The media has the potential to bridge the gap between yesterday's enemies by replacing the incitement of fear with the promotion of harmony, coexistence and peace, illustrating how much people have in common and defending the rights of victims to truth and justice.
Kushtrim Gashi
Media and transitional justice is one of the issues that has been discussed very little, but which has an extraordinary importance in the contemporary era because no one is able to stop the power of information. Information, which easily crosses state borders, has become one of the main factors in both international and domestic politics. Therefore, the role of the media to engage constructively in the transitional justice process, where efforts are made to address massive abuses and violations of human rights, contributes to the promotion of peace and justice. The connection between actions taken through transitional justice and the media helps in finding the truth and addressing responsibility for past violations. All this is in the interest of the public, of which the media is the natural guardian.
The print and electronic media achieve their success when they become an arena for truth, becoming a beacon of light for public opinion, not only for the truth of the management of the policies of the other three powers, but also for finding the truth in the process of dealing with the past, which these policies affect the lives of ordinary citizens. Dealing with the past is a reformative, transitional process and offers justice to societies emerging from turmoil such as wars, conflicts, dictatorships, etc., which aims to end impunity and restore dignity to victims. On the other hand, it focuses on preventing conflicts and human rights violations, restoring civic trust, the rule of law and democratic order. Transitional justice initiates the process of dealing with the past and the legacy of massive human rights violations and aims to help correct injustices and heal the traumas caused by war. Otherwise, transitional justice is an inevitable and necessary condition for establishing social dialogue with the aim of achieving reconciliation on what happened in the past.
The role of the media in shaping public opinion on important topics and issues such as justice, human rights and democracy has a major impact on transitional justice processes. What does this mean in practice? If the aim of the various transitional justice mechanisms is to positively impact people’s lives, the role of the media in disseminating information and shaping public debate and discourse must be deliberately included from the outset. The best example of the constructive impact that media engagement can have on transitional justice efforts comes from South Africa. Alex Boraine, Deputy Chairperson of South Africa’s TRC (Truth and Reconciliation Commission), wrote: “Unlike many other truth commissions, this one was in the spotlight and media coverage, particularly radio, enabled the poor and people living in rural areas to participate in its work.” It was the media that, for about two years, produced weekly summaries of the stories told before the Commission. The events and stories told resonated long after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission officially concluded its work. So, as in the case of South Africa, the media has an important role in supporting and promoting transitional justice mechanisms, reflecting society’s new values and demands for victims.
Transitional justice and dealing with the past is a specific process and for this reason, journalists who report, in addition to professional preparation, must also have research skills and especially have prior knowledge of the field.
After the war in Kosovo in 1998-1999, investigative journalism focused more on issues of corruption and the rule of law and much less or almost not at all on other areas of transitional justice. Transitional justice actually also addresses the economic aspect of past injustices, in particular the abusive dimension of economic goods. Experts in this field emphasize that abuse of public goods, discrimination in the economy, abuse of public resources, illegal exploitation are factors that constitute violations of human rights. Such a thing has also been present in Kosovo. Among other things, the citizens of Kosovo were also victims of this type of abuse. For a long period, they were deprived of the income that was created through the exploitation of natural goods. Companies or economic enterprises were completely in the hands of the repressive/occupying system. On this basis, the example of Sierra Leone could serve as part of the treatment of the rights of victims, as a result of economic and material losses.
The focus on topics such as corruption and the rule of law occurred due to many factors. The first factor – researching issues of transitional justice and dealing with the past requires a lot of time, commitment and specialized knowledge. When journalists focus on a particular issue for a period of time, it creates a financial burden for the media, which have a limited source of their income.
The second factor – media owners, due to their financial interests, have no interest in following sensitive cases because this could damage the financial sustainability of the medium. Breaking relations with the business community or influential people would reduce advertising space.
The third factor – journalists' reluctance to research in the field of transitional justice – may also be editorial policies. Therefore, journalists must be able to challenge and overcome these policies.
Journalists in Kosovo must be able to advance coverage and debate on issues that affect our collective memory, by conveying the real-life accounts of those affected by the war. Sharing the stories of victims can be a form of restoration, a relief for the harm they suffered, and even a catalyst for wider public recognition.
Ultimately, the media has the potential to bridge the gap between yesterday's enemies by replacing the incitement of fear with the promotion of harmony, coexistence, and peace, illustrating how much people have in common and defending the rights of victims to truth and justice.
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