Peace journalism

The dilemma between war and peace has often created continuous debates among many people even though their countries are not involved in the act of war. What they see on television or read on the Internet and in the newspapers are enough to incite emotions and feelings. Some took to the streets and joined street demonstrators who demonstrate against the act of aggression and war in certain countries. While others, would be glued to the television or the Internet, following minute details on the act of war and silently condemning the perpetrators of war. There are also groups of individuals who are indifferent to what is happening around them. In other words, people react to war news in many ways. Moreover with the potential of the mass media to provide neutral and objective reporting of war and peace, one may ask, how do the media perform in times of conflicts and war. Based on a survey of the Malaysian audience, this paper tries to dwell into how the people of a non-warring country like Malaysia, perceives the act of war. To what extent do they see the role of the media in propagating peace and how do they conceptualise the notion of Peace Journalism.