1. Holocaust Memorial Day 2018 Discussion resource - Journalism

2. Learn facts about the Genocide in Bosnia
The power of words to witness - the responsibility of the press
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A discussion session designed specifically for those interested in journalism. You will:
Read Christiane Amanpour’s story of being a witness to the genocide in Srebrenica, Bosnia
Learn facts about the Genocide in Bosnia
Discuss the definition and use of the legal term ‘genocide’
Explore a journalist’s potential responses when performing the role of witness,
and the power of your words

3. Holocaust Memorial Day
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Holocaust Memorial Day
Holocaust Memorial Day is on 27 January every year.
27 January marks the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp.
This year’s theme is:

4. Fact sheet and Questions
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Fact sheet and Questions
Use the fact sheets to learn about the Genocide in Bosnia, and find the answers to the below questions:
What are the colours on the Bosnian flag?
What are the three main ethnic groups in Bosnia Herzegovina?
Name two of the five states Yugoslavia became between
What were non-Serbs forced to wear in Prijedor?
Can you name the notorious camp that held 3,500 people?
How long did the Siege of Sarajevo last?
Who named Srebrenica as a ‘safe area’ in 1993?
Who was Ratko Mladić?
How many Bosnian Muslims were murdered in the massacre at Srebrenica?
In what month and year did the massacre take place?

5. ‘I do actually think that when journalists do their duty
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Christiane Amanpour
‘I do actually think that when
journalists do their duty
and tell the story and report the truth, that it does eventually make a difference.’
By Amanpourtátk [CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons]

6. Discussion point one – objectivity Darfur in Sudan
Discuss the quote below.
‘Objectivity I believe means giving each side their hearing but not treating each side the same. Not drawing a moral equivalence which would be a false equivalence… The forces who are bombarding, besieging and shelling a city full of civilians do not have the same moral standing as those who are being bombed, shelled, starved and besieged.’
Amanpour did not shy away from drawing moral distinctions between
different sides in the war.
This went against the journalistic code at the time of remaining objective.
What are the arguments for and against her approach?
By Amanpourtátk [CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons]

7. Discussion point two - criticism Darfur in Sudan
Amanpour is one of the world’s leading war correspondents. However,
her approaches and instincts have been controversial and received criticism.
Stephen Kinzer’s article in the New York Times on 9 October 1994 included this quote from an anonymous colleague of Amanpour’s:
‘[Christiane Amanpour] was sitting in Belgrade when that marketplace massacre happened, and she went on the air to say that the Serbs had probably done it. There was no way she could have known that. She was assuming an omniscience which no journalist has.’
What do you think about Amanpour speculating in this way?
What were the factors influencing her decision to do so?
How does this story relate to the earlier discussion on objectivity?
Markale marketplace
By nate.gay - Woman Working in the MarketUploaded by Smooth_O, CC BY 2.0,

8. Discussion point 3 - Amanpour questioning President Bill Clinton
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Watch these two clips:
Amanpour questioning Clinton from Sarajevo:
Reflecting on that moment later in her career:
From the CNN YouTube channel
From the Makers YouTube channel

9. Q Darfur in Sudan The definition of genocide
Sometimes journalists are the first people to witness atrocities and suggest that they might be
defined as genocide. Q
Question
What is genocide?
In small groups, discuss what you think might be included in the definition of genocide.
When do you think this word was invented?
Compare your ideas, then click to the next slide to find out the full definition and see
how close your ideas were.

10. geno- with -cide Raphael Lemkin Darfur in Sudan
A Polish Jewish lawyer called Raphael Lemkin coined the word ‘genocide’ in 1944, in response to the Holocaust.
In 1946 the General Assembly of the United Nations resolved that genocide was a crime under international law.
Lemkin formed the word by combining
geno- with -cide
from the Greek word for race or tribe
from the Latin word for killing

11. Q The legal definition Darfur in Sudan
Genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national,
ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
(a) Killing members of the group; (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole
or in part;  (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;  (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. Q
Questions
How many of your ideas are featured in this definition? What did you miss out or include?
Did you have other ideas about what kinds of groups can be targeted in genocide?
What criticisms might be brought against this definition?

12. DISCUSS What is the role of journalists during a genocide?
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What is the role of journalists during a genocide?
DISCUSS

13. What is the role of journalists during a genocide?
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What is the role of journalists during a genocide?
Possible answers:
To discover the truth?
To tell the world what is happening?
To gather information and testimony?
What else?
Should a journalist:
Make a judgement on what is happening?
Put pressure on governments or world leaders to take action?
Intervene or try and rescue people?

14. How are words used in the media today?
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How are words used in the media today?
Can you think of examples of:
Words used to resist
Words used to dehumanise people
Words used to unite
Words used to divide people

15. Protesters march in cities
How are words used in the media today?
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Can you think of examples of:
Words used to resist
Words used to dehumanise people
Protesters march in cities
across the UK
Migrants swarm to Britain
Not in my name
Flood of refugees
Words used to unite
Words used to divide people
My refugee journey
Travellers invade village

16. How will you use the power of your words for good?
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How will you use the power of your words for good?