By Shelton A. Gunaratne ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚© 2011 Professor of mass communications emeritusƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ at Minnesota State University Moorhead

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In the previous 10 essays in this series, I developed in considerable detail the reasons why a Buddhist-oriented Journalism should emerge in the cotemporary world to coincide with the impending collapse of the tottering capitalist system and the potential establishment of a more equitable world system that will reflect the Dhammic (Indian) and Daoic (Chinese) approaches, which will reduce dukkha (discontent) both individually and socially by recognizing craving (tanha/trsna) and the related conditional factors as the causes of dukkha. Let me recapture some of the main points I made:

1. BJ is not the reporting of Buddhist events, although it can include them. BJ is based on the Four Noble Truths (FNT), the Noble Eightfold Path (NEP) and their operational mechanism embedded in the doctrine ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ paticca samuppadaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ (dependent co-arising): This being, that becomes/ From the arising of this, that arises/ This not being that becomes not/ From the ceasing of this, that ceases.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
2. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ BJ is not religious propaganda because FNT and NEP are not based on transcendental commandments but on experiential insight. The sila (ethical conduct) dimension of NEP is applicable to adherents of all major religions. Its samadhi (mental development) dimension is rapidly gaining acceptance among non-Buddhists as well. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
3. People from all faiths canƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ subscribe to the NEP because it does not violate their faith in God. A BJ based on the NEP framework allows people to understandƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ implicitlyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the evils and pitfalls of the materialist world brought about by the advertising based (Western-style) journalisms.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ BJ will co-exist with mainstream journalism.
4. BJ news paradigm will stand in contrast to the Western news paradigm with regard to their respective cosmological views on self/ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-no self,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ nature, space and time, knowledge, and the transpersonal.
5. Buddhism contains the staples of a distinct Eastern/Oriental philosophy that clearly stand out as a complement ofƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚or in contrast toƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚Western/Occidental philosophy. An alternative news paradigm based on a Buddhist framework should be of interest to most of Asia. Buddhism bridges the gap between Dhammic and Daoic philosophies.
6. Buddhism itself experienced the three features of existenceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚anicca (impermanence), anattaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ (no self/interdependence) andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ dukkha (unsatisfactoriness)ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚over the course of its history. BJ cannot be an exclusive category of journalism. All genres of journalism are interconnected, interdependent and interactive with one another. Thus, stories with a Buddhist touch may appear under any genre.
7. BJƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s aim is to make news a social good. Because advertising is one of the main causes for spreadingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ tanhaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ (craving) among individuals, BJ cannot depend on advertising. Its funding must come from benefactors, non-profit foundations, and local governments.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  BJ is process oriented, not event oriented.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
8. BJ goals and mainstream news values/traits do not see eye to eye in relation to three factorsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚prominence, proximity and the unusual; are ambiguous in relation to three other factorsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚timeliness, impact and conflict; and are potentially compatible with the last two factorsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚currency (e.g., sudden emergence of a long simmering situation) and necessity (e.g., a situation that a journalist feels compelled to reveal. On each of the five parts of the Western news paradigm, BJ stands as its complement or contradictionƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬‚the typical yin-yang relationship of every phenomenon. This leads us to the conclusion that the current predominance of mainstream journalism requires harmony and balance through the active intervention of BJ.
9. Examples of BJ that I have written and published in the Lankaweb provide evidence that a practitioner can report on universal phenomena, world affairs, national and local affairs within the framework of the Buddhist/Oriental news paradigm outlined in this series.

10.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Several mutually dependent genres of journalismsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  (e.g., peace, development, advocacy, and civic/public) emerged in the second half of the 20^th century to express dissatisfaction (dukkha) with the mainstream news paradigm, which came under severe fire by the Hutchins Commission. These new journalisms, supplemented by a range of other genres (e.g., precision/ social-scientific, literary/new, etc.) influenced one another to varying degrees proving that everything is subject to change (anicca). [New Journalism, as codified by Tom Wolfe,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ was a style of 1960s and 1970sƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ news writingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and journalismƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ that used literary techniques deemed unconventional at the time. Precision journalism was the incorporation of statistical techniques and the methods of social science into journalism.]

Then, why add a Buddhist genre?

Of the new genres, as pointed out in the last installment, the closest to BJ is GaltungƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s peace journalism. Galtung (1993) says the Buddhist way of looking at the world comes closest to the one dynamic, complex peace theory, in which the world is ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-precisely a process based on diversity in symbiotic (mutually influential) interaction.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ A Buddhist worldview based on the principle of dependent origination, its analysis of the causes of conflicts and violence, and the open communication and participatory decision-making procedures in social organizations, would inform and provide useful paths for theoretical approaches and research-based applications in peace studies.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  In particular, the Buddhist observation and reflection techniques may start an ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-inner revolutionƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ among warring people as well as peace activists: enabling them to see more clearly the multilateral forces operating in the situation, and reexamining the appropriateness of own causes and behaviors.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

Although development journalism was hatched in the journalism schools of the United States within the parameters of Occidental cosmology, its application in the developing countries gave it a touch of Buddhist/Oriental cosmology, as well. Civic/public journalism was also an Occidental artifact nurtured in the U.S. academia. It should be clear that, except for peace journalism, all other reform movements emerged within the framework of Occidental cosmology. Applying the principle of the dialectical completion of relative polarities to journalism, one can surmise that the yin-yang continuum ranging from Occidental cosmology to Oriental cosmology has malfunctioned to the disadvantage of the latter. To restore balance and harmony between the two forces, the weaker force needs reinforcement.

BJ will provide this long overdue reinforcement. One may counter: IsnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t peace journalism already doing BJ? Answer: Yes, it does. But it is more involved in training people, including journalists, in conflict resolution. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It doesnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t have the staff or the facilities to report the world from the Buddhist point of view on curtailing dukkha.

Jake Lynch, a collaborator of Galtung, gives a five-pronged definition of peace journalism:ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It explores the backgrounds and contexts of conflict formation, presenting causes and options on every side (not just ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”both sidesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢);ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ gives voice to the views of all rival parties, from all levels;ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ offers creative ideas for conflict resolution, development, peacemaking and peacekeeping; exposes lies, cover-up attempts and culprits on all sides, and reveals excesses committed by, and suffering inflicted on, peoples of all parties; and pays attention to peace stories and post-war developments. BJ will apply a similar approach to reporting all aspects of global, national and local developments.

Buddhist organizations in Sri Lanka can take the initiative in collaboration with Buddhist organizations in other Asian countries to start a Web-based newspaper freely accessible to readers all over the world. The project will not appeal to big business in Asia but is likely appeal to the philanthropic organizations in Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Thailand and even Australia and India. The initiators must work in harmony with GaltungƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s peace journalism movement for the training of journalists who will pioneer Buddhist journalism. The public-trustee-owned Lake House can provide the office and Web facilities with the support of the Sri Lanka government. Budusarana can become the Sinhala version of the proposed worldwide Buddhist daily/weekly.