MEDIA IMPERIALISM

Columnist Gp Capt SM HALI makes a fascinating study of media being used effectively by the developed world as a weapon of influence.

In his book Media The Second God, Tony Schwartz, a television advertising specialist, states, “Godlike, the media can change the course of a war, bring down a president or a king, elevate the lowly and humiliate the proud, by directing the attention of millions on the same event and in the same manner.”

Media imperialism is at the moment of primary importance to all the states of the developing world. It is imperative that its various aspects are studied in detail.

Some fifty years ago, about the same time as Pakistan got its independence, George Orwell wrote his famous book Nineteen Eighty-Four. That classic novel with miraculous prescience depicted with a fair amount of accuracy, the events that were to unfold in the present era. In fact the thought control capacity of the powers that be has gone much beyond the Orwellian fancies and fantasies and we have been so conditioned by it that we take it for granted and believe in his slogan “ignorance is strength”.1

The tentacles of this brain washing machine of mass media of the developed countries are used to manipulate the developing world. To borrow again from ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’, the invention of print made it easier to manipulate public opinion, and the film and the radio carried the process further.

Orwell, goes on to predict that totalitarian regimes would rely on a ubiquitous “Oblong Metal Plaque Like a Dulled Mirror” to keep the citizens of Oceania brainwashed and obedient: “the instrument called television could be dimmed, but there was no way of shutting it off completely”.2

His prophecy couldn’t be more correct for television is here to stay and cannot be shut off but like other means of communication it has alternate uses i.e. It can also be used positively. It is one of the most effective means of communication since it has access to nearly every home and reaches even the remotest corners. Thus whoever controls it has a very powerful instrument in his hand for he can channelize the very thoughts of people.

Media Imperialism can be discussed in four postulates:-3

• Imbalances in North/South dialogue

• Influence of intelligence agencies

• Emergence of Conglomerates & Media Monopolies

• Propaganda and media warfare

Information plays a paramount role in international relations, both as a means of communication between people and as an instrument of understanding and knowledge between nations. However, in the North/South dialogue, this flow of information is characterized by the following basic imbalances:-

• Quantitative Imbalance:- This imbalance is created by the disparity between the volume of news and information emanating from the developed world and intended for the developing countries, and the volume of the flow in the opposite direction. Almost 80 percent of the world newsflow originates from the major news agencies of the developed countries while they devote only 20 to 30 percent of news coverage to the developing countries, despite the fact that the latter comprise almost three quarters of mankind. This results in a veritable de facto monopoly on the part of the developed countries. According to an UNESCO report, the ratio of information flow from north to south is 5:1 making us passive recipients. To illustrate this, statistics from Who’s on Time a book based on the study of Time’s covers from March, 1923 to January, 1977 reveals that publicity by this international magazine has been actually lopsided in favour of western countries in terms of sociological, economical and political issues as well as personalities. The given table4 indicates personalities from various countries of the world, which appeared on the cover of Time for the aforementioned period.

• Inequality in Information Resources:- The five major transitional agencies monopolize between them the major share of material and human potential while almost a third of the developing countries do not yet possess a single national agency. There is inequality in distribution of the frequency spectrum. The former control nearly 90% of the source of spectrum. In respect to television, not only do 45% of the developing countries have no television of their own while they have to watch a large number of programmes produced in the developed countries.5 President Julius Nyrere of Tanzania once sarcastically remarked that the inhabitants of the developing countries should be allowed to vote in the US Presidential elections because of the bombardment of information regarding US Presidential candidates to developing countries through US controlled media.

• There is de facto Hegemony and a Will to Dominate:- Such hegemony and domination are evident in the marked indifference of the media in the west to the problems, concerns and aspirations of the developing countries, who are relegated to the status of mere consumers of information sold as a commodity like any other.

• Lack of Information on Developing Countries:- Current events in the developing countries are reported to the world via the transitional media who filter, cut and distort their reports and impose their own way. At times they present these communities in the most unfavourable light, stressing crises, strikes, street demonstrations, putsches and calamities even going to the extent of holding them to ridicule.

• The Survival of the Colonial Era:- The present-day information system enshrines a form of political, economic and cultural colonialism in which world events are covered only in so far as it suits the interests of certain societies; the criteria governing selection are consciously or unconsciously based on the political and economic interests of the transitional system and of the countries in which the system is established.

• Alienating Influence in the Economic, Social and Cultural Spheres:- Other forms of hegemony include monopoly on advertising, opposing social evolution and transmitting to the developing countries messages which are harmful to their cultures, contrary to their values, and detrimental to their development aims and efforts.

• Messages Ill-suited to the Areas in which they are Disseminated:- The news coverage of major mass media is designed to meet the national needs of the countries of their origin. They disregard the impact of their news beyond their own frontiers. They even ignore the important minorities and foreign communities living in their national territory, whose needs in matters of information are different from their own.

