Covering civil resistance amidst rising authoritarianism
06/27/23 • 34 min
In the mainstream news, we might not hear much about a political movement in America, or in another country, unless it “turns violent.” Building an effective protest movement takes planning, a shared commitment and coordination, and most movements are explicitly nonviolent. In fact, it’s often people unaffiliated with movements who are responsible for violence at protests.
The situation frustrates both activists and journalists. Activists complain that their actions don’t get enough coverage, or more important, that the coverage tells an incomplete or skewed story. Journalists counter that activists need to get better at communicating with the media.
Our guest Hardy Merriman watches political movements and the media that covers them closely, and he has advice for how both sides can tell better stories. Merriman is Director of the International Center for Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC), an organization that supports civil resistance movements globally through research and education. He’s deeply worried about the rise and strengthening of autocracy around the world. Authoritarians are cracking down on activists in ways that are hard to see – making the jobs of journalists more difficult, and even more crucial.
LEARN MORE
By Deborah Mathis and Hailey Grace Allen, edited by Hardy Merriman
ICNC, April 2021
Fostering a Fourth Democratic Wave: A Playbook for Countering the Authoritarian Threat
By Hardy Merriman, Patrick Quirk, and Ash Jain
ICNC and The Atlantic Council, March 2023
Read more from Hardy Merriman at hardymerriman.com
Please leave us a rating or review and let us know what you think of the episode.
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ABOUT THE SHOW
Making Peace Visible is a project of War Stories Peace Stories. Our mission is to bring journalists and peacebuilders together to re-imagine the way the news media covers peace and conflict, and to facilitate expanded coverage of global peace and reconciliation efforts. Join the conversation on Twitter: @warstoriespeace. Write to us at [email protected]. More at warstoriespeacestories.org.
Making Peace Visible is hosted by Jamil Simon, and produced by Andrea Muraskin. Additional sound engineering by Faith McClure.
Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions, Podington Bear and Bill Vortex.
ABOUT THE SHOW
The Making Peace Visible podcast is hosted by Jamil Simon and produced by Andrea Muraskin. Our associate producer is Faith McClure. Learn more at makingpeacevisible.org
Connect on social:
Instagram @makingpeacevisible
LinkedIn @makingpeacevisible
Bluesky @makingpeacevisible.bsky.social
We want to learn more about our listeners. Take this 3-minute survey to help us improve the show!
In the mainstream news, we might not hear much about a political movement in America, or in another country, unless it “turns violent.” Building an effective protest movement takes planning, a shared commitment and coordination, and most movements are explicitly nonviolent. In fact, it’s often people unaffiliated with movements who are responsible for violence at protests.
The situation frustrates both activists and journalists. Activists complain that their actions don’t get enough coverage, or more important, that the coverage tells an incomplete or skewed story. Journalists counter that activists need to get better at communicating with the media.
Our guest Hardy Merriman watches political movements and the media that covers them closely, and he has advice for how both sides can tell better stories. Merriman is Director of the International Center for Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC), an organization that supports civil resistance movements globally through research and education. He’s deeply worried about the rise and strengthening of autocracy around the world. Authoritarians are cracking down on activists in ways that are hard to see – making the jobs of journalists more difficult, and even more crucial.
LEARN MORE
By Deborah Mathis and Hailey Grace Allen, edited by Hardy Merriman
ICNC, April 2021
Fostering a Fourth Democratic Wave: A Playbook for Countering the Authoritarian Threat
By Hardy Merriman, Patrick Quirk, and Ash Jain
ICNC and The Atlantic Council, March 2023
Read more from Hardy Merriman at hardymerriman.com
Please leave us a rating or review and let us know what you think of the episode.
HOW TO RATE AND REVIEW MAKING PEACE VISIBLE
In Apple Podcasts on iPhone
Tap on the show name (Making Peace Visible) to navigate to the main podcast page
Scroll down to the "Ratings and Reviews" section
To leave a rating only, tap on the stars
To leave a review, tap "Write a Review"
In Spotify
(Note: Spotify ratings are currently only available on mobile.)
Tap on the show name (Making Peace Visible) to navigate to the main podcast page
Tap on the star icon under the podcast description to rate the show
In Podcast Addict
(Note: you may need to sign in before leaving a review.)
From the episode page: On the top left above the show description, click "Post review."
From the main podcast page
Tap "Reviews" on the top left.
On the Reviews page, tap the icon of a pen and paper in the top right corner of the screen.
ABOUT THE SHOW
Making Peace Visible is a project of War Stories Peace Stories. Our mission is to bring journalists and peacebuilders together to re-imagine the way the news media covers peace and conflict, and to facilitate expanded coverage of global peace and reconciliation efforts. Join the conversation on Twitter: @warstoriespeace. Write to us at [email protected]. More at warstoriespeacestories.org.
Making Peace Visible is hosted by Jamil Simon, and produced by Andrea Muraskin. Additional sound engineering by Faith McClure.
Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions, Podington Bear and Bill Vortex.
