Sign in
  • Home
  • Perspectives
  • Articles
  • Columns
  • Platform
  • Poetry
    • Literature
  • Shop
    • Cart
    • My account
  • Give
    • Donation Confirmation
  • Contribute
Sign in
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Privacy Policy
Password recovery
Recover your password
Search
51 F
Los Angeles
Sunday, February 17, 2019
  • Sign in / Join
  • Contact MMN
  • en English
    af Afrikaanssq Albanianam Amharicar Arabichy Armenianaz Azerbaijanieu Basquebe Belarusianbn Bengalibs Bosnianbg Bulgarianca Catalanceb Cebuanony Chichewazh-CN Chinese (Simplified)zh-TW Chinese (Traditional)co Corsicanhr Croatiancs Czechda Danishnl Dutchen Englisheo Esperantoet Estoniantl Filipinofi Finnishfr Frenchfy Frisiangl Galicianka Georgiande Germanel Greekgu Gujaratiht Haitian Creoleha Hausahaw Hawaiianiw Hebrewhi Hindihmn Hmonghu Hungarianis Icelandicig Igboid Indonesianga Irishit Italianja Japanesejw Javanesekn Kannadakk Kazakhkm Khmerko Koreanku Kurdish (Kurmanji)ky Kyrgyzlo Laola Latinlv Latvianlt Lithuanianlb Luxembourgishmk Macedonianmg Malagasyms Malayml Malayalammt Maltesemi Maorimr Marathimn Mongolianmy Myanmar (Burmese)ne Nepalino Norwegianps Pashtofa Persianpl Polishpt Portuguesepa Punjabiro Romanianru Russiansm Samoangd Scottish Gaelicsr Serbianst Sesothosn Shonasd Sindhisi Sinhalask Slovaksl Slovenianso Somalies Spanishsu Sudanesesw Swahilisv Swedishtg Tajikta Tamilte Teluguth Thaitr Turkishuk Ukrainianur Urduuz Uzbekvi Vietnamesecy Welshxh Xhosayi Yiddishyo Yorubazu Zulu
Sign in
Welcome! Log into your account
Forgot your password? Get help
Privacy Policy
Password recovery
Recover your password
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Media Monitors Network (MMN) Media Monitors Network (MMN)
Media Monitors Network (MMN) Media Monitors Network (MMN)
  • Home
  • Perspectives
    • Myanmar/Burma Little hope for Rohingya IDPs
      Perspectives

      The Myth of ‘Bengali Migration’ to Arakan

      Faisal Mosque - Pakistan
      Perspectives

      Pakistan: How to Change Political Culture of Corruption and Rebuild the…

      Disappearing Palestine
      Perspectives

      In Hebron, Israel removes the last restraint on its settlers’ reign…

      No to Sexism Racism Homophobia Xenophobia
      Perspectives

      Racism in our time: Can it be defeated?

      Jerusalem Israel Palestine Dome of The Rock Golden Dome
      Perspectives

      Clover Sellout to Apartheid Israel Faces Resistance

  • Articles
    • Man studying religious book
      Articles

      Ishmael and Isaac: An Essay on the Divergent Moral Economies of…

      Mahmoud Abbas
      Articles

      May Your Home Be Destroyed

      Netanyahu Lighting Hanukah Candles with His Wife and Sons
      Articles

      Bibi’s Son or: Three Men in a Car

      The Map of Greater Israel
      Articles

      The Man Who Jumped

      West Bank - Palestine
      Articles

      Cry, Beloved Country

  • Columns
    • United States Capitol Building, Washington, D.C.
      Columns

      Game Over!

      Bernie Sanders
      Columns

      Bernie 2020 Campaign Has Corporate Democrats Running Scared

      Pope Francis
      Columns

      Why the Events Surrounding Pope Francis’ UAE Visit Were So Important

      Democrats
      Columns

      As the 2020 Presidential Contest Begins, Democrats Need to Refocus

      Disappearing Palestine
      Columns

      Michelle Alexander Has Opened a Door, We Must Work to Keep…

  • Platform
    • Hanukkah Lights
      Platform

      Hanukkah is not hypocrisy

      The Washington Post
      Platform

      “Preemptive war could risk millions of casualties. But….”

      Platform

      When they shout: "We strongly condemn…"

      68
      Platform

      Why Iran won’t attack Israel

      Platform

      Is One Iraqi’s Self-Hatred Newsworthy?

  • Poetry
    • Literature
  • Shop
    • Cart
    • My account
  • Give
    • Donation Confirmation
  • Contribute
Home Perspectives Whose truth?
  • Perspectives

Whose truth?

