Posted on 01/30/2005 4:49:33 PM PST by saquin
AMMAN, Jordan, Jan. 30 - Sometime after the first insurgent attack in Iraq this morning, news directors at Arab satellite channels and newspaper editors found themselves facing an altogether new decision: should they report on the violence, or continue to cover the elections themselves?
After close to two years of providing up-to-the-minute images of explosions and mayhem, and despite months of predictions of a bloodbath on election day, some news directors said they found the decision surprisingly easy to make. The violence simply was not the story this morning; the voting was.
Overwhelmingly, Arab channels and newspapers greeted the elections as a critical event with major implications for the region, and many put significant resources into reporting on the vote, providing blanket coverage throughout the country that started about a week ago. Newspapers kept wide swaths of their pages open, and the satellite channels dedicated most of the day to coverage of the polls.
Often criticized for glorifying Iraq's violence if not inciting it, Arab news channels appeared to take particular care in their election day reporting. For many channels, the elections were treated on a par with the invasion itself, on which the major channels helped build their names.
Far from the almost nightly barrage of blood and tears, Al Arabiya and Al Jazeera, the kings of Arab news, barely showed the aftermath of the suicide bombings that occurred in the country.
Instead, the channels opted to report on the attacks in news tickers, and as part of the hourly news broadcasts, keeping their focus on coverage and analysis of the elections themselves. And the broadcasters spared no expense to provide an entire day of coverage from northern to southern Iraq.
"There was a fear that some broadcasters will overdo coverage of violence, but we chose not to play that game," said Nakhle el-Hage, director of news and current affairs at satellite channel Al Arabiya, which is based in Dubai and is one of the most popular channels in Iraq. "We were expecting violence and when something happened, we put a news flash but then continued our coverage."
News directors at Al Jazeera, which is based in Qatar and has been banned from operating in Iraq since last summer, were also keenly conscious of the risks of overplaying the violence.
Ayman Jaballah, the deputy chief of news at Al Jazeera, said the channel would get news of the attacks from wire services and put them in the ticker, "but they will not take over the show."
"We will give them their fare share of coverage," he said, "but we won't just report violence for the sake of it."
For many Arabs, the surprisingly strong turnout on election day proved a singular opening, one that made the daily debate on TV screens more nuanced. On Al Jazeera, especially, many Iraqi guests lauded the process even as analysts from other Arab countries and Iraqis tied to the former government of Saddam Hussein decried the election for having occurred under occupation, and for having been centered on sectarian issues.
"Things used to be a negotiation between political parties where you scratch my back and I scratch your back," noted one commentator, Abas al-Bayati on Al Jazeera. "Now, this new government will approach all the parties as having the backing of the people. It will have legitimacy." And that legitimacy should allow the government to face down the insurgents, he added.
With the relative lack of violence, many nerves appeared calmed. Iraqis, especially, may have been emboldened by the coverage.
"What was important is that the satellite channels were taking us throughout the region, and also showed everyone how Iraqis outside Iraq were adamant and focused on voting," said Imad Hmood, editor in chief of Jordan's Al Ghad newspaper. "That was very important for people, especially Iraqis, to see."
"In the end the coverage was a success - not perfect, but a success under the conditions," he said.
The daylong reporting of the election process, details on the personalities and almost step-by-step guides to the voting were a significant departure from what the Arab news media has produced in some time.
Perhaps the most ambitious effort came from Al Arabiya, which had eight satellite trucks broadcasting from across Iraq, as well as numerous video phone links from Mosul, Baquba, Ramadi and elsewhere, and live feeds from neighboring countries. To give particular emphasis to elections coverage, Al Arabiya also built a special studio for the event. Al Arabiya executives did not disclose the total outlay for the effort, but said it was significant.
"We think this is a very important event, not just in Iraq but in the Arab world," Mr. Hage said. "It's the first real democratic event in the whole region and it deserved the attention." Giving the event such special attention, Mr. Hage said, would help build Al Arabiya's brand as a critical news source, if not expand its viewership.
For Al Jazeera, covering the elections proved more complex, but the channel had just as ambitious an agenda. Al Jazeera's offices in Iraq were closed more than six months ago and it was prohibited from operating in the country. But, the channel devised ways of providing broad coverage nevertheless, using journalists still on its payroll to provide reports by telephone, as well as freelance and wire film. In addition, the station was able to broadcast live footage from Erbil, in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region. It also made use of correspondents based in neighboring Jordan, Iran, Syria, Turkey and elsewhere.
"We are not feeling as if we are missing out on coverage," said Mr. Jaballah. "We focused on depth and neighboring offices. But if I had the option of working internally, I may have brought on more people."
But some analysts warn that the most important part of the election is far from over. Counting of ballots, begun this evening, was expected to take up to 10 days.
"There's been a collective decision to treat this as a gigantic event," said Gordon Robison, director of the Middle East Media Project at the University of Southern California's Center for Public Diplomacy. "It is, but unlike a British or American election where you get the results at the end of the day, you will be waiting a while. I'd hate to be the anchor who has to exchange banter all that time."
Imagine what could be accomplished if the media - Arab and our own MSM - displayed this level of integrity as a rule. A gigantic weight would be lifted off the cause of freedom.
Major earthquake took place in the Arab and oppressed countries across the globe. We may not see the immediate effects but this has put into motion events that will eventually bring freedom to everyone.
"HUH-OH?.....the Ayatollahs from Iran are shaking in their sandals tonight!!"
Especially when the Iraqis who live in in Iran lined up to vote also - I wonder how they ever got away with that ?
"It would be condescending if it were not hypocritical."
They are normally kind of conde-critical aren't they ?
Just to be more accurate. :-)
How can they help but admire what could only have been described by the entire Middle East as a "dream"?
Ditto of Afghanistan.
If Iraq can finish the job by writing and ratifying a constitution and having national elcetions, there will be no end to democratic nations in the middle east. George W Bush will be remembered as a visionary. Even the MSM will not be able to say otherwise.
Greek TV is also covering the election. The did show one brief scene with the splatter marks on a wall after the area had been cleared up.
Oddly, much of the coverage tracks what was here on FR and Fox.
Showed images of happy cheering people. Citing the 60% turn out.
One talking head made a dig about the heavy security necessary but they really pushed the spreading of democracy. (must be a historic issue)
I no longer have cable so watch little TV - because I cannot stomach CBS - but tonight I did and I was all but laughing aloud to see Blather Rather HAVE to report the amazing "victory" - the "huge victory" of the vote. He all but choked on his words. It was good to see this worm crawl - and when I think of him and his ilk - and we know who they are - grinding their teeth tonight and drowning in despair - What a glorious day all 'round!
It sounded like he was at a funeral. It was so amusing.
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