Page 25 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 19

Leadership

possesses sheer force in numbers;
accordingly, they frame palatable
public narratives. While every nation
under any form of government
has its share of anti-freedom and
pro-indoctrination media, the glar-
ing examples are found in Western
media. The mainstream media that
claims to be global, is financed by
powerful entities who, at times, use
the media to manufacture public
consent

In a world where investigating and
reporting newsworthy events is
dominantly a financial issue, Western
and other global media enjoys hege-
mony over truth. The other finan-
cially struggling media with integrity
Ethiopians protest against Western media are pressed between a rock and a
hard place – they could either rely
on reports of the Western media
I am forced to start with the integral Nations, for instance, we see a glob- or fail to report an event. To avoid
role of trust in the genesis and ex- al organization that failed to live up confusion, I want to indicate that
pansion of our social life because I to its promises and principles. Cur- ‘Western media’ is used not only to
currently detect an imminent threat. rently, the UN is losing public trust, represent powerful media in West-
Trust is the very fabric that main- as it has endorsed the initial military ern countries with a global reach,
tains social cohesion, but falsehood intervention in Libya; as it has failed but also westernized media that
violates it by planting seeds of to respond to Rwanda’s Holocaust; enjoy equal financial and/or political
doubt in our hearts. and as it continually tolerates and power and global reach as do the
indulges nations with nuclear power. Western media. To name a few, I am
Division of labor requires personal An equivalent threat to social trust speaking of CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera,
and institutional integrity, which is and civilization emerges when po- France 24, The Times, VOA, and all
why instances of deception jeopar- litically independent entities spread globally powerful media. As a side
dize the very foundation of society falsehood – I am referring to the note, The Voice of America (VOA)
and civilization. In other words, media. truly lives up to its name by voicing
when a particular doctor deceives American agenda because the head
a patient, the trust in all doctors is Press freedom is a victory of the of VOA is directly assigned by the
corroded. The same is true in every people who struggled against forces US president. This explains the huge
other profession and the cumulative of domination, and it causes mel- amount of financing and wide reach
effect is holistic suspicion. Especial- ancholy when the media betray the of VOA and similar media. Thus,
ly when the experts are under the public. People have cherished media as Western media dictate facts and
watchful eyes of the public, a single independence for it promises to truth, their untruth becomes world
fraudulent act undermines trust serve truth by fearlessly defending truth and their misinformation be-
and solidarity. I am speaking here the public against the tyranny of comes global information.
of global institutions, governments, the powers that be. Sadly, it did not
and especially journalists who exist take long before the media too gave The tyranny of Western media is
to serve the people because they are birth to forms of domination. Many the direct outcome of their alliance
entrusted with the greatest social in the media, both individuals and with western powers that terrorize
responsibility. This is why the world institutions, have chosen to partner the rest of the world for realizing
is indignant at dishonest politicians with the financially and politically neocolonial ambitions. In a post-co-
and journalists. Behind the failure powerful. But to spread propaganda, lonial world, former colonizers have
and termination of the League of they still need a passive public as it strategized and adopted repressive

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