Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Peace journalism is an attempt at persuasive communication, usually by a social movement, to advocate in favor of ending war and violence. Journalism that advocates reforms such as social justice, the abolition of slavery, woman suffrage, and, most centrally, international peace has flourished in the United States, partly because of the press freedom the First Amendment of the US Constitution affords (→  Freedom of the Press, Concept of ). Perhaps not surprisingly, most of the research to date on peace journalism has focused on US subjects and concerns ( Roberts 1991, 1995 ). Underpinning the scholarship is a rich history of international peace movements. Several scholars have emphasized the vigor and continuity of Anglo-American efforts originating early in the nineteenth century ( Brock 1968 ; Chatfield 1971 ; Curti 1936 ; DeBenedetti & Chatfield 1990 ; Phelps 1930 ; Wittner 1969 ). Recent studies focus on modern, international peace efforts such as the post-World War II nuclear disarmament movement ( Wittner 2003 ). The research usually notes the important role of the advocacy press in promulgating ideas about peace (→  Advocacy Journalism ). Some scholarship views peace journalism as a tool of peace societies, first organized in the United States early in the nineteenth century. The Massachusetts Peace Society and the New York Peace Society formed in 1815 and the American ... log in or subscribe to read full text