How can Stop Media from Creating Violence in Arab Countries - Research Paper Example

Media and Violence in Arab Countries How can we Stop Media from creating violence and Aggression within Arab Countries Name Course Professor Date Abstract Media is considered as the one of the most important tools to bring in social change and over the period of time, it has proved itself so. It is however, important to note that media can also create significant challenges in terms of supporting or highlighting some of the ills of the society. Arab countries are considered as politically volatile with significant violent history. Media has been accused of creating more violence in these countries. This paper suggests that media should follow a code of conduct to restrict itself from contributing towards more violence. Secondly, media can also be censored and can increase the broadcasting of other programs to reduce the exposure. Introduction The advancement in technology and outreach of Media has resulted into reporting of widespread crime on media. The reporting of rape, killings, riots, warfare can easily be reported on various media and is within the easy reach of everyone. However, Media also contributes towards the creation of violence by highlighting issues which are considered as sensitive or taboo in some countries. Various studies have critically outlined the link between media and violence and how media actually contributes towards the creation of violence within different countries and localities. The constant projection of negative news as well as portrayal of certain sensitive issues can lead to the excitement and violence. What is critical however to understand that media has become more complex in nature with multiple networks and vehicles becoming dominating forces in the media. The emergence of Social media has made the situation more badly as it has contributed to more violence. (Forsloff, 2009) The recent Arab uprising has also been dubbed as the triumph of media in coordinating activities which further fuelled the struggle to topple dictator governments in the region. Not only violence was increased during this period but media otherwise has also contributed towards the increase in violence in the region by depicting various issues which were considered as sensitive or politically more violent in the region. This paper will argue and discuss as to how to stop media from creating violence in Arab countries Presentation One of the key and most notable social changes which emerged during 20th century was the saturation of mass media in our cultures. Over the period of time, media has become so strong and influential that it has started to control most of life’s important decisions and choices. Right from choosing whom to vote to deciding on issues of political, social and economic importance, media has served as most influential factors. (Boyle, 2004) Whether it is for good or bad but mass media has been instrumental in having a deep impact on our values and beliefs and most of them are now shaped by the way we actually see them. Media has not only changed our political orientation but also created lasting and deeper changes in society as a whole. It has been consistently argued that the portrayal of violence by media and how it creates excitement around it actually has nothing to do with the actual creation of violence. Studies however have repeatedly suggested that violence depicted on media has more to do with the creation of violent tendencies in children. Children are not only affected by the way they are exposed to the violence on their TV screens but tend to follow what is being shown on the TV screens. Media not only creates violence but it also contributes towards its creation in various geographic regions. (Bock & Lederach, 2012) An important question is whether violence shown in the media further results into creation of more violence. Does violence on media actually have an impact on the human behavior and if it is so how it actually creates more violence. Various studies have suggested that as we see more violence on our TV screens we become more violent and aggressive in nature. Depicting violence on media tend to have more impact on young persons and constant exposure to violence and aggression can further create more violence and violent tendencies within the young individuals to commit more violent activities. (Carter, 2003) Another important and critical dimension of media and violence is how they contribute towards its creation in certain politically volatile regions. Arab countries, which are going through turmoil during recent times, have specially been the victims of the constant media intrusion and creation of violence. It has been argued that the overall orientation of media has changed since 9/11 and it is not just a reporting outlet. After 9/11 it has substantially changed the way public form its opinion. It has radically changed the perception about public’s opinion about Arab countries. Increasingly, Media has created a picture of Arab countries as volatile and violent countries. The overall perception about Arabs is not favorable at the international level and Media has large role in creating such sentiments at the global level. Media has become such a powerful force that it can actually determine as to how people can actually react to a particular event. It defines as to why we react to particular event in violent or peaceful manner. (Staub, 2011) The recent example of the controversial movie on Prophet of Islam and its subsequent release on YouTube has sparked widespread violence in many countries including Libya. Libyan violence even claimed the life of American Ambassador due to the widespread violent reaction to the movie across the whole Arab World. It not only resulted into subsequent bans on YouTube services but also created significant diplomatic issues. The overall role of media during this whole campaign was relatively more biased towards the overall coverage of the situation. Media has actually fuelled this violence by reporting incidents and exciting the sentiments of Muslims. Media within Arab countries have actually contributed towards exciting the sentiments of the Muslims calling them to violence as a mean to protest against the movie. (Abdelhay, 2012) The issue of Prophet’s caricatures cartoons published in Danish newspapers was another issue which created violence and resentment within the Arab and Muslim countries. Though it was done in the name of freedom of expression and speech however, it was widely condemned at the global level besides instigating strong violence within Arab countries. These cartoons were republished after it was found that some people were plotting to kill the cartoonist. As such Media first created the controversy and then further took the stand to republish them as a protest against possible plot to kill the cartoonist. A similar controversy also emerged in Swedish Newspapers which also published such cartoons and resultantly created much widespread violence in Arab countries. Media in Arab World is also controlled by the State with two major channels are effectively controlled by the government of Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Though both the channels are private in nature but they are effectively been controlled by the governments thus their role and nature of control on reshaping the overall public opinion is significant. It is important to note however that media in Arab world, except Al-Jazeera has not been able to challenge the global dominance of Western channels. Arab channels, due to their limited viewership have not been able to actually create the kind of influence required to tackle the increasing influence of Western Media. As such Arab Media need to evolve before it can actually act as a balancing force within Arab world. (Fandy, 2007) There are also issues of coverage of different events by the media as it is largely believed that media in Arab world and to some extent international media. It is argued that media show bullet riddled bodies, corpses as well as other scenes of destruction in Arab world without actually following any code of ethics. Showing images of horror on TV screens actually contribute towards the