By
Galal Amin
-
April 26, 2003
Share
Facebook
Twitter
Google+
Pinterest
WhatsApp
Linkedin
ReddIt
Email
Print
Tumblr
Telegram
StumbleUpon
VK
Digg
LINE
Viber

     

    Since 11 September 2001, I have observed with alarm that many people have taken at face value what the media has said about this atrocity, its presumed perpetrators, and their aims — even though much of what has been said flies in the face of common sense. A willingness to suspend belief is in evidence even among knowledgeable and otherwise prudent people. Many accept fantastical stories about Bin Laden and the people alleged to have carried out the bombings, despite the obvious disparity between the means available to those people and the exceptional planning and attention to detail that went into the attacks.

    Similar instances of gullibility came also to my attention during the war, a grossly inaccurate term for what the US has been up to in Iraq. Many accept unquestioningly the implausible claims made about Saddam Hussein, his links with the United States, and the US motives for waging the aggression.

    In both cases — the 11 September attacks and the US campaign against Iraq — those who believe the most outrageous reports are people who spend hours flipping television channels — satellite and terrestrial — missing out on nary a commentary or statement published by the print media.

    It startles me to see how educated people so easily fall prey to highly dubious information. On further reflection, though, it occurred to me that the sheer volume of information has something to do with the phenomenon.

    Most of us, unfortunately, treat the information carried by the media as though it were partial and objective. We try to separate — perhaps too well — commentaries, which may contain biased views, and factual reports, which are presumably impartial.

    Our willingness to believe in the impartiality of factual statements is enhanced by the prestige of the media involved. The more sophisticated the media is, the less suspicious we become. I’ll give you an example. If you receive two letters, one hand-written and the other typed, which one would you regard as more reliable? The style in which information is presented, the technology by which it is conveyed, warps our perception of reality. This is a phenomenon worth pondering. Most people would fall for a big lie sooner than a small one — the bigger the falsehood the harder it is for most people to grasp how mendacious it is. Ordinary people have trouble conceptualising deceit conducted on a large scale. Fraud, if on a grand scale, can pass as reality. Smartly dressed newscasters speaking in sophisticated settings have a credibility that is akin to an irresistible force.

    Our reaction to the media is anything but reasonable. Events are twisted every which way before the media hands them to us. They are perceived from a certain angle, conceptualised, given colour, edited, and then relayed. In each of these stages, the truth changes and becomes a matter of interpretation. By the time we have the final information, it is at best an approximation of reality. Not all events become news, and not all news reports are accorded equal weight. Some appear in the beginning of the cast; some wait till the end. Some are given considerable air time; some are mentioned only in passing. Also, there is the manner in which reports are read, the degree of enthusiasm in delivery, and the number of times they are repeated.

    This is why many took as an item of faith Bin Laden’s responsibility for the 11 September events, subscribing to the view that a band of depraved Arabs and Muslims masterminded and carried out the atrocity, although fairly credible evidence suggests otherwise. And, this is why Saddam Hussein has acquired two opposing personas , neither of which is credible.

    Saddam’s first persona is that of an evil-hearted, extraordinarily powerful man, with an insatiable, selfish lust for power. His invasions of Iran and then Kuwait have, according to this version of reality, more to do with his personality than the surrounding political circumstances. This is the Saddam many Kuwaitis and Americans, among others, have chosen to see.

    There is also the other Saddam, the Pan-Arab and Muslim champion, the enemy of Israel and the West, the man who dedicates his life to restoring Palestinian rights and preserving Arab glory. This equally fantastical persona gained currency during the last two Gulf wars, especially during the first few days of the US-UK campaign against Iraq.

    Neither persona tallies with reality, and neither takes into account the manner in which America dealt with Saddam over the past 24 years.

    The way the media influences and misleads the public is far from benign. This is particularly worrying when major television stations take a certain political line, as has been the case recently. Media, whether audio-visual or print, is susceptible to monopoly. Those who control the media have the power to manipulate facts and influence the public’s perception of reality.

    What have television viewers been told of the war? The aim of the campaign was to bring democracy to Iraq, they were told. America and Britain have suddenly become champions of the cause of downtrodden people. Does this make sense? The invasion was met with fierce resistance, the media claimed. The Iraqi information minister — a charismatic and eloquent man — enlivened many a news conference with reassuring words that evaporated in the face of reality. What exactly was Al- Sahhaf trying to prove? It was said that Saddam ordered the minister to stage this verbal defiance to keep the spirit of resistance alive among the people. How is it that the minister heeded the orders with more enthusiasm than that of Saddam’s own Republican Guards?

