Reporting in the Aftermath of Conflict

Part 1 of a 4 Part series called, After War: Learning from Past Conflicts
Panelists:
Nora Boustany, award-winning correspondent and media studies instructor at
the American University of Beirut
Janine di Giovanni, CEO/executive director of the Reckoning Project
Elana Newman, McFarlin professor of psychology at the University of Tulsa
Moderator Bruce Shapiro, executive director of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, explored during a lively discussion at Columbia University.
What shape does journalism take in the aftermath of conflict? After the day-to-day reporting on war is over, new challenges and grave responsibilities emerge, from relaying the steps of postwar accountability and peace processes to unveiling the realities of social trauma and recovery.
This moderated panel delved into the complex landscape of post-conflict reporting, addressing critical sets of issues faced by journalists in these circumstances where issues of reconciliation, rebuilding, and the enduring impact on communities require careful and ethical reporting. Panelists examined the support structures and tools needed to ensure the well-being of journalists, as well as the ethical considerations surrounding their duty to report and issues related to personal safety and mental health. They also underscored the significance of investigative reporting as a cornerstone for fostering transparency in post-conflict societies.
Hear our panelists' firsthand experience in conflicts in the Balkans, Middle East and Northern Ireland as they deliberate on ethical considerations for reporters covering post-war situations. Together, they explored how journalism can not only inform but must promote understanding and empathy, contributing to reconciliation and rebuilding in the months and years to come. This discussion aims to learn from the past by drawing on lessons to shape the future of responsible and impactful post-conflict reporting.
00:44 Paige Arthur, Director of Global Programming at Columbia Global remarks on the importance of ethical reporting in conflict’s aftermath.
11:17 Moderator Bruce Shapiro, executive director of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, introduces the panelists: Nora Boustany, award-winning correspondent and media studies instructor at AUB, Janine di Giovanni, CEO/executive director of the Reckoning Project, and Elana Newman, McFarlin professor of psychology at the University of Tulsa.
15:26 Nora Boustany describes journalists as “first responders” whose job post-conflict is to give voice to the dispossessed to re-affirm their personhood.
22:26 Nora Boustany discusses how her identity as a Lebanese Christian woman affects her reporting.
25:58 Elana Newman breaks down the tension between the desire to analyze and share traumatic experiences and the desire to forget and move on.
33:37 Janine di Giovanni describes how justice and accountability can be used as metrics to judge the outcome of a war.
44:07 Nora Boustany walks us through her experience speaking with preparators of violence in post-war Lebanon and how reporting can provide a vehicle for healing and remorse.
50:49 Janine di Giovanni discusses how the Reckoning Project is meant to facilitate justice and accountability for actors and individuals overlooked by a slow-moving and underpowered world court system.
1:00:37 Nora Boustany emphasizes the importance of teaching journalists how to protect themselves.
1:04:54 Janine di Giovanni, Nora Boustany, and Bruce Shapiro consider how to center accountability in one’s reporting.
1:12:23 Elana Newman, Nora Boustany, Janine di Giovanni describe facing the emotional toll of war reporting.
1:17:11 Janine di Giovanni, Nora Boustany and Bruce Shapiro discuss the debt owed by journalists to their sources.
1:23:32 Janine di Giovanni considers how to balance the narratives of perpetrator and victim against one another.
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