviews, and Op-Eds—published on the English websites of TOLOnews, CNN, and Al Jazeera during the peace negotiations. Consequently, it was revealed that though the war journalism continued to be the predominant reporting approach for all selected media outlets, TOLOnews, as a local media, relatively deployed peace journalism compared to CNN and Al Jazeera, two worldwide major media outlets. Finally, it is recommended to explore why local media, despite being directly affected by the conflict, failed to adequately apply peace journalism in their coverage of the intra-Afghan peace negotiations.
References
- Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (2021, May 5). Press Release. Kabul, Afghanistan: https://safety-committee.org/224/afghan-journalists-safety-committee-ajsc-stance-on-the-remarks-by-taliban-and-government-officials
- Agreement, D. (2020). Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan Between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not Recognized by the United States as a State and is Known as the Taliban and the United States of America.
- Al Jazeera. (n.d), About us. Retrieved from: https://www.aljazeera.com/about-us
- Amin, H. (2002). Freedom as a Value in Arab Media: Perceptions and Attitudes Among Journalists. Political Communication, 19(2), 125–135.
- Aria, A., Bayan, N., & Hazeem, S. (n.d). Investigating the Impact of TOLONews TV Political and News Programs on the Political Participation of the Afghan People.
- Auzarmi, Z. K. (2024). An Analysis of Afghan Broadcast Media News Orientation Based on Galtung’s Theory: A Study of ToloNews Programs. Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 1(1), 53-67.
- Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2004), article 34.
- Elham, A. Z., Haand, R., & Sadiq, A. (2021). War and Peace Journalism: Representation of Conflict on Afghan Soil through Global Media. North American Academic Research (NAAR) Journal, 4(7), 67-83.
- Galtung, J., Fischer, D., & Fischer, D. (2013). Johan Galtung: Pioneer of Peace Research. 5. New York: Springer.
- Gowing, N. (1994). Real-time television coverage of armed conflicts and diplomatic crises: Does it pressure or distort foreign policy decisions?.
- Kuusik, N. (2010). The Role of the Media in Peace Building, Conflict Management, and Prevention. E-International Relations.
- Lynch, J., & Freear, M. (2023). Why intervention in Afghan media failed to provide support for peace talks. Frontiers in Communication, 8, 1118776.: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1118776/full
- Mahdiyar, S. (2021). Examining the Coverage of Terrorist Activities in Afghanistan's Media: A Case study of TOLOnews. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Explorer, 1(8), 90-93.
- Mahmoodi, Mohammad Qaim, et al. (2021). Analysis of War and Peace Related Photographs in Afghanistan Print Media. Journal of Peace, Development and Communication, 5(1), 40-53.
- Newman, N., & Levy, D. A. L. (2021). Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2021.
- News, A. (2021, May 5). Concerns raised after NDS chief and Taliban issue warnings to the media. Ariana News | Bringing Afghan News to the World. https://www.ariananews.af/concerns-raised-after-nds-chief-and-taliban-issue-warnings-to-the-media/
- Nijat, N. (2022). Cohesion in News Articles: A Discourse Analysis of Two News Articles from BBC and TOLO News about Overturning the Courts’ Decision for Ahmad Omar Sheikh. Aksara: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan Nonformal, 8(1), 7-18.
- Nossek, H. 2004. Our News and their News: The Role of National Identity in the Coverage of Foreign News. Journalism, 5(3), 343-368.
- Ottosen, R. (2010). The War in Afghanistan and Peace Journalism in Practice. Media, War & Conflict, 3(3), 261-278.
- Puddephatt, A. (2006). Voices of War: Conflict and the Role of the Media. Copenhagen: International Media Support.
- Radio Free Europe (2019, June 24). Taliban Warns Afghan Media Not To Air Government Ads Against Them: https://www.rferl.org/a/taliban-threaten-afghan-media-not-to-air-government-ads-against-the-militants/30016683.html
- Rahimi, A. W., Ziarmal, M. R., & Jalali, A. Q. (2021). War And Peace Journalism: Evaluating the Media Coverage of Afghan Conflicts. Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry, 12(10).
- Raiszada, S. (2020, October), Media having effective role in Afghanistan peace process & war, Kabul Times: https://thekabultimes.com/media-having-effective-role-in-afghanistan-peace-process-war/.
