Saudi, British FMs discuss regional developments in phone call    Saudi Arabia unveils new skill-based system for expatriate work permits Classification for existing workers began on June 18 while July 1 set for newcomers    New Saudi embassy building inaugurated in Moscow    Nearly 17 million foreign pilgrims perform Umrah in 2024, up 101% from 2022 Makkah ranks 5th globally in number of international visitors    Saudi Arabia reaffirms dedication to achieving equitable and sustainable digital development    Over 80,000 commercial registrations issued in 2Q 2025, bringing total to 1.7 million    Elon Musk announces launch of new political party amid fallout with Trump    UK Foreign Secretary makes historic visit to Syria    Khamenei makes first public appearance since Iran–Israel war    Desperate search continues as Texas flood kills 51, including 15 children 27 girls from summer camp still missing    Riot Games responds to match-fixing allegations in VALORANT    BLAST responds to BESTIA Visa controversy ahead of CS2 Austin major    Christophe Galtier named NEOM SC head coach ahead of historic Saudi Pro League debut    Level Up Docuseries launches June 6 on Prime Video    OPEC+ further accelerates oil output hike by 548,000 bpd in August    Saudi Arabia tops global ICT Development Index for 2025    Michael Madsen, actor of 'Kill Bill' and 'Reservoir Dogs' fame, dead at 67    BTS are back: K-pop band confirm new album and tour    Michelin Guide launches in Saudi Arabia with phased rollout in 2025    'How fragile we are': Roskilde Festival tragedy remembered 25 years on    Sholay: Bollywood epic roars back to big screen after 50 years with new ending    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Iraq's media crisis fueled by politics
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 09 - 05 - 2013


DIANA MOUKALLED
Al Arabiya

“You signify nothing in confronting the government.” This is what Iraqi premier Nouri Al-Maliki said a few days ago in an address to Al-Anbar protesters after he had previously described them as “bubbles.” The statement came after he had threatened those organizing the protests - which were mobilized weeks ago – saying that they must “end these protests before they are finished.”
The same rhetoric has repeated itself over the past three years, reaching the point of monotony. Yet, despite this, the rhetoric cannot be ignored. Such rhetoric, adopted by an official to address citizens he supposedly cares for brings to mind recent memories such as when the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi described Libyan protesters as “rats.”
The public statements made by Maliki were accompanied by security activities some of which were bloody and some of which targeted the media directly by shutting down ten Iraqi satellite channels accused of not being objective and of marketing strife. Of course the decision to shut down satellite channels or media outlets did not include any channel that sympathizes with the regime and which since day one of the protests has accused protesters of treason and of being Baathists and Al-Qaeda members.
What further worsened the situation is how the official media outlets dealt with the footage of members of the army who have been killed. The regime's channels repeatedly broadcast footage of their corpses in a shocking manner in order to incite sectarian emotions, and they have almost totally overlooked the murdered and injured protesters.
It is true that media outlets which supported the protesters also made accusations and triggered incitement by describing the army as “safavi” and by including several sectarian issues. But the authority's transformation into a civil and sectarian party is more scandalous.
It is also true that shutting down ten satellite channels will not dry up the sources of tension. Blaming the problem on the media's performance seems to be a quick, repugnant excuse which people who lack wisdom in their attempt to cover up for their violations usually resort to.
In this case, blaming the problem on an uncontrolled media is nothing more than an attempt to divert attention from the current Iraqi crisis. Perhaps shutting down channels that oppose Maliki is a move that aims to compensate for not directly dealing with reality. The media only shows divisions but it is politics that cause them.
Simplifying problems and suggesting that they have been triggered by the media is a form of escape from the bigger facts that burden Iraq today.
It is true that no one is exonerated for the spilling of Iraqi blood. It is also true that the opposition has also resorted to sectarian rhetoric. But the biggest responsibility falls on the Iraqi authority. When the authority becomes sectarian, acts as such and gets involved in regional confrontations for sectarian reasons, it becomes hard to control confrontations. The solution, in this case, is saying that the media is responsible for mobilization. Then, another move that falls within a sectarian context is carried out and media outlets are shut down. And therefore, more tension builds as a result.
– Diana Moukalled is the Web Editor at the Lebanon-based Future Television. Follow her on Twitter @dianamoukalled


Clic here to read the story from its source.