Page 253 - Mass Media, Mass Propoganda Examining American News in the War on Terror

Catapult the Media 243

Rushing's account suggests that there has been a dehumanizing effect in terms
of the neglect displayed toward Iraqi civilian deaths.
Efforts in the U.S. media to de-emphasize Iraqi civilian deaths should be
contrasted with efforts to thoroughly expose Americans to bloody images that
tend to reinforce U.S. war aims. Consider, for example, the Bush adrninistra-
tion's proud showcasing of the bloody, mutilated faces of Uday and Qusay Hus-
sein (Saddam Hussein's sons), which were circulated shamelessly throughout
American media outlets such as ChN and Fox News for hours on end in late
2003. The Bush administration's capture of Uday and Qusay was met with ec-
stasy in the media, as emphasizing graphic images of dead bodies was not con-
sidered "too pornographic," but in fact perfectly acceptable, seeing as those
shown were the "bad guys." Reporters expressed no interest in "taste" as influ-
encing their decisions to show gory images, when the goal of such reporting was
to reinforce pro-war propaganda.
Why Do Governments Distrust Al Jazeera?

Government leaders claim that they dislike A1 Jazeera because of unfair, biased
reporting. Such claims, of course, are erroneous. A1 Jazeera is no more biased
than any other media outlet. Kenton Keith, former US ambassador to Qatar
states that the network, "no more than other news organizations, has a slant. Its
slant happens to be one most Americans are not comfortable with. . . but the fact
is that A1 Jazeera has revolutionized media in the Middle East" through its open-
ness and willingness to criticize those in power, regardless of their country of
origin.'27 What seems to disturb many American and Middle Eastern leaders
about A1 Jazeera is not its bias or criticisms of other governments, but its chal-
lenges to their own. It is important to remember that, before the September 11
attacks and the Iraq war, the station had actually garnered much praise from the
U.S. State Department because of its willingness to challenge undemocratic
governments in the region.I2' It was not until A1 Jazeera targeted the U.S. for
criticism that it became uncomfortable with the channel's reporting.
A1 Jazeera derives its legitimacy overwhelmingly from the people of the
Middle East. It is the closeness to its Arab base of thirty-five to forty million
viewers,'29 and the attention it pays in its reporting to their main concerns that
has made the station a major power in terms of reflecting and influencing public
opinion. The legitimacy that A1 Jazeera enjoys seems to greatly outweigh that of
most of its competitors. A1 Jazeera's website, as well as its television reporting
is among the most popular in the Arab World in the Iraq war. The network's
massive audience and public support greatly contrasts with that of American
networks such as Fox News, CNN, which average far fewer followers in the
Middle East. Indeed, nothing like A1 Jazeera has ever been seen throughout the
Middle East. As CBC News explains, "the network's very existence is revolu-
tionary. Unlike state-controlled television in most Arab countries, A1 Jazeera
broadcasts the voices of ordinary people."'30 It is this revolution in the Arab
World's access to critical information and anti-war propaganda, provided by A1
Jazeera, that the Bush administration is committed to dismantling.