Constructive Conflict Coverage

„There is an urgent need to work toward a process of greater social openness in order to be able to learn something about the reality before it is set in concrete, in order to recognize facts before they are interpreted“ (Ignacio Martin-Baró, 1991). The contribution which journalists can make to such a process of greater social openness is central to the present training book, which puts three mutually-supportive topical complexes at the center of journalistic training: the transmission of theoretical knowledge of the social-psychological mechanisms involved in an escalation-oriented construction of reality, the application of this knowledge to sensitize journalists and the audience to the escalation-oriented perceptual distortions typical of conventional conflict reportage and the development of writing techniques which will enable journalists to report the facts without interpreting them in advance in an escalation-oriented manner. The book is unique in its combination of theoretical argumentation, empirical analysis and practical training offerings which are presented on the accompanying CD-ROM in the form of electronic teaching and learning material.