Western media’s dubious track record

IN THE VARIOUS WARS INVOLVING THE USA AND OTHER WESTERN POWERS, MOST MAINSTREAM MEDIA PERFORMED TO REINFORCE OFFICIAL VIEWS RATHER THAN TO CHALLENGE THEM

According to hitherto unclassified historical documents just released by the British Foreign Office, a secretive team of British civil servants tried to influence the international media during the Cold War. The documents stated that the UK government in the late 1960s persuaded the British-based news agency Reuters to set up a reporting service in the Middle East, funding it surreptitiously.

The West and its media lose no opportunity to remind the developing world about the lofty standards, objectivity and neutrality that the media must uphold.

Several researches conducted over many decades highlight the proximity between Western media and their respective governments, especially in the realm of foreign relations. For reasons that include overreliance on government officials as news sources, economic constraints, the imperatives of big business and good old-fashioned patriotism, mainstream Western media frequently fail to meet democratic expectations regarding their own. In the various wars involving the USA and other Western powers, most mainstream media performed to reinforce official views rather than to challenge them.

The “strategic communication” activities of Western governments are virtually from the kind of “propaganda” of which other governments are accused. Indeed Western governments frequently engage in strategies of manipulation through deception involving exaggeration, omission and misdirection.  Loss of trust in the professional integrity of the Western media has been observed time and again in their unrelenting efforts to demonise any country or organisation that stands up to the at times bullying ways of the Western ‘democracies.’ How many Western media outlets referenced the Iran Air tragedy from 1988 while demanding justice for the recent missile attack on the Ukrainian Boeing?

The majority of Western countries have a long history of competing news organisations, be it print or electronic media. The press developed to represent the political views of various parties and their sponsors, and many commercial broadcast media draw on the political views of their founders and supporters for inspiration. The aim is to emphasise the positive aspects of their philosophy and denigrate those who believe otherwise. They pander to their chosen audience.

The brand of "Western Media" has historically posited itself against different media outlets across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The "Western Media" has managed to brand as the disseminators of truth. The media should report and analyse events with unbiased objectivity and historical awareness that informs and educates readers, instead of becoming ideological partisans.

 

Western medias dubious track record

IN THE VARIOUS WARS INVOLVING THE USA AND OTHER WESTERN POWERS, MOST MAINSTREAM MEDIA PERFORMED TO REINFORCE OFFICIAL VIEWS RATHER THAN TO CHALLENGE THEM

According to hitherto unclassified historical documents just released by the British Foreign Office, a secretive team of British civil servants tried to influence the international media during the Cold War. The documents stated that the UK government in the late 1960s persuaded the British-based news agency Reuters to set up a reporting service in the Middle East, funding it surreptitiously. The West and its media lose no opportunity to remind the developing world about the lofty standards, objectivity and neutrality that the media must uphold. Several researches conducted over many decades highlight the proximity between Western media and their respective governments, especially in the realm of foreign relations. For reasons that include overreliance on government officials as news sources, economic constraints, the imperatives of big business and good old-fashioned patriotism, mainstream Western media frequently fail to meet democratic expectations regarding their own. In the various wars involving the USA and other Western powers, most mainstream media performed to reinforce official views rather than to challenge them. The strategic communication activities of Western governments are virtually from the kind of propaganda of which other governments are accused. Indeed Western governments frequently engage in strategies of manipulation through deception involving exaggeration, omission and misdirection. Loss of trust in the professional integrity of the Western media has been observed time and again in their unrelenting efforts to demonise any country or organisation that stands up to the at times bullying ways of the Western democracies. How many Western media outlets referenced the Iran Air tragedy from 1988 while demanding justice for the recent missile attack on the Ukrainian Boeing? The majority of Western countries have a long history of competing news organisations, be it print or electronic media. The press developed to represent the political views of various parties and their sponsors, and many commercial broadcast media draw on the political views of their founders and supporters for inspiration. The aim is to emphasise the positive aspects of their philosophy and denigrate those who believe otherwise. They pander to their chosen audience. The brand of Western Media has historically posited itself against different media outlets across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The Western Media has managed to brand as the disseminators of truth. The media should report and analyse events with unbiased objectivity and historical awareness that informs and educates readers, instead of becoming ideological partisans.