conflict & communication online, Vol. 10, No. 1, 2011
www.cco.regener-online.de
ISSN 1618-0747

 

 

 

Roy Krøvel
A symbiotic relationship: Norwegian diplomacy and Norwegian journalism on war and peace in Guatemala

This article deals with Norwegian journalism on the Guatemalan civil war and the peace process from 1990 to 1997. The author has examined all documents regarding the peace process in Guatemala registered in the archive of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the late 1980s to 1995 and interviewed most of the relevant Norwegian and Guatemalan sources.
The results of the study show that Norwegian sources consistently dominated the reporting on Guatemala. The constructed understandings of Norwegian engagement with war and peace in Guatemala resonated with deep sentiments within Norwegian society. Norwegian journalists came to rely heavily on Norwegian diplomats and facilitators, not only for information, but also for the interpretation of the information.


 

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On the author:
Roy Krøvel earned his PhD in History. His dissertation was on the relationship between the media and guerrilla organizations and indigenous peoples in Mexico and Central America. He is also a civil engineer specializing in the environment and risk analysis. Krøvel currently teaches journalism at Oslo University College in Norway. Outside academia Krøvel has published several books on journalism and conflict. He has also lived and worked for solidarity organizations in Nicaragua, El Salvador and elsewhere.

Address: Faculty of Journalism, Library and Information Science, Oslo University College, Postboks 4, St. Olavs plass, 0130 Oslo, Norway.
Website: http://hio.academia.edu/RoyKr%C3%B8vel/About
eMail: Roy.Krovel@jbi.hio.no