Constraints and Remedies for Journalists Reporting National Conflict: the case of Greece and Turkey

Greece and Turkey have long been in conflict. The national media have been among the many factors that have contributed to the aggravation and perpetuation of tension between the two countries. In this context, this article seeks to explore some institutional, technical and cultural factors that influence the media's disposition in the coverage of the conflict and some ways in which the role of the media and Greek and Turkish journalists, in particular, can become more constructive. As an integral part of investigating the role of the media in the Greek-Turkish conflict, but also to search for possible solutions, the authors draw upon 30 unstructured interviews with journalists, media executives, conflict resolution-orientated NGOs who work with the national media, as well as diplomats and academics from both countries. Interviewees identified commercialization of the media, changes in media ownership, the interlocking interests between the media, politicians and the business sector, the inherent media ideology and culture and the new media format and technologies as the main constraints for a resolution-orientated coverage of the Greek-Turkish conflict. By contrast, the interviewees proposed more, varied, and in-depth communication between media practitioners of the two countries, a campaign of information on the costs of the conflict, resolution facilitation reporting and changes to media laws and the political culture in which the media operate, as necessary remedies for these constraints.