    Then, there is the statue. Footage of the monument being vigorously attacked, as though it were the ultimate target of the campaign, ran for hours. Viewers were rewarded for their vigils in front of round-the-clock coverage of weeks of war by the sight of a collapsing colossus. But who knocked the statue over? Were the crowds that gathered in the square acting of their own volition, or commissioned by the masterminds of the campaign?

    Looting followed. And again, how spontaneous was it? It is natural for some plundering to occur in an impoverished and oppressed country when law and order collapse. But does the scale of looting witnessed make sense? Ever since 11 September, those who waged war on Iraq have wanted to tarnish the image of Arabs and Muslims? Now, they have the footage to show Iraqis jubilantly committing robbery — are we to believe this is coincidental?

    The assault on Iraq was not carried out by tanks and missiles alone, but by cameras and news reports. The slaughter of Iraqis was accompanied by a media offensive of questionable intent. The media proved how lethal it could be, and truth was the victim.

    The writer is professor of economics at the American University in Cairo.

    Did you like this article?

       

    Awesome, share it:

    Share Tweet Google Plus LinkedIn

    Thanks!

    Thanks for getting in touch with us.

    Click here (New window) to subscribe to our Newsletter

    • TAGS
    • about
    • accept
    • according
    • account
    • acquired
    • acting
    • again
    • against
    • aggression
    • alarm
    • alive
    • alleged
    • alone
    • America
    • American
    • americans
    • among
    • anything
    • appear
    • Arab
    • Arabs
    • assault
    • atrocity
    • attacked
    • attacks
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Google+
    Pinterest
    WhatsApp
    Linkedin
    ReddIt
    Email
    Print
    Tumblr
    Telegram
    StumbleUpon
    VK
    Digg
    LINE
    Viber
      Previous articleIs Freedom from Saddam Hussein the only Freedom that Matters for Iraq?
      Next articleWho rightly owns coercive power in an Islamic nation / state?
      Galal Amin

      RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

      Myanmar/Burma Little hope for Rohingya IDPs
      Perspectives

      The Myth of ‘Bengali Migration’ to Arakan

      Faisal Mosque - Pakistan
      Perspectives

      Pakistan: How to Change Political Culture of Corruption and Rebuild the Future?

      Disappearing Palestine
      Perspectives

      In Hebron, Israel removes the last restraint on its settlers’ reign of terror

      MMN @ Google Play Store MMN @ Amazon Appstore

      MMN @ TwitterMMN @ FacebookMMN Feed

      Newsletter

      LATEST

      United States Capitol Building, Washington, D.C.

      Game Over!

      James Zogby - February 16, 2019
      Myanmar/Burma Little hope for Rohingya IDPs

      The Myth of ‘Bengali Migration’ to Arakan

      February 16, 2019
      Faisal Mosque - Pakistan

      Pakistan: How to Change Political Culture of Corruption and Rebuild the Future?

      February 15, 2019

      MOST POPULAR

      Barack, Hillary, Jeremiah and Howard

      April 29, 2008

      The Price of Ruling at any Cost

      February 28, 2012

      A Christmas Palm Tree

      December 24, 2001

      How will Israel deal with a political Hamas?

      April 5, 2005
      Load more

      EDITOR PICKS

      United States Capitol Building, Washington, D.C.

      Game Over!

      February 16, 2019
      Myanmar/Burma Little hope for Rohingya IDPs

      The Myth of ‘Bengali Migration’ to Arakan

      February 16, 2019
      Faisal Mosque - Pakistan

      Pakistan: How to Change Political Culture of Corruption and Rebuild the...

      February 15, 2019

      POPULAR POSTS

      167

      The Origin of Freemasonry: The Crusaders & Templars

      April 23, 2003

      Sharon to Peres: We Control America

      November 20, 2001
      29

      Afghanistan, the Taliban and the United States

      May 2, 2001

      POPULAR CATEGORY

      • Perspectives13431
      • Columns1130
      • Articles859
      • Platform37
      • Poetry12
      • Literature6
      Media Monitors Network (MMN)
      ABOUT US
      Media Monitors Network (MMN) is a non-profit, non-partial and non-political platform for those serious Media Contributors and Observers who crave to know and like to help to prevail the whole truth about current affairs, any disputed issue or any controversial issue by their voluntarily contributions with logic, reason and rationality.
      Contact us: [email protected]
      FOLLOW US
      • About MMN
      • Disclaimer
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms and Conditions
      • Contact
      © Copyright © 2000 - MMN International Inc. All rights reserved.
      Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
      ResponsiveVoice-NonCommercial licensed under 95x15
      MORE STORIES

      Effects of past U.S. Policy remain to haunt Obama

      November 12, 2009

      Mamilla Pool

      April 24, 2001
      Edit with Live CSS
      Save
      Write CSS OR LESS and hit save. CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete.