Assessment of the Role of Media in Conflict-a Case of South Sudan Conflict 2012 -2019

Abstract

With key focus on assessment of the role of media in conflict, a case of South Sudan, this study sought to examine the role played by media in South Sudan conflict, examine the link between media, conflict in south Sudan and investigate the impact of media on South Sudan conflict The gravity of the conflict attracted the attention of both the local and international media coverage. News coverage by many media outlets mostly documented the atrocities that were taking place all over the country. Events were aired of rebel forces engaging in battle, families being attacked and massacred, and the mass burial of victims. Media reporting was however not only restricted to the coverage of atrocities but also actively involved the reporting of the ongoing peace talks and the several attempts made at attracting leaders to the negotiation table. Accusations however have been made by observers that the way the media covered events of the conflict played a critical role in fanning the conflict as well as in helping extinguish it. It is these accusations against the media that therefore informs the basis of this research thus giving impetus to the study; Assessment of the role of media in conflict. A case of the South Sudan conflict. . The study relied on social responsibility theory as the analytical tool of the study. The study has found that when South Sudan was drawn into a protracted violent conflict in late 2013, the need for information regarding the conflict automatically attracted media attention not only at the local level, but at international level. Different mediums were utilized in reporting and circulating news pertaining to the conflict. Several newsworthy events took place during the conflict and attracted the coverage media. The newsworthy events included the eruption of violence and armed clashes, the emergence of a humanitarian crisis, and the holding of negotiations leading to the signing of peace agreements. The study has found that there is a lot of impartiality and imbalance in reporting conflict news, whereby it’s challenging to present news from a balanced point of view when challenging the authorities. This is evidenced by threats by the government of South Sudan to arrest or kill journalists reporting for the opposition. Lack of media freedom is a gateway to misinformation, and the public is likely to form judgments based on unverifiable facts. In South Sudan, the media has greatly been used as a vehicle for violence and conflict. It should be noted that the media alone does not cause conflict actively, but its interaction with other forces can spark a conflict. Media practitioners on old media channels such as the radio, TVs, and newspapers reported the conflict on partisan lines. Those working for the government presented the news in favor of the government while accusing the opposition media of misinforming the public. The media was also noted to have facilitated the use of hate speech and inflammatory language by both of the warring forces in online and offline forums to target communities and individuals based on their political views, perceived beliefs, and their ethnicity. Through the various means of communication, that is, social media exchanges, images, SMS messages, threatening letters, and cartoons, hate speech and inflammatory language was sometimes marked with rhetoric bordering on xenophobia which fuelled a climate of fear, mistrust, and violence among the ethnic groups.