Position Paper I: Perspectives of Local News

Western Perception of Middle East via News

The Middle East is an expansive region that covers a wide variety of cultures and history. It is a crucial geographic point as it connects three continents: Asia, Europe, and North Africa. It is even referred to as the "cross roads" because of this feat; for centuries, this place has been the hub for activity because of it ideal location for travel and resources. In turn, it is no surprise that much happens in this area, and it is a hot spot for media coverage.

Since the early 2000's, the Middle East has been of particular news interest to America and the West due to U.S. involvement. This has led to many news stories being covered on the various countries that make up the Middle East with particular interest in Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan. Due to strained relations, this has created a potentially bias perception that perpetuates in American based media. Many feel that the news coverage seen in the U.S. and other parts of the Western world do not accurately portray the Middle East as a whole. The rich complexity and culture of the place is overshadowed by  the radical Muslims with regressive ideas and oppressive views especially towards women. While this is a reality, some feel that you cannot lump the whole region into that narrow view and still get an accurate depiction. Erin Kilbride, an editor for Gulf State and Yemen Muftah.org, wrote an article expressing these views. 

"Major media outlets in the United States are failing the American public, particularly when the time comes to cover the Middle East and North Africa...Like most parts of the world, countries in the Middle East and North Africa are unique and complex places with their own rich cultures and traditions. But, instead of reflecting these realities, American media has embraced the trite over the true." (Source). 

America and other countries have been accused of only reporting the negative, and not showing the full picture. It gives the world a jaded perspective that only encompasses a small portion of the truth but is revealed as the full picture. 

So how is the news covered in the Middle East then? 

A full news cite, Al Jazeera, is an independent news outlet based in Qatar and owned by Al Jazeera Media Network. It focus is a global perspective on relevant, factual news coverage coming out of the Middle East and other countries around the world. Currently trending is coverage for countries such as Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, and more. 

The stories presented here paint an interesting picture. It covers news that shows many countries in the Middle East are not regressive in industry and technology or consumed by religious radicals, but instead, developed countries. It does not paint them as perfect either (for all countries have their set of problems), but they are shown in a less negative lens. We see from these articles that the current state of the Middle East is a warring one, but they are not portrayed as the enemy. Instead, the stories are covered in a way that paints the facts and the viewer decides what conclusions to draw. Based on data not glorified stories for click bait. 

For example, let's look at the coverage in Iran. On a global scale, Iran's Khamenei feels the United Arab Emirates have betrayed the Muslim world and neglected Palestine by normalizing ties with Israel. He goes on to express, "They allowed the Zionist regime to enter the region and forgot Palestine," (Source). It goes on to report the his distaste as well as Palestinian retaliation. Though this is not a pretty picture, and there is a lot of violence and hate being reported, it is not covered in such a way as to paint Iran or Palestine as the "villains." It is just reporting the facts of the current state and a leader's opinion. The news is covered professionally without opinions. 

From the Palestinian's point of view, they have news coverage on the current protests taking place. It discusses the story behind the circulating video posted on social media of an Israeli solider kneeling on the neck of a Palestinian protester. Hannoun, 65, was forced to the ground and forced into handcuffs. The protest was in response to Israel's plan to confiscate 800,000 square kilometres of for an industrial park, and the Palestinians felt they had no right. The brutality of the attack has led many Palestinians to compare their current situation to the Black Lives Matter movement. Both groups of people are fighting against brutality to their race, and many were even comparing Hannoun's exact interaction to George Floyd.  

It is not just Palestine that is facing issues with government law enforcement using unnecessary force against their citizens. The Lebanese people are uniting to protest the corruption in their own government and call for change, and as a result, they are being met with brute resistance. Reports are now being made that the Lebanese government is now using unlawful metal pellets to shoot the protesters at high velocities causing severe damage. These pellets are burying up in the people's eyes, face, and even their lungs and heart. The government has responded saying that they have only used tear gas, but the evidence proves otherwise.  

 When taking a look at the video that describes the Lebanese situation, I find it interesting how the information is reported. The information is presented in a way that shows a people fighting for a just cause and uniting on that front. The protests and "revolution" as they put it is not framed in a light that makes the protesters look like violent criminals or poor unfortunate people caught in a war torn country; instead, it is presented much in the way that Black Lives Matter protest is being reported now. Where people are coming together to fight against corruption. Instead of being reported as "The Middle East is Warring Again" it is presented as a political and social justice act. 

Continuing on news coverage in Iran, let's look at news coverage on a more controversial topic: Iranian musician placed under house arrest for featuring female singers and dancers in his music video. This is a topic most commonly seen when news is reported from a Middle Eastern country. Mehdi Rajabian is under house arrest and waiting trail for featuring women performers in his most recent music video. This is not the first time he has been arrested for featuring women in his work (he was jailed twice before for the same offense), and he makes it clear that he won't stop. "Even if I go to prison hundreds of times, I need female singing in my project, I need female dance... Whenever I feel the need to produce this music, I will definitely produce it. I do not censor myself," (Source). 

The article then dives in to the delicate situation with what is truly law and what is religious restriction. It shows how there are many Iranians who are ready for more progressive thinking, but there is still a religious tolerance struggle. This is very much a reality in Iran as many other Middle Eastern countries, however when covered by network from the area, it is not glamorized or embellished. The truth of the situation is told even if it is harsh. We see that many of their people are pushing for change that are against the radical beliefs, not supporting them. 

When diving into news coming directly from these countries, we see that there is a difference in how the news is reported. While they are not hiding there are major issues taking place in the Middle East, we can see they are not a backwards, barbaric people. They are a collection of countries facing political and social issues like most of the world. We can even compare many of their situations to events taking place in America with our own political and social justice movements. We see that not all their people are intolerant or religious radicals, and many are working to push their countries beyond those social limitations as well as fight corruption in their own governments. When seen that way, we can find many similarities and common ground between us and them.