I have lived in this tiny island nation all my life. Born and schooled here, went to India to continue my studies and returned here soon after. My family has been here for a very long time and I have witnessed the changes over the last 2 decades. I have also seen firsthand the protests and followed it closely, to know what was happening to my ‘home’
Till very recently, no one even knew where the country was. Then came the Bahrain Grand Prix. But now thanks to the recent protests, everyone now knows it.
I am compelled to write this, because I am completely shocked at the portrayal of Bahrain’s recent turmoil on the international media. I always knew that every channel, every paper had an agenda, but there is no excuse for the biased coverage.
Inspired by Egypt and what they have achieved, a certain sect of Bahrain’s community took to the streets in Bahrain. They took over the Pearl Roundabout [Wonder how difficult it is for these international players to learn the difference between roundabout and square] and gathered there. They were given permission for 48 hours, and when there was no sign of them leaving after that, the riot police came over.
I drove through the area around 8pm, the night before the attacks happened. The area was jam packed, and the drive which usually takes less than a minute took more than half an hour. And this is the most important centre of the country, a majority has to pass through this point to get to the economically important locations. They had tied up tents and were setting up more tents. As it is travelling through the area was difficult. More people would have made it impossible.
Unlike what the international media keeps crying, the protesters were given sufficient warning, they were asked to leave, they were informed that force would be used if they didn’t move out. And many left. I believe it, because I had seen how many women and children were in the area, Mere kids who must have been 4-5 years old. But the fact that none of the women and children have been injured itself is proof that they were asked to evacuate.
But unfortunately, people died in the clashes. And thus began the entry of international media onto Bahrain. The King and the government of Bahrain continued to accept that they regretted the deaths and injuries caused to the people, but no one wanted to listen to that, as screaming out ‘Peaceful protesters attacked’ was more sensational.
International media, including Sky News and BBC and of course Pulitzer Winner Nick Kristoff has done nothing but fuel the tensions in this region. The distorted and selective reporting they gave made Bahrain look like a complete war zone which it was not.
People have called me up from across the globe asking if we were safe, and saying how worried they were seeing the situation in Bahrain. Then and now, I repeat, “It’s all a load of crap, Bahrain is not like what you are seeing on TV”
I am not claiming that the state media was 100% accurate, but atleast they announce themselves to be the government run channel, so one can expect it to lean towards an ideology, what is the excuse of these international players?
On Friday, February 18, more than 100 000 people participated in a pro-government rally. And that number is way more than the number of people that gathered at pearl roundabout. Yet not one international media highlighted that. The BBC showed 2-3 shots and spoke to only one person. And this again, I speak from personal experience. I was there to cover it for my paper. I was there because I felt strongly about my country, the country which I have called home since I was born.
There has been many rallies after that too, in support of the government. but no media highlights that.
In fact, during one of the press meets I attended, I heard an internal media person tell a colleague, "Violence is over here I think and now it will be boring. We should move on to Libya or so." How is that for objective reporting?
Children, adults, Bahrainis, Arabs, Indians, Pakistanis, Bangaldeshis, a group which highlighted the multiculturalism of Bahrain turned up to show their support. Yet the international media didn’t think it was worth it.
The international media made Bahrain sound like a small backward country where women only wear burqas and are scared to step out in public, this is wrong. Bahrain is one of the most liberal countries in this part of the world.
Don't get me wrong, I am all for a free media which can call a spade a spade. And I think the media in Bahrain requires reforms, but that's no excuse for other channels to be partial.
There is absolutely no excuse for any media to incite hatred or violence. “This fear and despair will soon change into rage”, this was overheard on one of the reports. Who are they to decide that?
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