ABOUT THE SHOW
The Making Peace Visible podcast is hosted by Jamil Simon and produced by Andrea Muraskin. Our associate producer is Faith McClure. Learn more at makingpeacevisible.org
Connect on social:
Instagram @makingpeacevisible
LinkedIn @makingpeacevisible
Bluesky @makingpeacevisible.bsky.social
We want to learn more about our listeners. Take this 3-minute survey to help us improve the show!
Previous Episode
Peace messaging: Fighting crisis fatigue with hope
1 Recommendations“Weapons and war do not keep us safe. Instead, we should put our money and time into programs that ensure real safety and security for everyone, like affordable health care, a just judicial system, and economic opportunities.”
Americans were asked if they agree or disagree with the above statement in a 2022 poll conducted by the American Friends Service Committee, an advocacy organization that promotes peace and social justice around the world. AFSC conducted the study for two reasons: to gauge US public opinion on cutting military spending, and to test how people would respond to different messages about why cutting the military budget is important. They found that when Americans across different groups were asked if they would support shifting Pentagon spending to domestic issues like healthcare and education, 60% said yes.
Guest Beth Hallowell, Director of Research and Analytics at the American Friends Service Committee, (AFSC) helped design the Pentagon spending study, along with a 2023 study on US attitudes towards peacebuilding. In this episode, Beth shares helpful insights about how peacebuilders can be more effective when communicating to the public and the media.
Follow AFSC on Twitter @afsc_org.
Leave us a review and let us know how you talk to the people in your life, or to the public, about peace.
HOW TO RATE AND REVIEW MAKING PEACE VISIBLE
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Tap on the show name (Making Peace Visible) to navigate to the main podcast page
Scroll down to the "Ratings and Reviews" section
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To leave a review, tap "Write a Review"
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ABOUT THE SHOW
Making Peace Visible is a project of War Stories Peace Stories. Our mission is to bring journalists and peacebuilders together to re-imagine the way the news media covers peace and conflict, and to facilitate expanded coverage of global peace and reconciliation efforts. Join the conversation on Twitter: @warstoriespeace. Write to us at [email protected].
Making Peace Visible is hosted by Jamil Simon, and produced by Andrea Muraskin, with help from Faith McClure.
Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions, Podington Bear, Doyeq, and Bill Vortex
ABOUT THE SHOW
The Making Peace Visible podcast is hosted by Jamil Simon and produced by Andrea Muraskin. Our associate producer is Faith McClure. Learn more at makingpeacevisible.org
Connect on social:
Instagram @makingpeacevisible
LinkedIn @makingpeacevisible
Bluesky @makingpeacevisible.bsky.social
We want to learn more about our listeners. Take this 3-minute survey to help us improve the show!
Next Episode
When covering the Holy Land, hope is in the details
Our guest this episode, Daniel Estrin, is an international correspondent for NPR based in Jerusalem. There is a human element present throughout Daniel Estrin’s body of work that places listeners in the shoes of ordinary Palestinians and Israelis. Fluent in both Hebrew and Arabic and having lived in the region for over fifteen years, Daniel has a keen ear for both the suffering and the tenacity that coexist side by side. His insights are valuable for any journalist covering a contested place, and anyone looking to connect across deep-seeded divides.
WORK FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE
A 70-year-old man in Gaza needed open heart surgery. It was a race against time July 2022
While Israel is in turmoil, tonight it marks its 75th Independence Day April 2023
Hotel Corona May 2020
Rooting for a Eurovision singer of the same name May 2023
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HOW TO RATE AND REVIEW MAKING PEACE VISIBLE
In Apple Podcasts on iPhone
Tap on the show name (Making Peace Visible) to navigate to the main podcast page
Scroll down to the "Ratings and Reviews" section
To leave a rating only, tap on the stars
To leave a review, tap "Write a Review"
In Spotify
(Note: Spotify ratings are currently only available on mobile.)
Tap on the show name (Making Peace Visible) to navigate to the main podcast page
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Tap "Reviews" on the top left.
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ABOUT THE SHOW
Making Peace Visible is a project of War Stories Peace Stories. Our mission is to bring journalists and peacebuilders together to re-imagine the way the news media covers peace and conflict, and to facilitate expanded coverage of global peace and reconciliation efforts. Join the conversation on Twitter: @warstoriespeace. Write to us at [email protected].
Making Peace Visible is hosted by Jamil Simon, and produced by Andrea Muraskin. Interview in this episode by Andrea Muraskin.
Music in this episode by Doyeq and Eddy.
ABOUT THE SHOW
The Making Peace Visible podcast is hosted by Jamil Simon and produced by Andrea Muraskin. Our associate producer is Faith McClure. Learn more at makingpeacevisible.org
Connect on social:
Instagram @makingpeacevisible
LinkedIn @makingpeacevisible
Bluesky @makingpeacevisible.bsky.social
We want to learn more about our listeners. Take this 3-minute survey to help us improve the show!
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