Israel & Zimbabwe Is Race The Real Reason For The Disparity In News Coverage?
If you bother to pay attention to the the North American news media over the holidays the only foreign news being broadcast on television is about Israel. CNN, ABC, NBC, CBC, are broadcasting more stories about the never ending conflict between the Jews and the Palestinians. Doesn’t anyone question “why” the North American press are focusing on Israel and not other countries around the planet? What about the health crisis in India and Asia isn’t this news? Why is the Occident only paying attention to Israel?
What is so special about Israel anyway? Is it about the issue of “race” or just geographical politics? Does Israel receive more press due to politics or the fact it is in the sphere of influence of the Occident?
The BBC is the only broadcast news organization that is paying special attention to the on going conflict in Zimbabwe. The Occident only cared about Zimbabwe when the dictator Robert Mugabe was ordering the removal of white farmers a few years ago. Only when “white people” were involved in the crisis of the southern African nation did the western media pay attention to the economic and social crisis in Zimbabwe.
However, when poor Africans are dying and fleeing to South Africa to save their lives this isn’t “important” news for the Occident. After all, Zimbabwe doesn’t have the natural resources or the wealth to interest the Occident. Who cares about a bunch of poor black people dying right?
I am cognizant of the fact Robert Mugabe has not allowed foreign media to enter into Zimbabwe. Mugabe and his ZANU PF party have restricted the foreign media because they view information as a form of propaganda. Why hasn’t the world decided to rise up against Mr. Mugabe? My theory is the delicate issue of race relations, African politics, and also apathy is to blame. If the Occident did enter Zimbabwe and remove Mugabe he will state this is just another example of the colonizers trying to control Africans. However, the silence of the Western world during this crisis is that innocent people are getting more sick and are dying.
Why doesn’t the world care? Why doesn’t other African nations speak out against Mr. Mugabe? I believe if the African leaders shunned Mr. Mugabe he can be removed rather quickly and order can be restored in Zimbabawe. The quandary is the silence of the African leaders presents the image to the rest of the world that they “agree” with Mr. Mugabe. Mugabe has always presented the illusion that he is about African liberation against the Europeans and yet here is Mr. Mugabe treating his own people as though their lives mean nothing.
Where are the humanitarian organizations? Why doesn’t the United Nations do something? Doesn’t anyone give a damn? At least this is the attitude of the Western media that I sense is taking place.
The dictator Robert Mugabe refuses to help his own people they are dying of diseases such as cholera. The inflation rate has sky rocketed in Zimbabwe. The people of Zimbabwe are hungry, desperate, depressed yet the world community only is apathetic. African leaders don’t care they continue to support Zimbabwe. The solution to the problems in Zimbabwe will be internal within the African continent not from Europe or North America. Why isn’t Robert Mugbae on trial for crimes against humanity? Shouldn’t Mugabe be behind bars?
Gayblackcanada 
I agree that Israel receives a great deal of media attention – and I readily recognize the reasons why this is so. We are, after all, speaking of an aggressive act by a nuclear power.
That said, what I find curious is your assertion that “the North American press are focusing on Israel and not other countries around the planet”. Just this afternoon I saw news stories on the CBC dealing with a boat capsizing in Nepal, a suicide attack in Pakistan, the collapse of a hotel in Indonesia, and election in Ghana, and the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from Somalia. There were even a few stories from Canada, another of those “other countries around the planet”.
I’ll disagree, also, with your claim that the BBC is “the only broadcast news organization that is paying special attention to the on going [sic]conflict in Zimbabwe.” In the past weeks I have seen several pieces covering the political turmoil and the cholera epidemic on The National and Sunday Morning. I’ve heard other pieces dealing with these same issues on The Current, Dispatches and As It Happens. All these reports dealing with a country that will not allow the CBC to enter its territory!
“Where are the humanitarian organizations?” you ask. To which do you refer? The Red Cross is hard at work in Zimbabwe, Doctors Without Borders is hard at work in Zimbabwe, the United Nations is hard at work in Zimbabwe.
“Doesn’t anyone give a damn?” Damn right they do!
@Orville, I saw your post in my feed and I was reticent at first to respond b/c I know this is an issue that is very controversial.
My feelings are like this. I don’t really think you can compare the coverage of Israel vs Zimbabwe. The reason I don’t think it is possible to compare is because firstly, the histories of both nations are not remotely similar.
I would think you could compare news coverage of a nation like Zimbabwe vs Democratic Repub of Congo as both nations have major human rights issues and they both have post colonial political upheaval and they are on the same continent.
I think it becomes dangerous to compare Israel and Zimbabwe together because they are wildly different countries, both in circumstance and reality.
I don’t like the idea of an all powerful dictator/president. However, I don’t like the idea of Western nations invading a country based on perspective. We might think Mugabe is doing wrong (as he is) but opinion and proof are two wholly different animals.
And so is jurisdiction. If a genocide was being committed in Zim and it came to light; an invasion to stop what was happening is wholly justified.
I am deeply saddened by all the human suffering that is happening in Zimbabwe; but as you know, the budgets of major news corporations have all been slashed and international news is barely important to big US companies anymore anyway.
It is better just reading niche news websites like allafrica.com for a more comprehensive view.
Niche is the future; the mass media view is dead.
Well, In the case of Israel, the US has significant history with them–and a sizeable Jewish population.
Only Britain has history with Zimbabwe and so they will follow that story more closely.
As for your other questions, it’s hard to explain. There is not much support for going into Africa partly because it ha suffered under colonialism before and also because there are not natural resources there to make it a geopolitically important region.
The African continent does have natural resources. For example, Nigeria is one of the world’s biggest exporters of oil, South Africa has diamonds and is the richest country on the African continent. Kenya and several other African nations make their money through eco tourism. For example, Europeans and Americans take vacations visit the African continent to see the lions, elephants, gorillas, tigers, hipppos to see these animals in their natural habitats.
North Africa is where the West is interested in due to the geopolitical region. I do agree about southern Africa though this is not an interest to the “west”.