Mass Communicators

7. Massively Parallel Roles & Tasks

Mass Communicators are journalists, artists, and opinion leaders who scale up bridge building activities in ways that reach vastly larger numbers of people. In addition to the Solutions Journalism Network, other examples include Search for Common Ground with their efforts to teach journalists how to report from conflict zones and empower young radio journalists in addition to their pioneering use of radio soap operas to teach conflict resolution skills and bring deeply divided peoples back together, first in Rwanda and Burundi, and later all around the world. (This is a wonderful article about these programs.)  Digital Community Stewards take a different approach by training those who host online groups in strategies for limiting destructive conflict and building social cohesion. There are also charismatic leaders like Gandhi, King, and Mandela who have been able to use low-tech communication technologies to build large followings for campaigns that simultaneously pursue peace and justice. (Unfortunately, today's most popular and charismatic leaders seem to be taking a much more divisive approach to social advocacy — with the notable exception of the governors who have founded and expanded the Disagree Better Campaign.) Despite these efforts, it is clear that there is still a critical need for more projects that combine a sophisticated understanding of constructive conflict strategies with ability to effectively use today's powerful mass communication technologies. 

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