BUILDING BRIDGESBETWEEN ARMENIAN & AZERBAIJANIBLOGGERS &
JOURNALISTS
Onnik Krikorian
Caucasus Regional Editor, Global Voices
http://www.globalvoicesonline.org
[email protected]
[email protected]
What is Global Voices?
Global Voices is a community of more than 300 bloggers and
translators around the world who work together to bring readers
reports from blogs and citizen media everywhere, with an emphasis
on voices that are not ordinarily heard in the mainstream
media.
Global Voices is translated into more than 15 languages by
volunteer translators, who have formed the Lingua project.
Additionally, Global Voices has an Advocacy website and network to
help people speak out online in places where their voices are
censored.
We also have an outreach project called Rising Voices to help
marginalized communities use citizen media to be heard.
Global Voices Impact
Four websites most consistently account for links between
countries: YouTube, Wikipedia, the BBC and, a distant fourth,
Global Voices Online. The last of these, launched at Harvard
University in 2005 [] works to create links between bloggers in
different countries, and to find what it calls bridge bloggers
[]The Economist, 2 September 2010
Working relationships with BBC, Reuters, Pulitzer Center for
Crisis Reporting, La Stampa and many others. Frequently quoted by
CNN, BBC, New York Times, The Economist etc.
Armenia & Azerbaijan
[A] negative context [is set] in the public consciousness, which
hinders dialogue and mutual understanding [] Without more accurate
and unbiased information [] free of negative rhetoric and
stereotypes, Armenians and Azerbaijanis will continue to see
themselves as enemies without any common ground.
Report on media in Armenia and Azerbaijan, Caucasus Resource
Research Center / Eurasia Partnership Foundation
Perpetuating conflict
[...] people are often inclined to consider their existing
attitudes and beliefs to be true and filter the news through this
lens. Thus, they accept messages in order to maintain their
original perceptions. [] bias in the local media [...] serves as a
means to fuel and perpetuate hatred. This is a role the media has
and continues to play with regards to the conflict over Nagorno
Karabakh.
Report on media in Armenia and Azerbaijan, Caucasus Resource
Research Center / Eurasia Partnership Foundation
Another alternative?
Throughout history, war has affected media, with conflict often
creating an information void. In the 21st century, media has begun
to affect war more than ever before. Digital media technologies
[...] have increased communication and information dissemination in
conflict settings [...]. These new tools can be used to foment
violence or to foster peace, and it is possible to build
communication systems that encourage dialogue and nonviolent
political solutions.
Ivan Sigal, Global Voices Executive Director, Digital media in
conflict-prone societies, Center for International Media Assistance
(CIMA)
Connecting bloggers
Global Voices
Is a neutral space online
supports and promotes alternative voices online
connects bloggers across borders and geopolitical divides
Pioneers, monitors and analyzes the use of new and social
media
sets by example
Provides online resources and tools
Twitter communication
http://www.oneworld.am/diversity/
Best Practices
Innovate (mobile reporting, online video)
Take a holistic approach
Translate (online communities, including video)
Outreach, forming partnerships
Build trust and genuine human-level personal/professional
relationships
Formulate strategies, monitor, adapt and evolve
Check facts (personal communication, multiple sources,
networks)
Be different
Offline/Online cooperation
Words of caution
New media tools will certainly help in getting people better
acquainted with each other, but at the same time can also be used
to reaffirm existing biases. Just search on the Internet for
Armenian and Azerbaijani web sites and you can find a lot of trash
and very harmful discourse from nationalist websites. Im mildly
optimistic, but at the same time think we should be very cautious
about what we find on the Internet as well.
Bart Woord, International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY)
Secretary General
Holistic approach
I think you cant do it just with social media tools, but as weve
seen over the past 15 years, you definitely cant do it by meeting
in Tbilisi for a weekend every summer. It becomes an entertainment
and Ive had experience with those conferences in Georgia where its
just one big coffee break and a waste of money. However, I think
that both approaches combined could propel things along.
Micael Bogar, Projects Manager at the American University's Center
for Social Media
What next?
I would very much like to see more debate among bloggers in
Armenia and Azerbaijan. We really need some kind of initiative for
this because I would really like to see borders opened and conflict
resolved. My mother says that when she went to school she had
Armenians among her friends. I would very much like myself or my
children when they grow up to be able to say the same kind of thing
to their children.
Arzu Geybullayeva, Regional Analyst and Flying Carpets and Broken
Pipelines blogger
Shameless plugs
Global Voices Online
http://www.globalvoicesonline.orgGlobal Voices Caucasus Conflict
Voices
http://globalvoicesonline.org/specialcoverage/caucasus-conflict-voices/Global
Voices Advocacy
http://advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org/Rising Voices
http://rising.globalvoicesonline.org/
Overcoming Negative Stereotypes in the South Caucasus
http://www.oneworld.am/diversity/
http://peace.facebook.com
