NEW YORK | Three blocks away from the World Trade Center, 125 youth from four conflict regions around the world came together today to present a call to action to the media urging them to adhere to more rigorous standards of fair, balanced and objective reporting.
The document was presented to Her Majesty Queen Noor of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan at the closing ceremony of the six-day Seeds of Peace Breaking News, Making Headlines international youth conference.
“Accurate news is the utmost priority of responsible media,” states the declaration, which outlines the media’s responsibility and role in conflict.
“We need the media’s help outlining its responsibility and role in conflict,” say the young people from around the world who participated in the conference, adding, “The role of the media is not to tell people what to think but to tell them what to think about.”
“At a time when the news and images from the Middle East and other regions of conflict are characterized by continued violence and pessimism, the gathering of Seeds of Peace graduates today is a reminder that there can still be a different future tomorrow,” Her Majesty Queen Noor told the graduates. “And now, after a week-long conference on the media, you have learned to better understand these images and to make headlines of your own.”
Throughout the conference, Palestinian, Israeli, Egyptian, Jordanian, Indian, Pakistani, Afghan, Greek and Turkish Cypriot, Balkan and American participants were divided into 10 hands-on workshops that examined and learned about the media from top professionals in the industry. Each workshop produced projects in each of the media’s different forms including online, print, and broadcast.
The 10 workshops consisted of television, radio, photojournalism, op-ed, educational media, magazine, internet, newspaper reporting, public relations, and the declaration statement. The workshops partnered or visited leading companies and organizations including ABC News, CBS Radio, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, YM Magazine, the International Center of Photography, Ruder Finn, and Sesame Workshop.
The participants also heard from leading media professionals during the week including Christiane Amanpour, Ron Brownstein, Raghida Dergham, Marvin Kalb, Bernard Kalb, Andrea Koppel, David Letterman, Mike McCurry, David Westin and Michael Wolff.
Said Seeds of Peace President, Aaron David Miller, “These remarkable young people tomorrow’s leaders have long understood the power of the media to defuse or exacerbate conflict. This week’s media conference has now exposed them to the practical media skills required to help them shape a future based on understanding and one day on real peace.”
Since 1993, Seeds of Peace has graduated over 2,500 teenagers representing 22 nations from its internationally recognized conflict-resolution and coexistence program. Through the Seeds of Peace Camp in Maine and its Center for Coexistence in Jerusalem, participants develop empathy, respect, communication/negotiation skills, confidence, and hope the building blocks for peaceful coexistence. A jointly published newspaper, list-serve, educational conferences and seminars provide year-round follow-up programming.
For more information on Seeds of Peace or Breaking News, Making Headlines, contact Seeds of Peace.