The role of the media in facilitating peace in post-conflict societies : an analysis of how it may affect the state building process in Libya

Abstract

Media can facilitate peace in post-conflict societies if used constructively, and it can also contribute towards state and nation building. This dissertation examines how the media may play a positive role in the peace process and the resulting process of building a nation state. Libya was used as a case study in order to analyse whether this relationship between a positive media and peace could be observed in the existing political situation, as Libya is emerging out of a conflict. This dissertation argues that in Libya there is little evidence of a free media system that could facilitate peace. Instead the Libyan media system is controlled by politics, side by side with an interminable peace process. The presence of this obstructive media contributes to an increase in violence by spewing misinformation, fuelling hate speech and decrying the peace process. Journalists are not capable of reporting objectively because they fear reprisals from militias. Further research will have to analyse whether current efforts to create a constructive media will result in more tolerant attitudes. However the validity of this hypothesis is proven by the fact that these efforts do follow the ideas of peace journalism. For instance, the Libyan Cloud News Agency was recently set up, specifically to provide objective reporting. The main conclusion of this dissertation was that, although one institution can have a positive effect, for a constructive media system to truly exist in Libya, a host of other factors have to be simultaneously developed. A strong state needs to be established, which can provide stability and the Libyan economy needs to recover, to provide advertising revenue for an independent press. Lastly, an effective legal system needs to be created, so that people will have recourse for justice, instead of the law of the jungle which pervades Libya at the moment.