ABSTRACT
This chapter concerns how the peace process emerged, how news became part of the peace process and some of the potential problems it created for politicians seeking to promote peace. In order to address these questions, it consists of four sections. Firstly, it outlines how the peace process evolved and considers the main political players and events which shaped it. Secondly, the chapter examines the role of news within the developing peace and highlights examples of the media being used as a communicative conduit between Republicans and the British government. Thirdly, it examines how the peace process became a paradigm for reading events and some of the problems that this created for communicating the various positions and complexities within it. And fourthly, the chapter highlights the media's ability to undermine politically objectives because of an emphasis on conflict, disagreement and fragmentation. The impact of news on peace negotiations is therefore more complex and problematic than it is on conflict.
