Communication Justice

"Communicating Justice" is a two-year project which aims to raise levels of public awareness and public debate around transitional justice issues in five post-conflict African countries: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Uganda.

Transitional Justice processes are rapidly proliferating throughout Africa, as societies emerge from conflict. Increasingly, countries are deciding to deal with their violent histories through a variety of mechanisms, including criminal prosecutions, institutional reforms, truth-seeking commissions, and reparations for victims of grave human rights abuse.

The media is key to the success of transitional justice processes, being the general population’s main source of information about such mechanisms. Transitional justice processes by their very nature must be debates that are widespread, inclusive, transparent and public. Transitional justice mechanisms are often regarded with scepticism locally and seen as costly, externally imposed and irrelevant to local realities. The media can counteract this constraint to the success of transitional justice processes by facilitating public understanding and engagement.

The project, which runs from 2007 to the end of 2008, is being carried out by the BBC World Service Trust, in partnership with the International Center for Transitional Justice. It has three broad strands that are being implemented in each of the five project countries:

  • Population surveys of knowledge and attitudes toward transitional justice (TJ) issues;
  • In-country training of 20 selected journalists, as well as activities designed to engage the support of their managers or editors; and
  • Follow-up activities via online learning, Internet, and local mentoring 

Specialist training of local journalists is a key component of the project, which includes the production of specialist training materials. Throughout the project’s two-year training cycle, in-depth face-to-face and online training is providing media professionals with the necessary knowledge, skills and motivation needed to report responsibly on the selection, implementation and impact of transitional justice mechanisms in their respective countries.

“Communicating Justice” is funded mainly by the European Union and the Dutch government, with additional funds from the US-based nongovernmental organisation Humanity United.