Headlines like this reveal that the Western mainstream media is colonial in its nature and dehumanises non-White people without a second thought. The pager attack on Lebanon is claimed to have pin point-targeted thousands of Hezbollah operatives, yet, thanks to its indiscriminate civilian ‘collateral,’ is widely regarded as a terrorist attack – with children and health workers reportedly among the dead. Can you imagine similar jokey headlines about a terrorist attack in Europe or North America?
The Western media has form, of course. When NATO-backed rebels sodomised and killed Gaddafi, the UK’s The Sun newspaper ran with the headline ‘That’s for Lockerbie’ (referring to an airliner bombing over Scotland, something the Libyans always denied carrying out) – as if turning Libya into a failed state and sowing the seeds of terrorism in the region, which is still-ongoing Sahel, is somehow an acceptable response.
The double standards raises questions about the neutrality and objectivity of Western mainstream media outlets, which critics argue often act like fans cheering on their favourite team. It also raises concerns about manufacturing consent. This even has a name – the CNN Effect – in reference to the role mainstream media played in the lead-up to the US war in Iraq.
Let us know what you think.
Sources
NYT headline
https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/12/us/us-attacked-hijacked-jets-destroy-twin-towers-and-hit-pentagon-in-day-of-terror.html
Daily Telegraph on Gaddafi killing
https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2011/oct/21/muammar-gaddafi-national-newspapers
The Sun on Gaddaf killing
https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2011/oct/21/muammar-gaddafi-national-newspapers
CNN hotbed of terror jibe
https://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/22/politics/obama-kenya-visit-al-shabaab-threat/
The CNN effect
https://institute.aljazeera.net/en/ajr/article/1365
1 Comment
That was disgusting from new york post. I can’t believe that they are allowed to call anyone they please a terrorist.
If freedom means grown university educated are adults allowed to lie without consequences like kindergarten children then that freedom need to be stopped at any cost.