Once more, the international media outlets are failing to enact truthfulness in conveying the reality of what happens in Lebanon.
Not only that, some not far from home created an abusive video presentation on social media, smearing and slandering the honor of our good people on the grounds.
While that only reveals the ugliness of the anti-protest propaganda, we get to wonder why CNN, BBC, and Time Magazine, for example, have been twisting truths and failing to convey the reality.
During these crucial times in which the Lebanese nation is conducting its most important revolution for its basic human rights, and is doing so with awesomely peaceful and cheerful protests, all in unity, we get to be unjustly accused of the worst.
And we get to have the image of our beautiful nation tarnished by fake news and ugly images (which I am not going to include here because I refuse to promote them).
That has been a trend with the international news these past decades, focusing on violent news and drama to increase their audience and hence boost their bank accounts, which, let’s be real, has created more and more depression with humans in the world.
When it comes to us now, finding only a few incidents, they chose only these images to depict Lebanon’s protests and the Lebanese nation as violent, disregarding the 99.99999999% of the reality of Lebanon’s Revolution.
But this time, the Lebanese do not intend to let it be, not in Lebanon and not in the diaspora, especially that the local media outlets either belong to a party of a politician or are under “pressure” from the government.
Just recently, on Oct 22, New Yorkers supporting the Lebanese diaspora in New York went into a silent sit-in in front of CNN Head Quarters, demanding accurate and fair coverage of Lebanon’s peaceful protests.
The image-announcement says it all. CNN, like Time Magazine, has been covering only what depicts violence, chaos, and vandalism.
You all must have seen the fun occurrence of loving and empathetic protestors who were singing and cheering in Beirut then they turned to sing “Baby Shark” to a kid in a car.
Really heartwarming and funny. CNN broadcasted it, yet in a negative way that incites negative reactions from their audience.
Let me break down here how the TV anchor trimmed off the good reality, twisted the truth, and interpreted it all fakely to her audience,… from her comfy seat in another world where she doesn’t have to struggle for her basic rights:
She spoke of how bad things were in Lebanon with the protests. She followed saying, while presenting the video, that the protesters “changed their tunes” when they saw the baby and went singing to him.
We would think that she’s the only one on earth today not knowing that our protesters have been cheerful all along. We would if the intention wasn’t so obvious in speaking ill of our people.
And then she goes on pressing firmly her tone (and face) saying that the baby was scared, to also make the world believe that we are such awful inconsiderate parents.
In fact, she pointed out that the baby had “no car seat” and “no seat belt.” I spare you the remaining. I believe I made my point here.
Psst, CNN, if this is not cheerful and peaceful for you, what is it then?
We do just get to wonder what she and her TV team would really do if they get to endure years of harsh economic crisis like ours caused by governance mismanagement, or their government deprives them of their basic rights to live with decency for years.
If we well recall, not so long ago, protests flooded their streets, with riots, violence, and vandalism, and even stabbing in a university; all triggered by nothing at all related to a crucial survival cause as ours today.
And we are still behaving way better, and doing ours much better, and enjoying it with good humor and wonderful unity.
That being said, the mainstream news outlets appear to suddenly have changed their minds (or agendas?), from previously criticizing our government to now siding with them against our people and their rights to demand reforms.
Basically, they are fighting against the will of the Lebanese nation and their revolution for better life conditions, conveying to the world ugly images and twisted truths, showing the worst even when there isn’t any of such.
In parallel, BBC was pressured two days ago by the Lebanese Instagram users to remove a created video of similar twisted truths.
I have to give it to one user in particular who kept bombarding the BBC Instagram official account with repeated comments by the minute on that IG post, demanding the removal of that fake news:
“That’s totally not true! Remove it at once. Remove your video now! Show the truth!”
He then appears in the comment section of another BBC video post about Lebanon protests, saying “Remove your previous video! It’s fake. Remove your previous video!” (Awesome Lebanese fellow! Don’t you think?)
Psst, BBC, you’ve seen this?
Similarly, Time Magazine chose the worst pictures to portray Lebanon’s protests. Looking at these images, one would think there is a civil war raging in Lebanon these days.
I take a moment here to point out that this is exactly why our founder Anthony started The961; “to counter the mainstream both in Lebanon and abroad from showing a negative image of our country,” as he stated back then, and now again as the international mainstream has unleashed portraying our homeland so badly.
The worst, in my personal opinion, is a professionally-made video in Arabic on Instagram that has been smearing the women of the Lebanese Revolution, accusing them of… well… a whole dictionary of insulting words.
The woman hiding behind the video presentation was going on and on, slandering like a misogynistic male of the stone age. For more, read: Stop Attacking the Women of the Lebanese Revolution!
Then again, how can we blame the international mainstream of twisting truths and showing only ugly images of our protests in Lebanon when the anti-protest propaganda is acting the worst? It is really playing ugly, but that goes to show the nature of the people behind it.
Thank God for social media facilities through which our good people in Lebanon and abroad are sharing the truth and the reality of the protests.
The mainstream can no longer monopolize the news and filter at their convenience or as per a funded agenda. We didn’t have that blessing years ago when the international media tarnished our image to the world.
Now we do. And now we won’t let them. We the people of Lebanon are here, and we have spoken… on the grounds across the world and in the skies.
