The US and the media
By
Salama A Salama
After 9/11 Washington became aware of the chasm dividing the US and Arab world. The Arab media, it came to be believed, plays a role in exacerbating that chasm.
Many in the West believe that the media in this part of the world is nothing more than the mouthpiece of the various regimes. The attitude of the Arab public towards the US and Israel could, they consequently reasoned, be improved by pressuring governments to change the tone and content of newspaper, television and radio reporting.
What the Americans did not realise until recently is that Arab public opinion has become a complicated, complex and far from easily tamed creature. It has become increasingly eager for news without any restrictions or censorship. The emergence of independent television channels, of which Al-Jazeera is a pioneer, was a breakthrough in the general trend of official media across the Arab world and other channels raced to compete with it. Opinions from across the spectrum interacted and clashed without censorship as other Arab channels emerged and even the Arab press attempted to compete. Over the past two years, against the backdrop of the war on Iraq and US attempts to muffle news and information for military, propaganda or political reasons, restrictions on information within the region were blown apart. The new channels attracted vast numbers of viewers, who have proved increasingly resistant to the American media's attempts to mislead.
Washington was unable to prevent the broadcast of grim footage of the US- British military campaign in Afghanistan and Iraq. Nor do local channels feel it necessary to remove from broadcasts images of the brutal attacks daily endured by the Palestinian people, or excise charges of US bias towards Israel.
It is this new found independence of some arms of the media that lay behind the efforts to control reporting on Iraq by embedding military correspondents from Arab and allied countries. The US went as far as bombing the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad, where independent correspondents were staying, in its attempts to control reports of the war. Restrictions were imposed on the movements of Al- Jazeera and Al-Arabia correspondents. Israel has adopted similar strategies in the occupied territories, tightening restrictions on journalists and then shooting an Arab photo journalist working for Reuters.
Al-Jazeera correspondent Tayseer 'Alouni was recently arrested in Spain, accused by the Spanish authorities of transporting messages and funds to Al- Qa'eda. But it appears 'Alouni's only crime was his coverage of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the fact that he conducted an interview with Bin Laden two years ago.
In taking action against him the Spanish authorities, over-zealous in supporting the US war on Iraq and Afghanistan, apparently relied on reports by Israel and the CIA in delivering a blow to one arm of the Arab media that is carrying out its work with a professional freedom that embarrasses the US propaganda machine.
Such cack-handed attempts by the US administration to win the minds and trust of large sectors of the Arab street, and improve the US's image -- are destined to end in failure. They can serve only to widen the enormous gap of mistrust that has grown.
It is futile for Washington to rely on government censorship, on the Americanisation of the Arab media or the discrediting and maligning its leading figures by accusing them of terrorism on the basis of uncorroborate d and false evidence, in order to improve its own image.
