The Role of Media during Times of Conflict: A Dialogue Between Indian and Pakistani Journalists
Joint Statement
We, the undersigned journalists, media professionals, and concerned citizens from India, Pakistan, and the diaspora, following a dialogue on the role of the media during times of conflict, reaffirm our shared responsibility to uphold journalistic ethics, shape public discourse, and build bridges rather than deepen divides.
We acknowledge with deep concern the rise of hypernationalism, hyper-religiosity, disinformation, and hate speech that often accompany periods of heightened tension between our two countries. We condemn the media’s complicity — whether through silence, sensationalism, or propaganda — in fueling divisions, dehumanizing the ‘other,’ and escalating conflict.
We reaffirm our commitment to ethical, fact-based, conflict-sensitive journalism. We believe that media must serve as a force for de-escalation, empathy, and bridge-building, not as a weapon of war.
In this spirit, we resolve to:
Resist war-mongering narratives, uphold the principles of accuracy, fairness, and accountability, and strengthen the peace constituency by amplifying stories of shared humanity, solidarity, and nonviolence.
Platform diverse and marginalized voices, particularly those impacted by conflict and violence;
Foster cross-border collaboration among independent journalists, fact-checkers, and civil society media;
Promote media literacy to counter disinformation and digital hate campaigns;
Build pressure on governments to resume diplomatic ties, open borders for trade and travel, and revive SAARC.
We extend this call to our peers, editors, and newsrooms across South Asia to join us in actively upholding journalistic ethics, such as fairness and factuality, providing context, and in doing so, rejecting the politics of hatred, bigotry, hypernationalism, and hyper-religiosity.
Signed:
- Marvi Sirmed (Pakistan)
- Sandeep Pandey (India)
- Sheema Kirmani (Pakistan)
- Harsh Kapoor (India)
- Beena Sarwar, Pakistan
- Vinod Mubayi (India)
- Rita Manchanda (India)
