Implications of Negative Media Coverage in the Middle East

Implications of Negative Media Coverage in the Middle East

Melinda M. Wood

Columbia College

Middle Eastern Cultural Studies MESC 101

Abstract

Media coverage, especially visual media, is an extremely powerful tool. Negative media coverage on the Middle East leaves Westerners with the perception that the Middle East, Arabs, and Muslims as a whole are terrorists. Under our first amendment rights, it’s lawful for news coverage to report false information. With false data, come false accusations. Any news anchor can take the behavior of a single person and imply that all people within that particular group, whether it is an ethnic, religious or a social group, and claim that they all behave in the same manner; this is commonly known as a stereotype. When Americans hear the term “Arab,” they tend think of terrorists. This has been caused by Western media trying to instill fear within us when it comes to the Middle East. Anytime there is coverage on any type of Arab descent, it’s in a negative manner. The word terrorism is used by the press when re-counting events and people that they object to. Ironically enough, when the media is describing the same type of acts being accomplished by individuals that are not Arabs, they use words that are impartial and fair.

Implication of Negative Media Coverage in the Middle East

Humanity has a natural hunger for information. The media as a whole is only as powerful as a person permits it to be in their life. I believe that each and every one of us has to take responsibility for their own attitudes toward the information that is delivered by the media. We are all susceptible to media influence and manipulation, so we need to remember to always examine the media very critically. Since media is everywhere, the repetition of the information almost makes us believe that it’s all true. What we need to keep in mind is that the information we receive on a daily basis does not need to control us, we don’t have to give it undue influence over our lives, but what we do need to do with the information that we receive is make informed decisions in regard to our own lives. I am sure that we can all agree that the media is a very powerful tool and yes, it is figurative and persuasive. The media also has the potential ability to control our minds to a certain extent, but we need to not let it control our action. When you think about it, most ordinary everyday people only have conversations with family, friends, and colleagues. Most of us do not interact with officials, lawyers or doctors, so we are left to believe what the media is reporting.

There are a number of occurrences that encompass the manipulation of news in order to advance political benefit. This manipulation can mislead audiences and cause deception and lack of authenticity. When we misinterpret the news it can cause common imbalance. When we misconstrue religious or ethnically sensitive information, it can lead to riots. When you take information for truth and dwell on it, you can actually start seeing indications of it in your outside world; it does not matter if the material is undesirable or positive, it will start to be replicated in your life. The media is guilty of being so influential on our lives that it makes us live in fear and it can make us closed minded to any new experiences. This couldn’t be truer when it comes to how the media portrays the Middle East. We are left to believe what the media advertises as being the truth, but in actuality, most times, it’s not even close to the reality.

Most Americans absorb what they know about Arabs and Muslims from the media, and most of what is televised or published in newspapers or movies portrays Arabs and Muslims in an undesirable manner. Arabs and Muslims are commonly linked with violence and terrorism. Even children’s literature portrays Arabs and Muslims negatively. So how are we to teach our children not to stereotype at such a young age? Children do not know what being prejudice even means, but the media all around them is teaching them the Arabs and Muslims have nothing else to offer except violence.

Islamophobia is a term used to describe someone who has a dislike of or a prejudice against Islam or Muslims. Islamophobia has been on the rise since the bombing of the World Trade Center and the development of ISIS. Islam and the Middle East as a whole have been regularly depicted by global media as violent prone. Too often Americans perceive Arabs and Muslims as terrorists causing sever bias to the entire group. It’s unfortunate that Western media organizations can’t show Muslims in their everyday life, such as educators, parents, or simply as professionals. In general, the American public often has very little knowledge of the Middle East, and has nothing but the media to lean on in order to stay informed. The fact that U.S. media has a relentless bombardment of struggles, and terrorist activities only leaves the American people with the misimpression of the Middle East. The Middle East has much more to offer than just terrorism. It has a surplus of cultures, religions, and an incredible geographic diversity. Unfortunately, the medias perspective and images on the Middle East are inaccurate mainly because it is not understood by those whom are reporting on it. The Middle East is possibly one of the most misinterpreted counties in the world, and history has never been as cordial as to offering the chance to link the communication gap between the United States and Middle East.

In most instances, the American people rely solely on news anchors to deliver the most up to date and accurate stories as they occur, big names like Walter Cronkite and Frank Reynolds among them. Walter Cronkite spoke on CBS news regularly about the Muslim hatred for the United States. During one news cast on ABC, Frank Reynolds voiced over a crowd of people chanting “God is great” with what he thought the crowd was saying; “hatred of America” (Said, 86). When Americans hear this kind of material, they tend to believe it. The media is such a powerful tool and is often used in a negligent manner. Amber Lyon, whom is an award winning journalist, indicated that CNN is routinely paid by the U.S. government and foreign governments to selectively report on certain events, events they, the government, wants reported. She even went as far as to say “the Obama administration pays CNN for editorial control over some of their content” (News Wire 2015).

If you were to pole American today and ask them what is the biggest threat in the Middle East, the answer you would most likely get would be ISIS. There is no doubt that ISIS is a horrible group and has caused hatred among Americans and Middle Easterners. The media though, does a wonderful job reporting on ISIS without confirming their stories. TIME magazine published a story in July of 2014, “UN: ISIS Orders Women and Girls in Mosul to Undergo Genital Mutilation” (TIME, 2014). They claimed that Islamic extremists ordered girls and women around the city of Mosul to undergo genital mutilation. TIME claimed that over 4 million females were affected by this. The story was quickly discredited by experts and journalists, but TIME magazine nor did the UN come back stating that the story was a hoax. In June of 2014, Fox News reported that “ISIS stole $425 million and became the world’s richest terrorist group” (Fox News, June 2014). After some research by US officials, the story was found to be bogus.