International news today is driven by sensationalism. From conflict zones, we hear stories about killings, bombings, and the views of violent extremists. This type of coverage tends to inflame passions and perpetuate negative stereotypes, fueling distrust and violence.
Peace News Network aims to present the other side – stories from conflict zones we often don’t hear. Our stories are about people taking risks for peace. We highlight the opinions of ordinary people who want non-violent solutions to their political differences. Our stories aren't always about shootings and explosions, but they do tell you stories from war zones that hopefully go some way towards building trust and reconciliation.
Founded by Dr Babak Bahador, and launched in 2015, Peace News Network is a non-partisan, independent, news agency. We are based in Christchurch, New Zealand, and Washington D.C., USA, and Kate Roff is the founding, and current, editor.
Recognizing, and utilizing, media’s heightened role in peace-building is crucial in the current political and social climate. PNN stories can build trust and reconciliation in countries in conflict, humanizing enemy groups, opening up dialogue for peace-building, and moving audiences towards reconciliation processes. Many of our stories deal with diminishing negative stereotypes of the “other”, and on the individual impact of war, allowing PNN the capacity to investigate global issues such as attitudes towards refugees, social equality, women’s empowerment, and the impact of climate change in crisis regions. By highlighting peace-building projects that are working in conflict zones, PNN also has the ability to raise awareness of the impact of peace-building initiatives, improving public and government funding and support for peace. PNN publishes weekly video news stories, along with regular opinion pieces from leading peace analysts and researchers, and a People Choosing Peace column. Publishing via a core website and social media, PNN regularly reaches over 300,000 people and now has the largest audience for peace journalism on Facebook. The agency has received networking support from global peace-building NGOs, well-known peace scholars, and celebrity peace activists, as well as positive feedback from residents in the countries covered.
Reviews:
"When people share their experiences let others understand their situations and be able to cope up with life" - resident in Uganda
"Peace News brings the other side of the story, most especially in conflict zones, I love that people who struggle for every single human are given a platform and appreciated" - resident in South Sudan
