Who controls the past?
'Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.'
Could George Orwell's words from his classic 1984 be any more relevant today? How do we remember the past? How do we further responsible journalism in the reporting of our post troubles trauma? How do journalists report on the past and on victims and survivors?
On 18 April 2019, Lyra McKee was murdered by the New IRA in Derry as she observed a riot. Her beautiful young life was brutally ended as she stood beside her partner Sara and fellow journalists.
Lyra was a member of the National Union of Journalists.
She wasn't the first journalist to be killed during the troubles. Martin O'Hagan of Sunday World was murdered by loyalist paramilitaries almost 20 years ago. Years earlier his former editor was shot at his home and seriously wounded by the notorious loyalist killer the 'Jackal'.
Veronica Guerin, the Irish crime journalist, was murdered by Dublin criminals she was reporting on in 1996.
And not a day goes past without a threat, intimidation or online abuse to journalists, broadcasters and writers.
And not just from paramilitary gangs.
Look at the cases of Trevor Birney, Barry McCaffrey and Suzanne Breen.
This week, almost a year since Lyra's tragic death on the 21st anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, two workshops in Derry and Belfast will discuss trauma reporting with journalists.
The day-long workshops in Londonderry and Belfast will centre on how trauma has traditionally been reported by media in Northern Ireland and how trauma reporting can be improved.
In the morning, presenters will discuss trauma and PTSD, a critique on traditional structures and framing of political stories, information on the impact of reporting on trauma victims, and a discussion about traditional media reporting about children, anniversaries and marches, and psychological trauma.
In the afternoon we will discuss solutions. Presentations will include how to report trauma in a socially responsible manner, how media can break away from traditional frames, and finding and creating platforms for responsible trauma reporting. The event will conclude with a press conference featuring those impacted by trauma.
Presenters include local and international experts Kathryn Johnston (NUJ), Allan Leonard and Alan Meban (Shared Future News), Paul Gallagher (WAVE Trauma Center), Prof. Jake Lynch (University of Sydney, AUS), and Prof. Steven Youngblood (Park University, US).
The event is sponsored by the National Union of Journalists, Shared Future News, Center for Global Peace Journalism (US), WAVE Trauma Center, and the US Consulate in Belfast.
The event is open to all, including journalists, students, and the general public. It will be held from 9:00am to 4:00pm and include lunch. The event is free, but registration is requested so that lunches may be ordered.
Registrations (choose one)
Thursday, 12 March 2020: St. Columb’s Hall, 10a Newmarket Street, Orchard Street, Derry/Londonderry, BT48 6EB
Friday, 13 March 2020: Belfast Metropolitan College, Springvale Campus, e3 Building, 398 Springfield Road, Belfast, BT12 7DU
https://sharedfuture.news/events/northern-ireland-trauma-reporting-workshop-belfast/
https://sharedfuture.news/events/northern-ireland-trauma-reporting-workshop-derry-londonderry/
Northern Ireland Trauma Reporting Workshops
Workshop: “Northern Ireland Trauma Reporting” DATE: Thursday, 12 March 2020, 9.00am-4.00pm VENUE: St. Columb’s Hall, 10a Newmarket Street, Orchard Street, Derry/Londonderry, BT48 6EB
Northern Ireland Trauma Reporting Workshops
Workshop: “Northern Ireland Trauma Reporting” DATE: Friday, 13 March 2020, 9.00am-4.00pm VENUE: Belfast Metropolitan College, Springvale Campus, e3 Building, 398 Springfield Road, Belfast, BT12 7DU
