How to cover civil resistance amidst rising authoritarianism

In the news, we might not hear much about a political movement in another country, or even in our own country, unless it “turns violent,” or when “violence breaks out." In reality, building a protest movement takes planning and coordination, and many movements are explicitly nonviolent. In fact, it’s often people unaffiliated with movements who are responsible for violence at protests. Both activists and journalists are often frustrated. Activists complain that their actions don’t get enough coverage, or that the coverage tells an incomplete or skewed story. Journalists counter that activists need to get better at communicating with the media. Our guest Hardy Merriman watches political movements and the media that covers them closely, and he has advice for how both sides can tell better stories. Merriman is Director of the International Center for Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC), an organization that supports civil resistance movements globally through research and education. He’s deeply worried about the rise and strengthening of autocracy around the world. Authoritarians are cracking down on activists in ways that are hard to see – making the jobs of journalists more difficult, and even more crucial. LEARN MOREChronicling Civil Resistance: The Journalists’ Guide to Unraveling and Reporting Nonviolent Struggles for Rights, Freedom and JusticeBy Deborah Mathis and Hailey Grace Allen, edited by Hardy MerrimanICNC, April 2021Fostering a Fourth Democratic Wave: A Playbook for Countering the Authoritarian ThreatBy Hardy Merriman, Patrick Quirk, and Ash JainICNC and The Atlantic Council, March 2023Read more from Hardy Merriman at hardymerriman.comPlease leave us a rating or review and let us know what you think of the episode.HOW TO RATE AND REVIEW MAKING PEACE VISIBLEIn Apple Podcasts on iPhone Tap on the show name (Making Peace Visible) to navigate to the main podcast pageScroll down to the "Ratings and Reviews" sectionTo leave a rating only, tap on the starsTo leave a review, tap "Write a Review"In Spotify(Note: Spotify ratings are currently only available on mobile.)Tap on the show name (Making Peace Visible) to navigate to the main podcast pageTap on the star icon under the podcast description to rate the showIn Podcast Addict(Note: you may need to sign in before leaving a review.)From the episode page: On the top left above the show description, click "Post review."From the main podcast pageTap "Reviews" on the top left.On the Reviews page,  tap the icon of a pen and paper in the top right corner of the screen.ABOUT THE SHOWMaking Peace Visible is a project of War Stories Peace Stories. Our mission is to bring journalists and peacebuilders together to re-imagine the way the news media covers peace and conflict, and to facilitate expanded coverage of global peace and reconciliation efforts. Join the conversation on Twitter: @warstoriespeace. Write to us at jsimon@warstoriespeacestories.org. More at warstoriespeacestories.org.  Making Peace Visible is hosted by Jamil Simon, and produced by Andrea Muraskin. Additional sound engineering by Faith McClure.Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions, Podington Bear and Bill Vortex.