- Sakhawati, M. E., & Maihanyar, S. (2023). Examining the Level of Audience Satisfaction and Trust in Afghanistan News Coverage on Tolo News and BBC-Persian Televisions. No.1 Int'l JL Mgmt. & Human, 6, 1757.
- Sakr, N. (2001). Satellite Realms: Transnational Television, Globalization and the Middle East. London: I.B. Tauris
- Seib, P. (2008). The Al Jazeera Effect: How the New Global Media Are Reshaping World Politics. Washington: POTOMAC BOOKS
- Shinar, D. (2009). Can peace journalism make progress? The Coverage of the 2006 Lebanon War in Canadian and Israeli Media. International Communication Gazette, 71(6), 451-471.
- Shirky, C. (2011). The Political Power of Social Media: Technology, the Public Sphere, and Political Change. Foreign Affairs, 90, 28-41.
- Siraj, S. A. (2008). War or Peace Journalism in Elite US Newspapers: Exploring News Framing in Pakistan-India Conflict. Strategic Studies, 28(1), 194-222.
- Telhami, S. (2023). Al Jazeera: The Most-Feared News Network. Brookings: Al Jazeera: Why It’s the Most-Feared News Network.
- Thussu, D. K. (2007). News as Entertainment: The Rise of Global Infotainment. London: Sage Publications.
- Wang, Y. (2022, January). A Review on War and Peace Journalism Paradigm. In 2021 International Conference on Social Development and Media Communication (SDMC 2021), 1065-1070, Atlantis Press.
- بیوک، حسین (1399)، رسانهها و هیاهو برای طالبان، سلام وطندار: https://swn.af/media-and-hype-for-the-taliban/ .
Savaş ve Barış Gazeteciliği: Afganistan Barış Görüşmeleri Sürecinde Yerel ve Uluslararası Medyanın Rolü
Abstract
The former government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (hereinafter referred to as the Islamic Republic) and the Islamic Taliban Movement (hereinafter referred to as the Taliban) attached great deal of importance to media coverage of the intra-Afghan peace negotiations (can also be called Doha peace talks) that took place in Doha, the capital of the State of Qatar, between September 2020 and August 2021. They, for their part, claimed that the local media in particular had been taking sides and disseminating propaganda throughout the peace negotiations. This comparative case study has used mixed method to elaborate on how the local and international media covered Doha peace talks on Afghanistan. Using John Galtung’s model of peace and war journalism as its theoretical framework, this article analysed 229 stories—including news articles, roundtables, interviews, and Op-Eds—published on the English websites of TOLOnews, CNN, and Al Jazeera during the peace negotiations. Consequently, it was revealed that though the war journalism continued to be the predominant reporting approach for all selected media outlets, TOLOnews, as a local media, relatively deployed peace journalism compared to CNN and Al Jazeera, two worldwide major media outlets. Finally, it is recommended to explore why local media, despite being directly affected by the conflict, failed to adequately apply peace journalism in their coverage of the intra-Afghan peace negotiations.
References
- Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (2021, May 5). Press Release. Kabul, Afghanistan: https://safety-committee.org/224/afghan-journalists-safety-committee-ajsc-stance-on-the-remarks-by-taliban-and-government-officials
- Agreement, D. (2020). Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan Between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not Recognized by the United States as a State and is Known as the Taliban and the United States of America.
- Al Jazeera. (n.d), About us. Retrieved from: https://www.aljazeera.com/about-us
- Amin, H. (2002). Freedom as a Value in Arab Media: Perceptions and Attitudes Among Journalists. Political Communication, 19(2), 125–135.
- Aria, A., Bayan, N., & Hazeem, S. (n.d). Investigating the Impact of TOLONews TV Political and News Programs on the Political Participation of the Afghan People.
- Auzarmi, Z. K. (2024). An Analysis of Afghan Broadcast Media News Orientation Based on Galtung’s Theory: A Study of ToloNews Programs. Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 1(1), 53-67.
- Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2004), article 34.
- Elham, A. Z., Haand, R., & Sadiq, A. (2021). War and Peace Journalism: Representation of Conflict on Afghan Soil through Global Media. North American Academic Research (NAAR) Journal, 4(7), 67-83.
- Galtung, J., Fischer, D., & Fischer, D. (2013). Johan Galtung: Pioneer of Peace Research. 5. New York: Springer.
