Al-Arabiyya TV Blunders on Syria

Comrade Alain sent me this (it is a BBC dispatch):
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Media Analysis: Al-Arabiya TV blunders on Syria Media analysis by BBC Monitoring on 24 July The occasional erroneous reporting by Dubai-based, Saudi-funded Al-Arabiya TV channel on the developments in Syria appears to have alienated Syrian activists on the ground and strengthened the Syrian regime's narrative. During the fighting in Damascus and Aleppo this and the previous week, Al-Arabiya attributed gains made by the anti-regime forces in the two cities to activists and Free Syria Army (FSA) sources, which has proved to be incorrect. Reactions by Syrian online activists indicate that the station's erroneous reporting may have been harmful, allegedly prompting regime forces to launch attacks on the locations reportedly taken by rebels. Aleppo Al-Arabiya reported on 22-23 July the seizure of parts of Aleppo and the regional office of the Syrian state TV and radio broadcaster following fighting between the FSA rebels and loyalist forces. Although user-generated content showed confrontations between Syrian army tanks and FSA rebels in Aleppo over the past few days, no reports confirmed the seizure of the state broadcaster's offices. Media activities in Aleppo itself appear not to have been interrupted, as seen on the screen of the Aleppo-based private, pro-regime "Halab TV" satellite channel. Damascus Al-Arabiya's reporting on Syria also saw a setback last week during the FSA's thrust into Damascus. The station quoted Syrian rebel and activist sources on 19 and 20 July as saying that the Damascus districts of Barzah-al-Balad, Rukn-al-Din and Harasta had been cleared of Al-Asad's forces or taken over by the FSA. But the local coordination committees in those areas denied these reports. The Barzah-al-Balad coordination committee page on Facebook confirmed that fighting was ongoing, but said the FSA did not control the area. [1] Al-Arabiya did not seem to change its story after these corrections but instead moved from one story to another as the events in Syria escalated. Activists alienated Syrian opposition online activists have expressed dismay over these reports. Damascus-based Syrian opposition activist Razan Ghazzawi wrote in a Twitter post on 23 July that Al-Arabiya's errors were costly. She said: "Al-Arabiya reported that FSA controlled Rukn al-Din and Barzah al-Balad, which wasn't true, and it's dangerous to report such news." [2] "Al-Arabiya has lost credibility among the revolutionaries in Syria," she declared. [3] On the Aleppo "Ahfad al-Kawakibi" Facebook page (14,000 followers), one post derided Al-Arabiya's reports as hyperbole. "Why do we have all this exaggeration of the FSA and its moves? If a dozen fighters entered a neighbourhood and erected checkpoints and a flag, it doesn't mean it was liberated." [4] Tough environment It is difficult to asses whose fault it was: Al-Arabiya's journalists or its sources within the FSA. Last week's rebel foray into Damascus witnessed the most audacious attack against Al-Asad's regime, leading to a surge in news media coverage. Under these circumstances, and when access to information in Syria remains at its lowest and most difficult, Al-Arabiya's newsgathering seems to have created a perfect habitat for rumours. News environment This situation resembled the news environment in Libya in 2011. Then, rumours and unconfirmed accounts by rebels on the arrest of Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi's family members led to celebrations in other parts of Libya. The celebratory firing in the air often led to the killing and wounding of dozens of civilians. In Syria, online activists warned against such mistakes, saying they may lead to violent reprisals by the regime forces. "We call upon you not to declare the liberation of any area so as not to spark air bombardment and massacres," said a 20 July statement on the Facebook page of the "Syrian Revolution Coordinators Union", which organizes and documents protests. [5] Al-Arabiya's past Al-Arabiya's recent history shows that, in addition to its Arabic news operation, its English-language website has also occasionally carried mistaken reports. In late May, Al-Arabiya English reported that the Syrian authorities had issued a warning against travelling to Lebanon following clashes in Tripoli and parts of Beirut. However, Syrian Twitter activist Shakib al-Jabari (@LeShaque) said the report of the warning was in fact based on a joke made on a Syrian activists' Facebook page. "@AlArabiya_Eng takes activist joke, publishes it as news," he said. [6] Regime's narrative Apart from alienating viewers and Syrian activists, the station's erroneous reporting and weak newsgathering will likely play into the regime's hands. Since March 2011, the Syrian regime's narrative had at its core the premise that it was under a foreign media campaign that relied on lies and twisted truth to attack Syria. [7] The most recent errors by Al-Arabiya appear to have strengthened this claim since the denials come from anti-regime activists. This could be seen on Facebook pages supportive of the Syrian leader, such as the F.S.N.N (67,000 followers), where denials of TV news by local sources are always celebrated. [8] [9] In one example, one post scoffed at Al-Arabiya's recent errors. "Those who don't get bored of lying have got bored of Al-Arabiya's lies." [10] Sources: [1] http://5je.vb.sl.pt [2] http://twitter.com/RedRazan/status/227324890217316352 [3] http://twitter.com/RedRazan/status/227324539267321856 [4] http://5je.v9.sl.pt [5] www.facebook.com/monasiqoon/posts/393763554006244 [6] http://twitter.com/LeShaque/status/204593705619951617 [7] www.sabr.cc/m/inner.aspx?id=35199&cat=6 [8] http://5je.ve.sl.pt [9] http://5je.vi.sl.pt [10] http://5je.wa.sl.pt Source: BBC Monitoring analysis 24 Jul 12 BBC Mon ME1 MEPol MD1 Media aa/med

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