Does the proliferation of 24 hour news media across the Middle East mean there will be a greater chance of helping to increase democratisation in the region? According to some speakers at We Media that is unlikely and remains one of several great misperceptions that persist in the West about Arab media.
Michael Kraig, director of policy analysis and dialogue at the Stanley Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation in the United States, said the growth of civil society, fuelled by the development of new media providers, could empower nationalism in the Middle East.
“The Western perception that if you have an expanded civil society, free speech and media, you’ll have democratisation that is more friendly to the U.S. position,” he said, speaking at a session on the Middle East. “That’s an unfortunate misconception. The growth of civil society can empower nationalism, not just in regards to national governments but also to external interveners in their own affairs.”
Rami Khouri, of the Lebanon Daily Star, agreed that there remained a “huge gap” in accurate understanding of Arab media. This, he added, is partly because the message that the media carries is not one that outsiders happen to agree with.
He described three great misperceptions about Arab media - that it incites anti-American feeling, that it is a mouthpiece for Osama bin Laden and other related groups and that it is of poor quality. None of these perceptions were correct, he insisted.
Khouri said:” The first misperception is that Arab media deliberately incite anti-West and anti-American feeling. In fact the Arab media is a reflection of public opinion and sentiments in society. There are ideas coming out of Arab satellite stations that are critical of Arab regimes because that sentiment is reflected in society.
“There is also a perception that Al Jazeera is a mouthpiece for bin Laden and terrorist groups because they put their tapes on air. The fact is, these are newsworthy tapes.”
Questions surrounding the quality of Arab satellite stations are also a myth, he said, adding that he would put his money where his mouth is:”I have spent the last five to six years, every night, watching Arab and Western satellite stations. I watch them all and am prepared to bet a double falafel sandwich with sauce or dinner at Simpson’s in the Strand that al Jazeera’s news coverage of events in the Middle East is more complete and more balanced than any American station, or any Western station. You get both sides.
“There is a comprehensiveness and integrity to Arabic satellite coverage that you don’t get in the West. Sure, they have only been on air for six to seven years, so there are still some things that need to improve.”
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The casual imperialism of western observers astounds me. Free media in the Arab could help and suport democratisation but this is unlikely to be supportive of American foreign policy. American foreign policy has, and still is, inflicting war and poverty on the rest of the world. Democracy could bring improved human rights. American foreign policy and human righs are not usually equated in the arab world and until the US sorts out its morals and treats foreigners with the same dignity and rights it affords its own citizens their will be anti american feeling all around the world.
- Posted by ellieNew media in the Middle East don’t say that the conflicts in this region are generated by the lack of education. In this region people has less chances to accede at education than in western region. There are so many country in the Middle East without oil so the “imperialism” of the western is less visible, these countries have a large number of citizen without education, they can not manage and they do not know to live a decent life. 20-25% of population are living good, the rest is the material for lies and manipulation of extremist because they do not know to much and they do not want to know.
- Posted by mastic