Where the true power of media lies?
By: Mr Ako Ribijni
Tags: Syria, Syrian Refugees, Politics, Médiá, Syrian Civil War

Global trust in conventional news channels is at an all-time low. “Expert” answers on the questions about the pandemic, economics, and politics have been lackluster at best. As a result, a growing number of audience members take those answers with a pinch of salt and skepticism. Furthermore, regardless of the political leanings of a news organization, at the very least, half of the population out-right distrusts them. One might argue this lack of trust leads to the weakening of traditional news channels. How can they sway public opinion if the public does not believe them?

I claim that they can. The real influence on public opinion is not in answers that the “experts” provide. Nor is it in the conclusions of opinion pieces on complex topics. It is in the very questions they ask.

To give an example, in 2018, I would come home from work and watch, read and listen to reports about the chemical attacks in Syria. The question was whether Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons on his subjects. Obama has drawn a “red line” for using chemical weapons. So this question seemed very significant as its conclusion could lead to a new foreign intervention. At that time, I worked with Syrian refugees. I would talk to dozens of refugees daily. Interestingly, the question of the chemical attacks never rose. I heard hundreds of first-hand accounts of torture and imprisonment of the Syrian people, many of whom had loved ones murdered right in front of them, all by their own government. Weather chemical weapons were used in some of the killings, instead of the good old-fashioned bullets, bombs, and torture in prisons, all of the sudden seemed much less significant. It was a very small piece of a puzzle that was already pretty clear.

In this example, the influence of the media was not in the information they provided. Whether or not you believe that the chemical attacks happen, who is responsible for them and for what ends, does not matter. If you are simply taking the question as a significant one, the media has successfully shaped your world-view. Furthermore, the linkage of the answer to this question with the possibility of intervention is noting but political demagoguery.

The whole story of the chemical attacks only had real significance in the drama that is being played on the small screens. The pundits would present terrifying videos of the injured and deceased. The experts would conclude the clear signs of chemical weapons use. Clear but unconfirmed. Worst atrocities since world war 2? Yes, but unconfirmed, maybe. It plays almost like a soap opera with twists and turns and high stakes. When the reality of the situation was that thousands were kidnaped, tortured, and murdered. Clear and confirmed.

Next time the media presents you with an ambiguous piece of a puzzle take a moment before diving deep into uncovering the nature of the piece. Take a step back and look at the whole puzzle. Maybe you don’t need that tiny corner piece to see enough of the puzzle. Maybe focusing on that piece will put the rest of the puzzle in the blurry, peripheral view.