The imbalances have reached such a state that in a recent summit of UNESCO, when a new information order was presented stressing a change to correct the north/south imbalances, and providing an equal voice and share in the global village, USA, Britain and  Japan walked out from the summit. They felt their monopolies threatened. Thus they not only stopped the order from being ratified. They have not renewed to-date their membership of UNESCO either.6

Influence of Intelligence

Realizing the importance of the influence of media, most of the important news agencies are either financed or backed by intelligence agencies or government sources the world over.7 Their resulting influence can be well gauged. Some prominent agencies are:-

• K G B Controlled the Soviet agencies of TASS and pravda while Russian agencies continue to control TASS.

• C I A has a major role in CNN while US Government finances AP.

• M I - 5 has a say in Reuters and BBC.

• R A W plays an important part in the entire ZEE network

• MOSSAD totally exploited the Robert Maxwell chains.

An example can be quoted from our own experience. After the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, CIA prepared a list of countries in the region where possible reaction to the US arms build up in the Gulf could emanate. Heading this list was Iran, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

It was decided that the best way to counter such an eventuality would be through massive doses of CNN. Although dish antennas are banned in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, yet tacit approval of the monarchy was obtained and the skyline of Saudi urban landscape changed nearly overnight. On the other hand, Pakistan not being an opulent society, could not afford dish antennas in bulk so a more cogent and macabre plan was conceived. STN, then known as PTN was launched. Equipment for receiving and relaying CNN was dumped in Pakistan at throwaway prices and CNN was beamed in every house possessing a TV set.8 The role of media during the operation Desert Storm will not be elaborated here as it is already well-known but suffice it to say that even the American public was duped as for the first time in American history, the US Government succeeded in controlling almost totally what the public would be permitted to know about the conduct of military operations. For months Iraqi warmight was blown out of proportion. Saddam the monster emerged with his tales of atrocities. His republican guards were built in hype.

Once actual operations commenced, reports of an inevitable, clean bloodless war and clinically administered surgical operations of laser-guided bombs dropped down the airshafts of designated military targets while mercifully sparing nearby schools, homes and mosques, were propagated. To achieve credibility, Peter Arnnett of CNN was stationed at Baghdad. His famous Al-Rashid Hotel first hand accounts of US Navy Tomahawk missile strikes on Baghdad are imprinted on everyone’s mind. Flashes of Patriot missiles streaking through the dark sky annihilating each and every incoming Scud missile were frequent presentations of CNN. This was dual purpose. The mighty military industrial complex of the west earned boosted sales to the Middle East and managed to off-load its obsolete hardware on a gullible market scared out of its wits and groping for survival.

For the first time the US Government demonstrated the means to black out the battlefield any time it chose, even in the presence of hundreds of representatives of the world press. When a television reporter while watching the take off of US fighters noticed an aircraft that appeared to be experiencing mechanical trouble, his satellite link was shut down by electronic counter measures.9

Emergence of Conglomerates & Media Monopolies

It was months after the war that the truth of the allies’ failure to destroy the total Iraqi war machine emerged along with the confirmation of numerous casualties inflicted by misdirected US fire, allied bombardment of bomb shelters causing the horrible deaths of hundreds of civilians and destruction of “Milk Powder Factories”. Peter Arnett of CNN’s reports from Baghdad gave the Iraqi regime a powerful instrument of propaganda.

On February 20, 1991 in a testimony before the Senate Committee on governmental affairs, retired U.S. Army Colonel Harry G. Summers, JR. denounced Arnett for “Treason” for “Giving Aid and Comfort to the Enemy”.10 White House accused Arnett of ‘Speaking for the Iraqi Government’ and Gen. Norman Schwarzkopk of “Aiding and Abetting an Enemy”.11

Green Peace has estimated that 2,500 to 3,000 Iraqi civilians died during the Air War and an additional 70,000 Iraqis died in 1991 alone because of deterioration in health and sanitation conditions caused by the War.12 Now we know that fewer than 10 percent of the bombs used by allied forces in the Gulf war were smart weapons and that of the 88,500 tons of munitions dropped on Kuwait and Iraq, an estimated 70 percent missed their targets – by anywhere from a few feet to five miles. Experts have testified before Congress in 1992 that the much-vaunted Patriot Missile may have destroyed only one of the 90 Iraqi Scud missiles fired at Saudi Arabia and Israel. There is also substantial evidence that the Patriots not only failed to destroy a significant number of attacking Scuds, but also actually increased the amount of ground damage as they crashed on Israeli streets.13

Emergence of Conglomerates & Media Monopolies

Capitalist societies are ruled by economic and commercial interests. In such societies the power of media is used to influence and even distort the psyche of the people to make them consumption oriented.

The conglomerates in turn are serving the interest of corporates through their effective hold over the media. They aim to turn the third world countries into dumping grounds for those products that are banned or restricted in the West. Common examples are pesticides, cigarettes and injurious pharmaceutical products.

