During a recent visit to Beijing, China,
media delegations from Jordan visited Xinhua News Agency alongside other media
delegates from Bahrain. Many important questions were raised during the
meeting, including inquiries about how Chinese media collaborates with
Arabic-speaking media and how China manages its image, especially in the eyes
of Western media. As Western media often takes center stage for misreporting,
biasing news stories to fit their narrative, and the complete denial of
objectivity, it is safe to say that this is not their first encounter with such
issues. China, on the other hand, has extensive experience in dealing with its
own image in front of Western media.
اضافة اعلان
Finding the news is not the challenge, it is
about understanding its meaningBu Doumen, in his role as an associate senior
editor in the Desk of Arab News, Department of Domestic News for Overseas
Services at Xinhua News Agency, emphasizes the importance of contextualizing
the news. He highlights the power of multilingualism, especially in China.
Doumen, who is trilingual in Arabic, English, and Chinese, notes that many
young people in China speak not just one or two languages but sometimes even
three. He explains that in the age of the internet, media representation comes
in various forms, including videos, audio, and images. Finding the news is not
the challenge; it is about understanding its meaning.
Contextualization leads to finding your own
truthDoumen believes that contextualization is a
tool to piece together information and, ultimately, find your own truth.
Criticism presents opportunity for media to
share its own stories
Chen Ying, in her role as the editor of the
International Department at Xinhua News Agency, adds that while Western media
can sometimes be critical of China, this criticism presents an opportunity for
Chinese media to share its own stories. She notes that instead of reacting to
negative stories, they can use media to disseminate their narratives.
As Palestinians persist in their efforts to break the barriers surrounding their image, they face growing challenges related to social media shadow bans and international censorship. The struggle and liberation for Palestine always rest with the Palestinian people, meaning that anyone who wishes to support their cause must prioritize the needs and desires of the Palestinian people.
Ying shares an experience from a trip where
she toured foreign journalists around different parts of China. In one
instance, the journalists saw Chinese Muslims praying, and their
interpretations of the same image that they had all seen together had turned
into different interpretations altogether. Ying saw people praying
harmoniously, while the other foreign journalists saw aggression. Instead of
countering these stories, Chen suggests that it is essential to share China's
own stories, whether through meals, landmarks, or historical narratives.
Immersion over needing to respond
After this 'aha moment,' Ying revisited Xinjiang
to create vlogs, photos, videos, and engage with locals benefiting from China's
agricultural initiatives. She saw a different image when she could immerse
herself rather than needing to respond.
Can people with deeply ingrained beliefs
about a two-sided issue reconsider their perspective?This leads us to the next point: Gaza. Can
those who associate Gaza with terrorism, harbor Islamophobia, or have deeply
ingrained beliefs about a two-sided issue reconsider their perspective?
Palestinian rhetoric overshadowed by one
word: Hamas
The Palestinian cause strives to address such
preconceptions and tell its own stories. However, the majority of Palestinian
rhetoric has been overshadowed by one word: Hamas.
False stories further complicate their
efforts
Palestinian activists are working to create
their narratives, but they face constant challenges as one story is replaced by
another. False stories since October 7, 2023, further complicate their efforts.
The Great March of Return: a nonviolent
movement, underreported
While Palestinians attempted to share their
stories in 2018 during the Great March of Return, a total of 223 Palestinians
were killed by Israeli forces, even though their protests presented a
nonviolent movement. The use of deadly force by Israel was condemned on June
13, 2018, in a United Nations General Assembly Resolution. Western media
largely overlooked their efforts and continued to play its own tightknit
narrative of Muslims: bad, Israelis: good. Even now, as questions have been
raised to many Palestinian media experts by mainstream and legacy media, the
same question, and answer are repeated, that Palestinians have been protesting
in nonviolent manners for years, the international world, just did not listen,
or better yet, refused to listen, because it did not fit the images, they had
created before.
As Palestinian journalists endeavor to tell
their narratives, they face severe risksNow, as Palestinian journalists endeavor to
tell their narratives, they face severe risks and even death. Since October 7,
2023, the latest numbers show that 12 journalists have been killed, possibly
even higher, as reporting from Gaza presents multiple challenges for
journalists who are dealing with a lack of resources, such as fuel,
electricity, water, food, and shelter.
Just the beginning of a challenging journey
To shape your own story and narrative, there
must be a shift in how others perceive you and how you perceive them. For
Palestine, the fear of repetition, akin to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2001,
underscores that this is just the beginning of a challenging journey, one that
they hope will lead to a lasting change in their narrative.
Palestinians were acting as social media
detectives and living lie detectors
Even as Palestinians share their own truth,
they often find themselves responding to the misreporting of another. At the
beginning of the 'Al-Aqsa Flood,' Palestinians were acting as social media
detectives and living lie detectors as news came out about alleged incidents
involving Hamas, which later turned out to be false and manipulated through
AI-generated content. Unfortunately, by the time the truth emerged, many
mainstream media outlets had already propagated the story. Palestinians must
continue to share their own stories, and there is no one better suited for this
task than them. In return, we must listen to their stories.
Liberation for Palestine always rest with the
Palestinian people
As Palestinians persist in their efforts to
break the barriers surrounding their image, they face growing challenges
related to social media shadow bans and international censorship. The struggle
and liberation for Palestine always rest with the Palestinian people, meaning
that anyone who wishes to support their cause must prioritize the needs and desires
of the Palestinian people.
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