- Gowing, N. (1994). Real-time television coverage of armed conflicts and diplomatic crises: Does it pressure or distort foreign policy decisions?.
- Kuusik, N. (2010). The Role of the Media in Peace Building, Conflict Management, and Prevention. E-International Relations.
- Lynch, J., & Freear, M. (2023). Why intervention in Afghan media failed to provide support for peace talks. Frontiers in Communication, 8, 1118776.: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1118776/full
- Mahdiyar, S. (2021). Examining the Coverage of Terrorist Activities in Afghanistan's Media: A Case study of TOLOnews. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Explorer, 1(8), 90-93.
- Mahmoodi, Mohammad Qaim, et al. (2021). Analysis of War and Peace Related Photographs in Afghanistan Print Media. Journal of Peace, Development and Communication, 5(1), 40-53.
- Newman, N., & Levy, D. A. L. (2021). Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2021.
- News, A. (2021, May 5). Concerns raised after NDS chief and Taliban issue warnings to the media. Ariana News | Bringing Afghan News to the World. https://www.ariananews.af/concerns-raised-after-nds-chief-and-taliban-issue-warnings-to-the-media/
- Nijat, N. (2022). Cohesion in News Articles: A Discourse Analysis of Two News Articles from BBC and TOLO News about Overturning the Courts’ Decision for Ahmad Omar Sheikh. Aksara: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan Nonformal, 8(1), 7-18.
- Nossek, H. 2004. Our News and their News: The Role of National Identity in the Coverage of Foreign News. Journalism, 5(3), 343-368.
- Ottosen, R. (2010). The War in Afghanistan and Peace Journalism in Practice. Media, War & Conflict, 3(3), 261-278.
- Puddephatt, A. (2006). Voices of War: Conflict and the Role of the Media. Copenhagen: International Media Support.
- Radio Free Europe (2019, June 24). Taliban Warns Afghan Media Not To Air Government Ads Against Them: https://www.rferl.org/a/taliban-threaten-afghan-media-not-to-air-government-ads-against-the-militants/30016683.html
- Rahimi, A. W., Ziarmal, M. R., & Jalali, A. Q. (2021). War And Peace Journalism: Evaluating the Media Coverage of Afghan Conflicts. Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry, 12(10).
- Raiszada, S. (2020, October), Media having effective role in Afghanistan peace process & war, Kabul Times: https://thekabultimes.com/media-having-effective-role-in-afghanistan-peace-process-war/.
- Sakhawati, M. E., & Maihanyar, S. (2023). Examining the Level of Audience Satisfaction and Trust in Afghanistan News Coverage on Tolo News and BBC-Persian Televisions. No.1 Int'l JL Mgmt. & Human, 6, 1757.
- Sakr, N. (2001). Satellite Realms: Transnational Television, Globalization and the Middle East. London: I.B. Tauris
- Seib, P. (2008). The Al Jazeera Effect: How the New Global Media Are Reshaping World Politics. Washington: POTOMAC BOOKS
- Shinar, D. (2009). Can peace journalism make progress? The Coverage of the 2006 Lebanon War in Canadian and Israeli Media. International Communication Gazette, 71(6), 451-471.
- Shirky, C. (2011). The Political Power of Social Media: Technology, the Public Sphere, and Political Change. Foreign Affairs, 90, 28-41.
- Siraj, S. A. (2008). War or Peace Journalism in Elite US Newspapers: Exploring News Framing in Pakistan-India Conflict. Strategic Studies, 28(1), 194-222.
- Telhami, S. (2023). Al Jazeera: The Most-Feared News Network. Brookings: Al Jazeera: Why It’s the Most-Feared News Network.
- Thussu, D. K. (2007). News as Entertainment: The Rise of Global Infotainment. London: Sage Publications.
- Wang, Y. (2022, January). A Review on War and Peace Journalism Paradigm. In 2021 International Conference on Social Development and Media Communication (SDMC 2021), 1065-1070, Atlantis Press.
- بیوک، حسین (1399)، رسانهها و هیاهو برای طالبان، سلام وطندار: https://swn.af/media-and-hype-for-the-taliban/ .
There are 33 citations in total.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Conflict Resolution |
| Journal Section | Research Articles |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | June 30, 2025 |
| Submission Date | January 30, 2025 |
| Acceptance Date | March 11, 2025 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2025 Volume: 4 Issue: 1 |
