media and conflict in myanmar: opportunities for media to advance peace
program and the countering rumor radio satire, that could promote tolerance, sensitize citizens
to the notion of a multifaith country, and provide counternarratives to dangerous misinformation propagated by social media and local rumor mills.
When USIP interviewed various stakeholders in Myanmar about media and conflict,
most had sophisticated analyses of the underlying problems and their desires for social change.
Although many had just begun to think about specific ways in which media could be used as
a peacebuilding tool, they were able to connect the dots between other ongoing interventions
that could resolve conflict (such as formal peace negotiations and rule of law reforms) and
media-based solutions. Given the pace of transition in Myanmar, it is possible to overlook
certain avenues for building peace, but to effect real change requires careful consideration of
what can ultimately shape the attitudes and behaviors of those leading reform efforts. Clearly
media can play a vital part.
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