Ozgunes, Neslihan and Terzis, Georgios (2000).  Constraints and Remedies for Journalists Reporting National Conflict:  The Case of Greece and Turkey.  Journalism Studies, 1(3), 405-426.

Ozgunes and Terzis assert that the mainstream media in Greece and Turkey have perpetuated the conflict between the two countries.  Their article examines how the media work to aggravate conflict. 

Two ways the media achieve this is through actively reporting stereotypical images of the “other” and an over-reliance on official sources of information, according to Ozgunes and Terzis.  Official sources often spew nationalistic fervor.  Commercial imperatives that demand increased profits through advertising revenue, press legislation, new media technologies are three additional barriers to fair reporting in the Greek/Turkish conflict.  Ozgunes and Terzis detail what the media can do to become “constructive” rather than destructive to the conflict.  They interview journalists, news organization executives, conflict resolution experts, diplomats and academics.  They learn that increased communication needs to be established between journalist of both countries, resolution facilitation reporting should be introduced, and changes to media law should be initiated.

Ozgunes and Terzis offer methods to analyze conflict reporting for bias, concrete examples of biased reporting, reasoning as to why biased conflict reporting is problematic and solutions for change.  However, their article is heavy on the solutions and short on how bias operates in conflict reporting.

Abstract by Meghan Maskery

Missouri School of Journalism

MA ‘07