Arab world through the eyes of western media

Four seasoned journalists from influential newspapers in the U.S. and Europe took part in the first session of the Arab Media Summit yesterday to discuss how western media views the Arab world.

The panel included Thomas Friedman of the New York Times, Ben Bradlee, vice-president-at-large at The Washington Post, Eric Rouleau, a former ambassador and regular contributor at Le Monde Diplomatique, and Martin Wollacott, the international affairs columnist at The Guardian. Abdul Khaliq Abdulla, professor of Political Science at UAE University, served as moderator.

The topic elicited heated response from members of the audience who were invited to comment and pose questions for the panelists.

Friedman's remarks, which focused on his own personal experiences as a columnist, were received with ambivalence. "... I am paid to have an opinion. I am paid to have a bias," he declared.

Friedman, who has won the Pulitzer prize three times, listed what he considers four surefire signs of a successful column: If his readers learn something new, if his readers discover a new perspective, if his readers feel he has expressed what they had been feeling, or as he put it so succinctly, if his readers want him 'dead'.

"Your column is defined as much by people who are against it, as by people who are for it," he pointed out. It was ironic, then, that following one brash remark from a member of the audience, Friedman stormed out of the hall in indignation.

According to Friedman, there are two ways of looking at the world today. He terms these two broad paradigms as 'America on Duty' and 'America Online'.

Those who adhere to the first paradigm see the world built around walls and feel the need to defend these walls or break them down. Adherents to the second paradigm, including Friedman, see the world as 'an increasingly integrated place'.

"America on Duty wants to know who is on your terrorist list. America Online wants to see who is on your 'buddy list'," he said.

Friedman urged journalists to look out for news that may be less obvious. "Sometimes, the news is in the noise - what is being shouted on TV. But more often, the news is in the silence - in what is not being said. As a reporter, you need to learn what that silence is telling you," he said.

At present, Friedman hears three stories in the silence. He spoke of shattered myths, the Arab media apparatus, and the much-debated Arab Street.

"Palestinians have punctured Israel's sense of invulnerability ... And Israel, by fighting back, has shattered the myth that it is a fat, dumb, silicone valley. There is a real equilibrium on both sides, and neither one wants to go for another round because there is no Plan B. The moment is right for creative diplomacy," he observed. "We need to understand what both sides are feeling … that they really want this over."

Friedman said that technological integration has run far ahead of the cultural integration between Arabs and the West. He recalled his days as a journalist in Beirut in the early 1980s, when 'there were no Arab journalists reporting from the Commodore Hotel.'

"Today, Arab news networks are on the frontlines, covering the Intifada," he said. Insofar as the 'Arab street', he dismissed the naysayers who downplay the significance of Arab civil society.

"In the West, the general impression is that there is no 'Arab Street'. Or, that if it exists, it does not have any political significance. But one just has to look at the mass demonstrations in the region to see that the 'Arab Street' is very active, and is going to have an impact on Arab liberals and others who want to talk about globalisation, education, and other issues."

Ben Bradlee, who was involved in unearthing the Watergate scandal, began his speech by saying the bulk of the newspapers in the United States are only good for 'clipping coupons'.

"There are a handful of good newspapers in America, and a couple of good television news operations," he conceded.

He explained that the problem of a negative Arab image in Western media did not appear until 'the birth of Israel' and the 'independence of North Africa'. While Israel sent its best men over to Washington for diplomatic representation, the Arab diplomats failed to rise to the occasion, he said.

The Israeli diplomats tirelessly worked to 'convince' the Americans, he recalled. "Many ambassadors from Arab countries gave good parties and made the social columns," he quipped.

Bradlee traces the root of the misunderstanding between Arabs and the West today to irresponsible media. Most of the images the West receives of Arabs are of demonstrations by angry mobs burning the American flag. Likewise, he believes it is the 'worst of American TV that informs the Arab world' of the American way of life.

According to Bradlee, the events of September 11 have improved American attitudes towards Arabs - albeit, not Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan. He did make one foible in his speech when he implied Afghanistan is part of the Arab world, and there were a few stifled giggles in the audience.

He lauded U.S. President George W Bush as 'a man who learns on the job', and said First Lady Laura Bush is a 'good influence'. He admitted that initially, he felt Bush was a 'preppy' - American slang for a privileged young man who went to school with other privileged young men who care nothing about important affairs. But, Bradlee said he is encouraged now by the way Bush is prioritizing the Middle East and Afghanistan.

In conclusion, he said: "I think the Arab world can send more qualified people to the US. We are starved for information. Don't try to convince us. Try to explain things to us."

When Eric Rouleau's turn came along, Friedman went off-stage for a moment, prompting the Frenchman to say: "Your peers never seem to want to listen to your opinion!"

A former ambassador to Tunisia and advisor to President Francois Mitterand, Rouleau's remarks came across somewhat apologetic for whatever faux-pas his country may have committed in dealing with Arabs. He made references to France's colonial presence in North Africa, but pointed out that the French army 'never did anything like Jenin'.

In contrast to Friedman's self-avowed bias, Rouleau stressed that he strives for objectivity. The Western media often equates Islam with fanaticism, he said, 'either through sheer ignorance or a reflection of stereotypes about Arabs and Muslims'.

"All religious authorities in Arab and Muslim countries have condemned Osama bin Laden as an anti-Muslim terrorist," he said, adding that he had never read this in any major newspaper, except 'maybe as a minor item in an inside page.' He cited one example of how prejudice is spread through the media in 'subtle ways'.

"A weekly magazine in France featured a special issue with 'Fanaticism' written in bold red letters on the cover. I opened the magazine to find that all the articles were on Islam. But what did the reader see? He saw that Islam had a relationship with fanaticism!"

Roule