Media Monster

Two weeks ago an article appeared on Reuters.com about the jury selection for the trial of an Islamic cleric, Abu Hamza al-Masri, accused of plotting to start a militant base camp in the United States.  (Ax, 2014) I was struck by the headline that referred to al-Masri as a “one-eyed, handless Islamic cleric.”

Robertson (2013) argues that media outlets in the age of globalization hold a large amount of power in framing our sense of “self” and “other”.  In a shared global space, he says that the media define the moral space and determine how the other should appear to us. In doing so they seek to elicit a moral response from us.

The headline of the story portrays al-Masri as monstrous.  Juxtaposing the physical description with his identity as an Islamic cleric seeks to associate a monstrous appearance with a western perception of Islamic fanaticism.  This is designed to elicit a moral response from the audience based upon the particular frame.

Despite the widespread use of personal communication technologies, large media outlets still possess large amounts of power and influence.  It is for this reason that users and consumers of media must maintain a critical eye in order to see through certain agendas and framing strategies and understand messages from a more objective viewpoint.

References

Ax, J. (2014, April, 14). Jury Selected for U.S. Trial of one-eyed, handless Islamic cleric. Retrieved from http:// http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/14/us-usa-security-imam-idUSBREA3D11620140414

Robertson, A. (2013). Connecting in crisis: “Old” and “new” media and the Arab Spring. International Journal of Press/Politics, 18, 325-341.

Shooting from the Lip

While speaking at a Republican Jewish Coalition event in Las Vegas, Governor Chris Christie referred to the West Bank of Israel as ‘the Occupied Territories.’  The use of the term upset those in attendance.  Supporters of Israel believe Israel has a legitimate claim to the region and to refer to them as ‘occupied territories’ legitimizes Palestinian resistance (Reilly, 2014).

According to Curtin (2007), culture is the process of meaning making: language, culture and meaning are all linked.  International public relations crosses national boundaries and audiences create meaning as they consume messages.  Curtin describes this as ‘hyperreality’ where there is no actual truth but an interrelated series of signs and symbols that create meaning.

Governor Christie is well known for ‘shooting from the hip.’ He speaks spontaneously and bluntly.  This may work well in the local context of New Jersey, but in this situation it is clear that this style is risky.  In a global setting, words need to be chosen carefully.  One must understand the different meanings and identities associated with different terms.

Christie quickly issued an apology that was accepted.  Likely, those involved understood the intent was not to make a statement regarding Israel’s stance in the West Bank.  But it was an indication that to make the leap from local to global politics one must possess thorough understanding of how messages are interpreted and reinterpreted across different cultural contexts.

References

Curtin, P. A., & Gaither, K. T. (2007). International public relations: Negotiating culture, identity, and power (chapters 1, 2, 3, 5). New York: Sage.

Reilly, M. (2014, March, 30). Chris Christie Apologies for ‘Occupied Territories’ Remark, Says He   ‘Misspoke’. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/30/chris-christie-apologizes_n_5058758.html

Cultural Narrative

Last week, Children’s BBC (CBBC) posted a slideshow photo gallery called “Children of Kabul.”  The slideshow depicted various pictures of children playing in Kabul that included children flying kites, girls riding skateboards, and images of the city itself.  The images are accompanied with simple explanatory captions.  These include, “The hills of Kabul are full of children playing games”, “the Taliban…banned things like music, television and most sports,” and “they say even something as simple as skateboarding gives them a sense of freedom.”

The slideshow is an example of socio-narratology or how story structure enacts certain types of engagement (Wessels, Anderson, Durrant & Ellis, 2012).  Producers of content use the concept of socio-narratology to construct stories based on how they perceive the users of media and what kind of action or engagement they want to elicit (p. 195).

Wessels, et. al (2012)'s three concepts of socio-narratology are present in this slideshow.  The distance between the two nations of the United Kingdom and Afghanistan represent the space of appearance.  The producers compile familiar images such as skateboarding, traffic, and children playing to foster mutual understanding or what Wessels, et al. call doubling.  Finally, these elements serve to create “proper distance” so that there is enough distance to create a sense of other and an obligation for action, yet enough proximity to experience shared identity or empathy (p. 197).

While socio-narratology can be beneficial in creating mutual understanding and engagement, there is a danger, as well.  In the example of the CBBC’s Afghan Children slideshow, the imagery and positive messages used are in the context of western civilization – skateboards, television, and freedom.  Negative messages and images are taken from specifically Afghan culture – the Taliban and the local presence of warfare.  The aim here is to bridge the distance between UK children and Afghan children, to say “they are just like us.”  And in terms of humanity, yes they are.  But, the slideshow offers little in terms of real learning about Afghan culture.  “They are like us” is strictly in terms of the extent to which Afghan children are westernized.

This is an issue of literacy.  There are social benefits to socio-narratology.  But there needs to be a level of literacy through which a consumer of media can understand when mediated messages are narrowing cultural understanding rather than broadening it.

References

CBBC. (2014, March, 25). Pictures: Children of Kabul photo gallery. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/26371732

Wessels, B., Anderson, B., Durrant, A., & Ellis, J. (2012). Mediating genocide: Cultural understanding through digital and print media stories in global communication. International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics, 8, 193-209.