Only what we are told

In the hands of the wrong people, "freedom" becomes tyranny, "democracy" legitimacy, writes Ramzy Baroud*

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One cannot effectively address the intricate subject of political, social and economic reforms anywhere in the world without unwittingly stumbling on issues of relevance to freedom of speech and the sovereignty of the media. A free media is both a requisite and a product of a truly democratic society. This point cannot be more applicable than in the case of the Arab world.

The traditional role of media in the Arab world has been for generations to be a tool of propaganda. Such a concept does not only carry the negative overtone of propaganda as an instrument of mind control and way to garner conformity and compliance. Some Arab countries, following independence after bloody yet successful drives for freedom, toyed with the idea of utilising the mass media (primitive as they were) to achieve national unity.

It was only a matter of time before propaganda reclaimed its more traditional role of stifling freedom, gagging the opposition, while endlessly hailing the ruling elites. While it delivered amazingly similar results -- as a tool of crowd control -- to the craftier methods of propaganda utilised by some Western powers, including the United States during and after WWII, the style and presentation differed greatly.

In the United States, for example, consent among the public was mostly achieved through more scientific methods of propaganda and the dangerous matrimony of business and political elites. It closely followed the method of agenda setting, a role that was willingly filled by a few on top while those at the bottom carried on with their lives according to predetermined agendas, believing whole-heartedly that they had complete freedom of choice all along.

Among Arab states, propaganda was anything but benign either. Although it was equally effective, it was crude and oppressive. The "unruly" segments of society were suppressed by violent means and had to operate underground. The Arab media seemed as if it was invented with the sole purpose of praising the ruler and the miracle of his mere existence.

Nowadays change seems inevitable. The mediums of communications have themselves changed. It is no longer possible to cut off an entire nation from regional and international developments. It is no longer feasible to convince the multitudes to expect little from their leaders, now that they have learned of international standards of governance.

Moreover, there is the rhetoric of democracy everywhere. The mere possession of the product of democracy is enough to enhance every aspect of an individual or even a nation's well-being. The US administration has shrewdly chosen to pose as a harbinger of democracy for Arabs, for it knows too well that you can never go wrong introducing so murky a concept. Unlike the weapons of mass destruction pretense and its limited life span, the democracy pretext is ageless and largely immune to scrutiny.

Such reasoning -- improved communication technology and accessibility coupled with outside political manipulation -- compounded the already existing pressure on many Arab governments, forcing them to ease their overpowering control over the media, to accommodate the new reality. However, this should not suggest that the unavoidable change is not itself orchestrated to maintain the status quo of the highly contrasted relationship between the governing and the governed.

Undoubtedly, there is a transition in some Arab states with regards to the media. However, there is no evidence whatsoever that proves such a transition is in fact inspired by the realisation that media freedom is a central component to political accountability.

The challenge facing some Arab governments is indeed formidable. The Arab populace can be suppressed to conformity, as history has shown, but they cannot easily be duped into it, especially as the connection between Arab peoples and their governments is marred with suspicion and mistrust.

Whereas one can comfortably observe the easing of the state's strict control over the media in some Arab countries -- evidently for the purpose of adopting more scientific control mechanisms -- one can hardly be confident predicting the future of this transition. Although the people of the Arab world yearn for the freedom to express themselves and articulate their grievances unhindered, free of intimidation, the state has boundaries that cannot be crossed. Crossing these boundaries, it is believed, will compromise the ruling elite's everlasting reign.

Consequently, scores of Arabic channels are now free to air uncensored hip hop obscenities as well as vulgar and often violent American television re-runs. Arab audiences are free to select from among thousands of products, mostly junk food and useless gadgets. Private television enterprises are equally free to duplicate high rating American shows such as "Survivor", "American Idol" and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" However, serious and meaningful debate regarding the social, economic and political deficiencies facing the Arabs are largely absent, and for good reason, for they are likely to threaten the existing, delicate balance that delineates the relationship between the haves and have- nots, the rulers and the ruled, the oppressors and the traditionally oppressed.

Even Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya -- the often called upon examples used to demonstrate that a course towards freedom has been chosen -- seem, in the eyes of many Arabs, to counter the status quo selectively and for a political end. Their worth would have to be questioned against the backdrop of social and political developments in the Arab world, not simply as agitators, taboo breakers or anti this or pro that. Such designations no longer suffice if the Arab media is to distance itself from hidden political agendas.

Communication is obviously a two-way street. However, in much of the Arab world, only governments and large businesses seem to enjoy the benefit of the mass media, whose task is to validate the media as all encompassing and democratic, with minimal space available for contending views. Yet, if Arab media, in its current setting, is entrusted with the task of contributing to the quest for political reform throughout the Arab world, the end product can be highly predictable, for the status quo shall continue under a different name and designation.

* The writer is an Arab-American journalist and editor-in-chief of PalestineChronicle.com.