Arab media: victim and villain

A number of reports have been monitoring the regression of press freedom in Arab states, especially by governments in post-revolution countries. What is even more dangerous and what has not been included in the reports that were released on World Press Freedom Day is the fact that many of these media outlets have fallen prey to propaganda. These media outlets are broadcasting and promoting a sense of panic among the people in an attempt to impose the will of old and new rulers alike. The people are paying the price for this propaganda with their blood and souls, as it requires a complete disregard for human life and passion.

It comes as no surprise, then, that the forces of the counter-revolution, which uphold the interests of powerful groups that are funded both internally and externally, not only prevent revolutions from coming full circle and keep a tight hold on wealth, but also do not allow freedom of the press. Moreover, the forces of the counter-revolution do not consider the validity and credibility, or even professional ethics, behind any given piece of information. In fact, they only understand the language that it takes to control the media in a way that suits their own interests. Arab media in its worse state, or rather decadence, is a collection of television stations and newspapers with a pseudo-religious veneer, one that is used to spread panic and sectarian and religious strife. It uses fascist speech to exclude the other, prevent progress and undermine the people’s revolution.

Four years after the start of the Arab uprisings we now see that the old regimes have once again taken the lead. They have undermined and to some extent criminalised freedom of expression. As for the new systems, which are really covers for the continuation of old regimes, are directly and indirectly repressing the people. Egypt, for example, has taken the revolutions as a green light to throw journalists in prison and torture them.

In Syria, where the struggle continues thanks to the involvement of foreign groups funded by foreign governments, the media finds itself caught between the oppression and injustices brought about by the authorities and terrorism brought about by groups who are riding the wave of the uprising in an effort to destroy it. These factors have made Syria the most dangerous place for journalists in the world. The emergence of these groups with their exclusionary speeches must certainly be fabricated to a certain extent because they have given the regime the green light to suppress the people and silence the opposition under the pretext of the “War on Terrorism”. Thus, the media has become one of the most important ways to instil fear and intimidation amongst the people and force them to accept injustices out of fear of the alternative, which is portrayed as being much worse. This means that the media has not only regressed but also contributed to the distortion of facts and realities and facilitated the return of old regimes in new forms. The media promoted violations of political and societal freedoms and claimed that the old-new governments would restore “safety and security”.

In most cases, the Arab citizen is exposed to doses of intimidation that not only paralyse his or her mind but also instil and cultivate a sense of hatred towards the “other”. Instead of promoting values of equality and justice, the media seeks to justify killing and torture. All of this is occurring because a revolution requires enlightenment to succeed whereas aborting a revolution requires a blackout.

There is no doubt that the Arab nation’s welcoming reception of incitement is a sign that the prevailing political system and its accompanying culture and community have succeeded in instilling distorted values. In fact, many of these values were already well established and therefore it was easy for political forces to use the media to control public opinion and take advantage of the sense of chaos that would lead us to a civil war.

The result is that while many Arab journalists are paying the price for the loss of freedom of expression, many reporters are complicit in this disgusting game and benefit therefrom. There is no room for humanitarian ethics or professionalism. The Arab media has become the victim and the villain at one and the same time.

We now understand to what extent a media personality can be controlled by fear and we understand that he of she may fear losing their job and be able to provide for their family. However, one cannot begin to understand why the media would begin to broadcast lies and fabricate stories deliberately in order to serve its masters. We are all doomed by the fact that we have different political beliefs but to throw away all of our humanitarian standards when we have already disposed of our conscience is a crime in itself.

Translated from Al Araby Al Jadid 6 May, 2014

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.