The What If was born out of a research and development initiative called Media for Peace (M4P).
Launched in 2021, M4P brought together a multidisciplinary team of researchers in communication studies, international relations, and computer science from the University of the Bundeswehr Munich, the University of Berlin, and the Freie Universität Berlin.
The project set out to explore how can journalism contribute to peacebuilding and the de-escalation of conflict? And how can digital innovation enhance that potential?
To ground this inquiry, the team focused on two countries Lebanon and Afghanistan, both grappling with conflict and post-conflict dynamics, but with vastly different media ecosystems, which allowed for comparative research.
With Media Lab Bayern as the implementation partner, the team mapped the media landscapes, conducted interviews with local journalists and peacebuilding experts, and unpacked the challenges that prevent media from supporting conflict transformation.
They found out that there is no real space for peacebuilding in the public discourse.
Public narratives are often shaped by dominant political actors who amplify division. Traditional media tends to echo these voices, reinforcing polarization rather than challenging it.
In short, peacebuilding is quiet work, and media tends to favor loud voices.
Out of this realization, the team envisioned a two-part solution:
- Create a space where peacebuilding voices can meet, exchange, and co-create.
- Amplify those voices through thoughtful, constructive journalism.
This vision gave birth to The What If in January 2024. Its initial mission was to facilitate futures-thinking dialogues in Lebanon and Afghanistan and to publish long-form, solution-focused journalism based on those conversations.
In 2024 alone, we facilitated 22 dialogues and produced a wide range of journalistic stories. We saw first-hand how shifting the lens from problems to solutions changed the nature of the conversation. And we experienced the empowerment that comes from highlighting those actively working toward peace, for both communities and readers.
Along the way, we listened to the community.
Participants told us they wanted more follow-up and deeper engagement after the dialogues. They wanted to continue the conversations, develop concrete ideas, and work together to implement them.
After all, peacebuilding isn’t a one-time intervention—it’s an ongoing process. It needs to be repeated, adapted, and locally rooted.
On the journalism side, we quickly understood that partnering with local media outlets, already trusted and embedded in the community, was far more effective than trying to build new platforms.
And we heard something else: peacebuilders around the world, from activists to policymakers, were looking for a platform to share their work, connect with others, be inspired, and learn from best practices.
So we adapted.
On the peacebuilding side, we now stay longer and go deeper. We focus on topics the community cares about and co-design a range of activities, from dialogues to trainings to collaborative action.
To amplify community voices, we train local journalists in constructive journalism techniques, helping them shift from conflict reporting to solution-centered and conflict-sensitive storytelling.
On the journalism side, we created a dedicated editorial platform for the global peacebuilding community in search for deeper understanding and inspiration.
And to support everything we do, we integrate technology at every stage: we developed a narrative and sentiment analysis platform to detect and track polarizing narratives, we use qualitative surveys and media monitoring to measure our impact, and we use AI tools to support transcription, summarization, and content editing, freeing up time for deeper work.
Throughout, we remain committed to our vision: we thrive to transform conflict zones into hubs of understanding and inspiration. We envision a world where every voice contributes to a path to peace.
Will you join us in our journey?
