Strategically Communicating

As I read Neumann & Fahmy’s article on war/peace framing, I couldn’t help but think about the ways that we see war and peace frames shape our everyday news coverage. Specifically, I thought of the recent bombing at the Boston marathon. While there is no doubt that this unfortunate event deserves and requires news coverage examining the brutal reality of what happened, I have been heartened by an emerging sentiment re-framing the event as a testament to the good in people. In the face of this brutal act, everyday people came to each other’s rescue to help heal wounds and find loved ones.

This re-framing has emerged in the public forum through unlikely spokespeople like comedian Patton Oswalt. In his commentary on the bombing, Oswalt reminds us, “when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, ‘the good outnumber you, and we always will.’”

As consumers grow ever skeptical of commercial news outlets and take increased ownership of news through blogs and social media outlets, I wonder if we will see more and more re-framed news from individuals who seek a peace frame approach to our world. We may not be able to control the events around us, but we can take a moment to consider how we frame them.