MUSCAT, 7 September 2004 — The media has been playing an active and positive role in all societies of the world, especially in times of wars and crises, during which it is, indeed, the first line of defense.
Unfortunately, the media, be it print, visual or audio-visual, is no longer confined to its traditional role of just transmission or dissemination of events and images as they are. It has assumed playing a bigger, dangerous role of triggering off crises that transcend the borders of nations. Campaigns unleashed by the media propagate opinions that influence decision-makers of the world into adopting stands contrary to their personal conviction. Not surprisingly, some media organs, particularly those in the West, have become integral parts of institutions undertaking decision-making for thinking, analysis, discussions and preparations.
Most crises we are now witnessing the world over are being manipulated by the media — sometimes for finding solutions and some times for inflaming the situation. A review of some of these crises worldwide would provide one with proof to justify the accusation against the media.
One good example is what happened in the US last Tuesday when thousands of people marched to the Fox television station to express their protest against the station’s policy. The protesters accused the station of bias in favor of the policy of the current US administration and of participation in the mistakes made by President George W. Bush in involving the American forces in the mud of war on Iraq. Some of them raised banners that said Fox TV had been covering up the mistakes of President Bush and the Republican Party in adopting an unfair foreign policy that increased the intensity of hate toward the US. What Fox TV had committed, we were told, was no less dangerous than the misleading information provided by the CIA.
The people who gathered in front of Fox TV last Tuesday were expressing their strong disapproval of the dangerous role that the media plays in various crises the world now witnesses. The protesters chose Fox TV because they knew that its influence on the US administration has been paramount and that it is a partner in all the mistakes committed by the ruling Republican Party. Not surprisingly, the protest against Fox coincided with massive demonstrations by tens of thousands of people in the streets of New York before the Republican Party convention at Madison Square Garden to nominate George W. Bush to presidential elections scheduled for November.
There is yet another example that shows the impact of the media on topical issues. French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier chose Al-Jazeera TV to be his first station before embarking on a Middle East trip, during which he visited Egypt, Jordan and Qatar, in his attempt to help with the release of the French journalists, Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, who had been taken hostage by an Islamic group in Iraq.
Not confining himself to diplomatic channels to ensure the safety of his compatriots, the French minister very wisely chose the most effective and fastest media organ. The minister knew that access to an unknown group would require a short cut — one that only the media could provide.
Not just the French minister, but even the Muslim scholars’ association in Iraq found no way other than media channels to convey their message to the hostage-takers for the release of the French journalists.
In all these situations, we find that the media had always a role to play, positive or negative. No doubt, the media will remain a major player to reckon with. The media game, it seems, has become identical to the political game itself, though roles may shift from case to case.
For example, the Darfur crisis in western Sudan had begun as a local dispute but quickly became an international one that reached the tables of the UN Security Council, thanks to Western media reports which turned a tribal dispute into a racial row and massacre. The media exaggerated the incidents to incite certain international organizations, which, in turn, dragged senior politicians to a region with limited space and little significance.
Beware — what had happened in Darfur could repeat itself tomorrow in another part of the world. It is always spark that starts an inferno — the sparks of bias and exaggeration the media trigger shall always remain a danger.
— Essa bin Mohammed Al Zedjali is editor in chief of The Times of Oman.
