Bahrain: Below the radar
The Arab uprising that has failed to capture the international media’s attention.
On this week’s show: Bahrain – a small kingdom cracking down on the media in a big way. Plus, a look at state media in post-revolution Egypt.
Along with other Arab nations in the region, Bahrain has been facing a period of momentous political upheaval. However, in terms of global news coverage, the story there has received comparatively less media exposure than events in Libya and Syria have in recent weeks and months. One reason is that the Bahraini authorities have learnt from the events in Tunisia and Egypt, reacting quickly to quash any dissent in local media and shutting out many international news organisations.
As the ruling Al-Khalifa family continues its campaign of repression and intimidation against local journalists, global news outlets continue to struggle to cover an uprising on an island that plays an important strategic role in the region. In our News Divide this week, we take a closer look at the draconian media environment imposed by the Bahraini authorities and the challenges and perils of covering an uprising that has literally divided the region along intra-religious lines.
Quick hits from the media world: Two photojournalists become the latest media workers to be killed whilst covering the Libyan uprising; three of the Al Jazeera camera crew detained in Libya have been released but one remains in custody, his whereabouts unknown; US diplomatic cables obtained by Wikileaks reveal that the state department has been funding a Syrian political opposition group and a TV station it runs; journalists covering the elections in Nigeria face intimidation and harassment despite promises of a safe reporting environment; and the Pentagon finds no wrongdoing on the part of former US commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal in the wake of Rolling Stone’s expose.
During the Egyptian revolution, the state media served as the mouthpiece for the ailing dictator and consistently offered Egyptians a distorted view of the protests around the country. But with Hosni Mubarak gone, what now for an industry he so tightly controlled? In our feature Listening Post’s Simon Ostrovsky went to Cairo to see how the state media is developing and asks if it can live up to the democratic ideals that took down its former ruler.
And finally, Britain’s royal wedding is reaching fever pitch online so you can be sure to see more videos like our Web Video of the Week. If you think you have seen it before, then you are probably one of the 65 million who saw American couple Jill and Kevin’s musical wedding entrance on YouTube. Mobile phone network T-Mobile borrowed their flamboyant formula but added some royal doppelgangers. We hope you enjoy the show!
Listening Post airs each week at the following times GMT: Saturday: 0830, 1930; Sunday: 1430; Monday: 0430.