The formal presentation of the Bawku Peace Mediation Report by His Royal Majesty , King of Asante, to , President of the Republic of Ghana, marks a significant milestone in efforts to resolve one of Ghana’s most protracted and complex conflicts. After months of sustained engagement, dialogue, and mediation, the process has entered an even more delicate phase: reconciliation.
At this stage, the role of the media becomes not only important but decisive. How the story of Bawku is told after mediation, how narratives are framed, and how information is contextualised will significantly influence whether peace efforts are consolidated or undermined. Media coverage during reconciliation can either reinforce healing or reopen wounds.
My research on the role of the media in conflict resolution, using the Dagbon chieftaincy conflict as a case study in 2019, offers valuable lessons for how Ghana’s media should operate in the aftermath of mediation processes. The study analysed reportage from the Daily Graphic and Daily Guide, alongside in-depth interviews with senior journalists and editors. It revealed that although the media was not formally embedded within mediation structures, it functioned as an active and influential indirect actor in the peace process. This insight is especially relevant to the Bawku situation today.
Why the Reconciliation Phase Is High-Risk
Peace agreements and mediation reports do not automatically translate into peace on the ground. In many cases, the post-mediation phase is the most fragile. Expectations are high, emotions remain raw, and competing interpretations of outcomes can easily become polarised along ethnic, political, or communal lines.
The Dagbon experience demonstrated how media reporting can shape public understanding and influence behaviour during this sensitive period. Many reports during the mediation and immediate post-mediation stages consciously emphasised calm, the legitimacy of traditional processes, and the need for peaceful coexistence. This peace-oriented framing helped build public confidence in the process and reduced the likelihood of renewed violence.
However, the research also found that when reporting lacked sufficient context, relied on speculation, or framed developments in terms of winners and losers, tensions resurfaced quickly. Sensational headlines, poorly explained statements, or selective quotations had the potential to undo the gains made through months of negotiation.
These lessons underscore the reality that reconciliation is not just a political or traditional process; it is also a communicative one.
The Need for Conflict-Sensitive Reporting Guidelines
One of the central recommendations from the Dagbon study is the urgent need for newsrooms to formalise their ethics and norms for conflict reporting through documented editorial policy guides. During the Dagbon peace process, many journalists applied conflict-sensitive principles instinctively rather than institutionally. While this was commendable, it also exposed a critical weakness: inconsistency.
Documented editorial policies on conflict reporting serve several vital purposes. First, they provide clear guidance to journalists—especially younger reporters—on language use, sourcing, framing, and verification in conflict-related stories. Second, they promote consistency, preventing contradictory narratives from emerging within the same media organisation. Third, they protect media houses by grounding editorial decisions in shared ethical standards rather than individual judgment or bias.
In conflict environments, ambiguity can be dangerous. A single headline, a poorly contextualised quote, or a sensational framing can inflame tensions and reverse progress. Conflict-sensitive reporting guidelines act as guardrails, helping journalists navigate these risks responsibly and professionally.
As Ghana continues to grapple with communal and chieftaincy conflicts, investing in codified conflict-reporting handbooks or editorial policy frameworks is no longer optional. It is a peacebuilding necessity.
Media, Memory, and the Future of Peace in Bawku
The Bawku Peace Mediation Report presents Ghana with a rare opportunity—not only to resolve a longstanding conflict but also to deepen a national culture of peace. Whether this opportunity is fully realised will depend, in part, on how the media performs its role during the reconciliation phase.
The Dagbon experience has shown that responsible journalism can support healing, foster trust in institutions, and encourage coexistence. The challenge now is for Ghana’s media to apply these lessons deliberately, ethically, and consistently in Bawku and beyond.
Peace is not sustained by agreements alone. It is sustained by narratives, by restraint, and by the stories we choose to tell.
Short Bio of Author
Princess Sekyere Bih is a communications and development professional and a graduate researcher whose work focuses on media, conflict, and peacebuilding in Ghana. She has conducted in-depth research on the role of Ghana’s media in the Dagbon conflict resolution process.
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