Peace News network: Peacebuilding is listening

Narratives of peace are often marginalized or excluded from the news media, especially in times of violent conflict. Peace News aims to provide an alternative to sensationalized coverage of war by elevating the voices of peacebuilders. We don’t take sides, we listen—to peacebuilders, experts, and ordinary people impacted by conflict. When the war in Gaza began, we had an obligation to cover it, as any news organization would. Unlike many news organizations focused on the violence, voices of elites or extremists, and victory framing, we chose to focus on the voices of ordinary people and peacebuilders and solutions to the conflict.

We met with Israeli and Palestinian representatives of the Parent’s Circle, a group of people who had lost family members to the conflict, and chose to work to build peace and end the cycle of violence. We heard from Stand Together, which works to build solidarity between Israelis and Palestinians. We listened to their stories, and shared them with our audience. As journalists, the way we build peace isn’t through our own actions, but by sharing the words and actions of others. This conflict will only end when both sides listen to one another, and accept their shared humanity. With our stories, we hope to contribute to building an environment of empathy and promote a narrative of hope.