Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, Pages 27, 73

Special Report

Queen Noor Calls on Media to Encourage Dialogue and Help People Tell Their Stories

By Delinda C. Hanley

Queen Noor of Jordan delivered the keynote address at an Oct. 1 conference at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, DC that brought together communication experts in U.S. public diplomacy, independent film and media producers, and scientists. In recent years experts have debated which public diplomacy strategies will improve America’s image abroad and win hearts and minds in the digital age. Can media be used to make peace—or even prevent conflict from occurring in the first place? 

The traditional media of television, radio and print have been joined recently by independent or citizen media in the form of digital publications, blogs, YouTube (online video sharing), Twitter, text messaging, social networking and more. Add to that the power of entertainment media, TV shows, films, advertisements, public service announcements (PSAs), street theater, plays and concerts...and the possibilities for building peace—or sowing conflict—are staggering.

“We are living in a media-saturated world,” Queen Noor declared, “in the midst of troubling events, some of them manufactured.” It’s easy for extremists to use media to promote hatred and intolerance, like the controversial cartoons published in a Danish newspaper; the anti-Muslim DVD “Obsession,” which circulated in American newspapers during the 2008 elections; and talk radio show agitators. A 2006 Gallop poll asked how the West could improve relations with the Muslim world, Queen Noor noted. The most offered response was: stop disrespecting our religion and portraying us as inferior in your media.

Media play a huge role in shaping culture, according to Shamil Idriss, executive director of the Alliance of Civilizations Media Fund, which co-sponsored the conference. The alliance is a consortium of media industry leaders and philanthropists dedicated to using mass media to improve cross-cultural understanding and respect. For a start, Idriss said, Hollywood could begin to reverse the negative stereotypes it has helped create and introduce more positive and believable Muslim and Arab characters.

This can work. The 1993 film “Philadelphia,” for example, changed forever the way Americans look at homosexuality and HIV/AIDs. “The Wire,” an HBO series, challenged viewers to examine inner city crime. It is quite possible Americans would not have elected an African-American president if it hadn’t been for the 1980s hit “The Cosby Show,” or Dennis Haysbert playing president in 79 episodes of the TV drama “24.”

U.S. media, especially films and TV shows, have a huge influence on the world and can also shape how the world perceives America’s culture. Afghanistan has its own version of “American Idol,” and Egyptians enjoy watching “Friends.” Producers and directors should take their roles more seriously.

Equally, media’s portrayal of events can inflame tensions. When people believe that one’s ethnic, racial or social group is threatened by violence, their allegiance to that group is increased. Riots in Los Angeles broke out in 1992 after a jury acquitted police officers charged in a videotaped beating of African-American motorist Rodney King. Imagine the impact on Arabs who watched Israel’s 22-day assault on Gaza for 24 hours a day.

Rebecca Saxe, a professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), gave a fascinating perspective on the possibilities of using science in conflict resolution. Thanks to advancements in brain imaging and psychophysiology methodologies that have literally allowed us to “get inside people’s heads,” Saxe said, researchers have discovered three things. First, people don’t know their own minds, rather they reflect their experiences. Second, people resist changing their minds. They watch and read what they already agree with. If someone tries to persuade them otherwise, they are even less likely to change their mind. Finally, the most powerful way people change their mind is by listening to people like themselves, and hearing what people around them think and believe.

“Science looks under the hood of the human mind at the hidden side,” Saxe said. “We look at bodily responses, brain imaging and the invisible source of behavior.”

During the summer of 2009, Saxe participated in a Tel Aviv/Ramallah experiment which studied the power of dialogue between two sides. Using the Internet—or, to be exact, Skype live video calls—one side spoke and the other reflected back what they’d heard, in 20-minute exchanges. Scientists measured attitude changes.

The results were telling. After Palestinians heard Israeli stories and were pushed to retell or play back the Israeli perspective there was hardly any change in their attitude. There were dramatic attitude improvements, for Palestinians, when the Ramallah participants were given the chance to speak. Israeli attitudes changed most powerfully when they were asked to mirror the Palestinian perspective. Saxe’s study concluded that people need to tell their stories and be heard. This refutes the idea that the U.S. can win hearts and minds and resolve conflicts by preaching at them. Instead, Americans need to listen and show others that they are hearing their stories.

Prevention of interfaith violence should be seen as a public health issue, according to Jay Winsten, Ph.D., associate dean of the Harvard School of Public Health, whose public health campaign promoting designated drivers contributed to a sharp decline in alcohol-related traffic fatalities. Winsten suggested creating a simple message and repeating it over and over, using news stories, PSAs, advertising and entertainment programming. Identify a popular TV character, he advised, and incorporate a line of dialogue to reflect the new change. The message won’t break through with only 5 or 10 episodes—it may take 160 prime time episodes, Winsten said.

Media can be used to marginalize people or to give them the space to tell their stories. The reality TV trend shows that people are hungry for real stories. People want to empathize, laugh and connect with others. But it’s hard to reach people who tend to get their information from publications, channels and Web sites with which they already agree. People even select which movies to watch after hearing a review. Instead of media being used to reinforce existing perceptions, policymakers and peacemakers should try to use media to challenge existing viewpoints.

The conference concluded with words from Queen Noor. “Cultural diversity is a blessing to be embraced,” she said. The international community must find ways to use media to prevent conflict, encourage dialogue and listen as others tell their narratives.

Delinda C. Hanley is news editor of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.