The Arab Journalists Union complains of racist and biased coverage of Ukraine, and this is the Danish Journalists Association's comment.
The Danish TV2 website reported that the Arab Journalists Union is calling on all news organizations to be aware of biases and comparisons with conflicts in the Middle East.
Many Western media outlets have been criticized for downplaying wars and conflicts in other parts of the world when compared to the invasion of Ukraine. For example, CBS News correspondent Charlie D'Agata commented on Saturday from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv: “This is not a place—with all due respect—like Iraq or Afghanistan, which have been embroiled in decades of conflict. This is a relatively civilized, relatively European city—and I have to use those words carefully—a city, a city where you don't expect or hope for war or refugees.” See the video circulating on social media below.
The criticism led to journalist Charlie D'Agata apologizing for his language, describing it as "a poor choice of words," and the English branch of Al Jazeera News Network also expressed regret for comparing the television hosts to refugees from the Middle East and North Africa, according to TV2.
Other statements in Western media prompted the Arab and Middle East Journalists Association (AMEJA) to issue a statement condemning insinuations that some countries are uncivilized and therefore conflicts are expected in the country. The statement said, “This type of commentary reflects the prevailing mentality in the Western press by normalizing tragedies in regions such as the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, and Latin America.” The statement said it dehumanizes and interprets their experiences of war as normal and expected.
In its statement, AMEJA called on correspondents to educate reporters on the “cultural and political differences” of the regions they cover and to avoid bias at the expense of the Middle East.
Newsrooms should not make comparisons that overemphasize or justify one conflict over another—civilian casualties and displacement in other countries are just as egregious in other countries as they are in Ukraine, the report states. AMEJA highlights examples from American, British, and French media outlets, as well as The Washington Post.
Danish Journalists' Association: Pay attention to the language used.
In a comment from the Danish Journalists Association, Tine Johansen, president of the Danish Journalists Association, told TV2 that this is “a very current and urgent debate,” and that the media must be very aware of the use of language, especially when it is done close to home, adding: “As journalists, you help to form an image among the population. The fact that you are emotionally affected is contagious to the audience of the journalism you produce.”.
No similar examples have appeared in the Danish media, but discussions and considerations have taken place in the Journalists' Association about writing a guide to covering what is happening in Ukraine, as this is the dominant topic in the media picture now.
Discussion and debate on social media
The debate also spread widely on social media, with Danish journalist Boke Damsgaard criticizing how war victims from Ukraine and the Middle East were reported.