creation of negative sentiments which further fuel the anger and resentment and contribute towards more violence in the Arab countries. Images relayed on internet and the use of YouTube and other social media also creates the anger and increases the overall sentiments in favor of more violence. Since social media is largely uncontrolled therefore posting such images on the social media has further created more fear and mayhem in Arab countries. The following section will explore as to how to stop media from creating more violence and aggression in Arab world. Solution Media can be more responsible for its actions and systematic efforts can actually help stop media to create more violence and aggression in Arab countries. Following can be done to stop media from creating violence and aggression: Alternatives Following a code of conduct It is utmost important that media should be compelled to follow a code of conduct and ethics. The respective governments as well as the large media outlets should voluntarily create and implement a code of ethics for not showing images which can further fuel the violence and aggression. Though freedom of expression may come up as an issue however it needs to be balanced with taking care of the rights of other communities also. Media therefore need to be more self-accountable and responsible enough to ensure that politically sensitive matters are portrayed with relative degree of responsibility. There should also be international bodies which can ensure that excessiveness of media is highlighted and a sense of self discipline is created within media itself. Balancing Media with other channels of entertainment One of the key reasons media create more violence is the use of news through which media portrays violence. It is however also possible that by balancing the presentation of different programs on media, violence can be reduced. Arabs are more involved in sports such as football and by giving more coverage to sports can reduce the impact of negative media on the young Arabs. Censorship of Media Another way is the censorship of the media which can actually force it to stop showing any violent activities. Many Arab countries banned YouTube recently when it refused to remove the video containing derogatory material against Prophet of Islam. Censorship of Media however may create more political debate in terms of having curbs on the free speech and expression. International media may be banned from viewing in Arab countries and further censorship on the actual contents to be distributed on the open ended social media may be difficult to sustain. Due to the overall involvement of people and number of users on social media may not allow governments to completely censor them. It is however, important to understand that censorship on media may not be uniformly imposed across all the countries. Various Arab countries are moving towards more open media within their own countries and in such situation imposition of censorship can further distract them from the path to achieve true and genuine democracy within their countries.1 Creating more awareness It is also the responsibility of the civil society and international community to create more awareness about the political problems and how they can be overcome. Since violence is mostly associated with the political and social problems it is therefore important that the civil society plays its part in ensuring that media provides balance content. By putting more pressure on media, civil society can actually force media to become more responsible. By making media more accountable to the general public and highlighting its constructive role within the society, civil society can create more awareness. (Nomani, 2005) Arab countries also need to make sure that they develop local bodies and social organizations which can work within their own societies and create more awareness. It is also a fact that Arab countries have relatively low literacy rates therefore creation of awareness through public discourse, meetings as well as other methods can actually help people to differentiate between what is reality and how they should respond to the positive as well as negative media news. Civil society need to be more responsible in creating such reforms within Arab societies. Justification The above discussion therefore suggests that media has been creating such an environment where it is fuelling more of the violence in Arab countries. Unrestricted access to social media, political polarity as well as lack of education and international pressure has allowed media to contribute towards more violence in these countries. Further, the very nature of the sentiments as well as the deeper connection with the religion has also resulted into allowing media to create more violence. The solutions described above therefore are necessary in order to ensure that local as well as global play a positive role in Arab countries. Since Arab local media is not so strong therefore it is important to further discipline the local media and also negotiate successfully with the foreign media. Right and balanced approach towards different events in Arab countries cans actually the society to be become engaged and participatory in nature. It has been suggested the showing more of entertainment channels and encouraging local media can further help to fight with this problem. The local channels portray more of the local culture and traditions and provide the local entertainment. By associating the people with their local culture and images, media itself can actually create a balancing environment where it can balance the use of different combinations of programs and contents. Conclusion Arab countries are politically more volatile as compared to other countries in the world due to various factors. The combination of religion, political suppression as well as social exclusion has created violent and aggressive tendencies within Arab societies. Media has further contributed towards the creation of an environment which is fuelling more violence and aggressiveness. It has been highlighted that the depiction of violence on the TV screens also result into creation of more violence. Children and teens readily accept the conditioning through media and resultantly involve themselves in activities which may not be socially acceptable. Media has been largely showing unrestricted contents in Arab world and has therefore contributed towards creation of more violence. It has been suggested that the media does not follow any code of ethics in Arab countries and continue to show bullet riddled bodies and other scenes of violence to highlight what is happening within these countries. However, in order to stop media from creating more violence, it is important that media must follow a code of ethics. Following a code of ethics would mean that media must impose certain restrictions on itself in order to reduce the exposure to the violent and aggressive activities. Imposition of censorship is also another option available which can help stop media to create further violence and aggression. This option however may not be viable option in the long run because of various reasons. It is also possible to create more awareness about Media’s role in creating such violence. Bibliography Abdelhay, N. (2012). The Arab uprising 2011: new media in the hands of a new generation in North Africa. Aslib Proceedings, 64(5), 529 - 539. Bock, J. G., & Lederach, J. (2012). The Technology of Nonviolence:Social Media and Violence Prevention. Boston: MIT Press. Boyle, K. (2004). Media and Violence:Gendering the Debates. London: SAGE. Carter, C. (2003). Violence and the Media. New York: McGraw-Hill International,. Fandy, M. (2007). (Un)civil War of Words:Media and Politics in the Arab World. New York: Greenwood Publishing . Forsloff, C. (2009, April 19). Does Media Violence Create More Violence and Political Discord? Retrieved from Digital Journal: http://digitaljournal.com/article/271211 Nomani, A. (2005). Standing Alone in Mecca: An American Womans Struggle for the Soul of Islam. San Fransisco: HarperOne. Staub, E. (2011). Overcoming Evil:Genocide, Violent Conflict, and Terrorism. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Read More