This state of affairs persists particularly in the developed nations including USA where 80% of the media is controlled by 13 conglomerates with massive media empires. Some of the famous media moguls are CNN/TIME WARNER BROS, Grahams, of Newsweek, Westing House which also owns NBC; Twentieth Century Fox which also owns Sony; Rupert Murdoch of Australia, who is whizword in US media; Kerry Packer of Channel 9 who owns 109 magazines.

Similarly in France, almost the entire press is owned by only four groups, which have a wide-ranging influence in the society and matters of national interest.14 In Turkey, every major newspaper has its own channel. To name a few, Hurriaye, Millia and Turkiya.

In Pakistan too, liberalization of government policies towards freedom of expression in the corporate sector has made certain newspaper groups very strong. Publishing houses of Jang, Nawa-e-Waqt and Dawn are no longer dependent on government advertisements and can survive the wrath of any regime. These groups are now so strong that they have adopted the role of ‘king makers’ in the country.

Mr A R Khalid, Professor, Department of Journalism, University of Punjab, in his book “Communication Today” 15 writes, “The fact is the Pakistani journalists are anything but human. Most of them are the worst breed of parasites. Instead of helping the nation they seem hell-bent to suck its blood, to strip it to the last drop and even to bargain national interests for the sake of personal aggrandizement. Their slogan about freedom is only a camouflage to squeeze personal benefits out of the state officials who spare no effort either to out-clever the journalists. Thus the media men in Pakistan should realize their responsibilities and try to discharge their duties to the satisfaction of the people and not to wangle the hypocritical favours of the rulers to secure lucrative advantages for themselves”.

A considerable portion of the Pakistani press is thriving on sensationalism. These newspapers and magazines often resort to defamation of prestigious institutions which includes the Pakistan Air Force. The modus operandi of these sensationalists is that they pick any small incident, often at the behest of some vested interest and blow it out of proportions in order to create sensation.

Media Warfare and Propaganda

One of the most effective means of warfare is through propaganda, which is an intricate science and a planned exercise to undermine the will of the people. The primary tool of propaganda is the media. Media warfare and propaganda are detailed subjects. Hitler had entrusted an entire ministry to Goebbles to achieve his ends. The Jews and Hindus are pastmasters at it. Machiavelli and Chanakya devoted volumes to the art of statecraft and deceit through propaganda.

Some of the techniques adopted through media to gain the desired effects are discussed below:-

• Repetition:- ‘Repeat a lie so often that it appears to be the truth’ is an age old dictum and an effective tactic e.g. Jewish propaganda of 5 million Jews being executed in France alone has gained world-wide sympathy for them. A couple of years ago, a scientist calculated and mathematically proved that the figure could not exceed 80,000. The story was carried by ‘Liberas’ the French daily. The Jews were so infuriated at the shattering of the myth that the top 3 correspondents of the daily were sacked and the story was muffled.16

• Opinion as a Fact:- By presenting one’s personal opinion disguised as a fact can easily mislead readers.

• Half Truths:- Quoting out of context or presenting only one aspect of information is a favourite ploy of propagandists.

• Misleading Headlines:- The headline writer can propagandize effectively since many see a headline but seldom read the story.

• Biased Photographs:- Presenting best perspective of favourites and worst of undesirables.

• Censorship:- Selective control of information so as to favour a particular viewpoint or editorial position and deliberate doctoring of information or totally disbarring certain undesirable information are certain forms of censorship to create a desired effect.

• Wrongful Attribution or Testimonial Technique:- In which a journalist may attribute a statement to a veiled or vague authority to gain credence for an incorrect statement.

• Yellow Journalism:- The term denotes scare headlines, superficial writing, faked pictures and interviews and encompasses all of the above. Originated from William Randolph Hearst - 1887 ‘Examiner’, ‘New York journal’- to gain circulation, he urged in 1900 war with Spain and succeeded in making this uncalled for conflagration with its resultant most unfortunate consequences.17

Conclusion

After the end of the cold war, the military industrial complex lost its might. With the roll back of the armed forces, the focus shifted to consumerism and market economy. Media imperialism gained fresh targets. However, the Warsaw pact countries have vast arsenals of armament. Compelled by economic constraints, they are in search of markets to dump them and boost their sagging economy. Since the military industrial complex would no longer compete with it so it is attempting to eliminate the markets for such arms. This is being achieved by accepting some of the Warsaw pact countries under the control of NATO and secondly by propagating the reduction of defence budgets. Pakistan is at the moment in the eye of the storm of this media onslaught. Altruistically such move to reduce defence budgets would be welcome but unfortunately it is one sided. Pakistan has had to bear the brunt of such discriminations in the shape of Pressler Amendment. Such lopsided and discriminatory laws resulted from a successful media campaign launched to present Pakistan as a rogue nuclear power, governed by unstable fundamentalists and reeking of corruption.