Balanced Coverage in Practice: News Reporting of Conflict and Peace in Afghanistan

Abstract

The application of the concept of balance in news is considered to be the cornerstone of professional journalism; however, the realization of balance when covering issues of conflict raises a number of serious questions. Based on interviews and textual analysis, we seek to understand how the concept of balance is perceived by journalists working with non-governmental/private broadcast media in Afghanistan. The findings of this research show that differences exist in the way balance is perceived and applied. There are also a number of constraints in applying the concept. Furthermore, the practical application of the concept of balance reduces the complexity of the conflict by presenting only two opposing sides. Nonetheless, we argue that balance has uses for journalists in Afghanistan. The authors recommend increasing the number of sources in news stories, inclusion of non-violent groups/parties as sources, and encouraging creative ways of reporting and presenting issues of conflict and peace.

KEYWORDS:

• Afghan conflict
• media coverage of Afghan Conflict
• news reporting
• private Afghan media
• Taliban News Coverage

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Roshan Noorzai

Roshan Noorzai (PhD, Ohio University) is an Assistant Professor of Mass Communication at the American University of Sharjah. His research interests include peace and conflict studies, political communication and ICTs for development. He can be contacted at [email protected]

Claudia Hale

Claudia L. Hale (PhD, University of Illinois) is a Professor of Communication Studies at Ohio University and Director of that university’s Individual Interdisciplinary Graduate Program. She can be contacted at: [email protected]