War and peace: Colombia's unreconciled narratives vía AlJazeera
War and peace: Colombia's unreconciled narratives
A look at the opposing sides of an historic peace negotiation and the media conflict dictating the terms.
Colombia is home to the world's longest running civil war that has left thousands dead, countless others missing and millions displaced. After 60 years of fighting between the Colombian government and the leftist group FARC - the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - an historic peace deal could be in sight.
The FARC are only considered from the perspective of their crimes. No one takes into account their ideals or the political positions they stand for. The narrative is steeped in legality and criminality.
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But as the story moves forward, are the mainstream news media willing to move forward, too?
Two major media campaigns have been launched on either end of the negotiation spectrum, seemingly undermining the attempts at peace, with the media complying in different measures.
The country's former president, Alvaro Uribe, has launched a media campaign to discredit the FARC, while the armed group has launched their own campaign in response - in an attempt to legitimise their actions as political versus revolutionary.
When Colombian President Juan Manual Santos puts the final deal to a vote in a national referendum, the Colombian electorate public will need to know what's on the table. They'll be counting on their news media for balance and context.
Talking us through the story are: Hassan Nassar, director, LA FM, RCN; Marta Ruiz, journalist, La Semana; Maria Jimena Duzan, presenter, Semana En Vivo; Boris Guevara, presenter, New Colombia News; and Yadira Suarez, presenter, New Colombia News.
Source: Al Jazeera
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