conflict & communication online, Vol. 17, No. 1, 2018
www.cco.regener-online.de
ISSN 1618-0747

Jake Lynch
Where I stand on peace journalism and the academic boycott of Israel

In reply to Kempf’s (2016) essay on “Dangers of peace journalism” the author argues that peace journalism has always been advocated as a way to implement the journalistic remit of factual reporting, and refutes the claim that it is tantamount to a call for journalism to act as any form of advocacy. Academic researchers who are the subject of a call by Palestinian civil society to boycott institutional links with Israeli higher education are in a different situation, however. They face a choice, either to participate in these links, and therefore become inadvertently complicit in the occupation of Palestinian territory, or to join the boycott which should be seen as a source of external pressure on Israel to cease its violations of international humanitarian law, and negotiate a just peace with the Palestinians.

The author:
Jake Lynch is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Sydney. He received the 2017 Luxembourg Peace Prize for his 20 years’ work developing and promoting Peace Journalism. Before taking up an academic post, he worked as a professional journalist, with spells as a Political Correspondent for Sky News, and the Sydney Correspondent for the Independent newspaper, culminating in a role as an on-air presenter for BBC World Television News.

eMail: jake.lynch@usyd.edu.au