Peace or War Journalism: The Role of Media in Conflict and Societal Division in Libya After 2011
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study examines the role of Libyan television channels in the conflict that began in 2011 following the so-called Arab Spring, conceptualizing television not merely as a reflector of conflict but as an active conflict actor within a fragmented media–political ecosystem. It analyzes how television outlets became embedded in conflict dynamics, highlighting the widespread presence of hate speech, incitement, and toxic discourse across much of the Libyan broadcast media. Particular attention is paid to the instrumentalization of television as a political tool and to the conflict-driven narratives promoted through programming, especially live talk shows. Employing an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, the study combines a quantitative survey with follow-up qualitative interviews to examine the structural and political conditions that produce partisan media alignment in contexts of state collapse. The analysis is grounded in the theoretical frameworks of war journalism and peace journalism, which are critically extended to account for media behavior in prolonged, multi-actor conflicts characterized by weak institutions and external intervention. Rather than treating journalistic practices as solely professional choices, the study theorizes them as outcomes of power relations, regulatory absence, and conflict economies. The findings demonstrate a high level of media involvement in the conflict, with most television channels functioning as mobilizing agents for competing political and military actors. This destructive role is closely linked to the absence of a functioning state, weak regulatory frameworks, and ineffective institutions, as well as foreign interference and political fragmentation. Talk shows emerge as a key discursive arena in which conflict frames are produced, amplified, and legitimized, making them central to processes of incitement and political mobilization. The study further shows that dominant media discourse does not facilitate reconciliation but instead reproduces conflict logics through mobilization- and incitement-oriented language. Peace-oriented journalism and reconciliation-focused discourse remain marginal, not merely due to professional shortcomings, but because of the structural absence of legal, ethical, and institutional conditions necessary for peace journalism to emerge. Overall, the study advances theoretical understandings of media roles in conflict by demonstrating how, in deeply divided and institutionally fragile societies, television media shift from being potential agents of peace and information to instruments of polarization, conflict reproduction, and societal fragmentation. By conceptualizing Libyan television as an integral part of the conflict infrastructure, this study contributes to broader debates on media, conflict, and peacebuilding, offering conceptual insights into the conditions under which media may be transformed from instruments of war into agents of social cohesion.
Author: Omer, Ibrahim Ali, A.
Language: English
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7168837925