The hidden racism in the media must end

The fact that there are presidential elections in the United States this year has hardly escaped anyone. During the primary election campaign, the media fed us first with speculation about the outcome in each state, then with the results and analyzes. We get to know a lot about the most important candidates: what they have done, what they say (or do not say), what people on the street think and how they intend to vote - all supplemented with many pictures. And yet so far it has only been about the process when the parties nominate their candidates. The actual presidential election will take place in November.

Regions in the media shadow

And how many of you know that in 2016 elections will be held in 28 countries in sub-Saharan Africa? Then you are still particularly interested in that part of the world. There are 15 parliamentary elections, 13 presidential elections and 11 regional or municipal elections. In addition, four referendums are held. It can be stated that these countries have a total of twice as many inhabitants as the USA, and that the average number of inhabitants per country is almost four times as large as in the US states. How many times have you seen reports of these elections on radio, television or in newspapers (digital or paper)?

Or this: no one in Sweden needs to be reminded of what happened in New York on September 11, 2001. For several years afterwards, memorial ceremonies and silent minutes were held, not only in the United States or in the countries whose citizens were among the approximately 3 killed. A monument has been built on the site, which has become a "must" for visitors to New York. The coverage in the mainstream media has - to say the least - been massive.

But how much have you heard about the Kisangani massacre in Congo-Kinshasa nine months after the "nine-eleven"? During six days in June 2002, approximately 6 Congolese civilians were killed, who ended up in the firing line between Ugandan and Rwandan soldiers in search of control of the gold mines outside the city of millions in the bend of the Congo River. About the same number were injured in various ways. Twelve years later, no compensation had yet been paid to any of the victims. The Bird Road is about 600 km further to Kisangani than to New York. How much has been reported about the Kisangani massacre in the Swedish media?

The "proximity principle" problematic

If you ask a journalist why the difference in media coverage is so great, the answer will probably be a reference to the "proximity principle". This does not mean the geographical distance, but that Swedes are generally assumed to be more interested in what is happening in a country they can relate to and even people who are similar to themselves. It seems both logical and reasonable. But how big can the difference in media reporting based on the "proximity principle" be before it becomes unreasonable, if not grotesque?

And the most important question: what does this do to us? In addition to the fact that Swedes' knowledge of Africa remains insignificantly small, the principle is likely to have a much more serious consequence: increased racism. The underlying message is clear: an election in the United States is important because they are similar to us, while elections in Africa are unimportant. Or worse: dead citizens of the United States are a disaster, while twice as many Congolese's lives are apparently not worth even a little notice.

If the media is serious about their declarations of impartial reporting based on democratic values, they need to stop just "giving the customer what the customer wants" and instead start doing responsible analyzes of more countries and address more issues than those currently bathing in CNN headlights.

Stone stream

This is a debate article. The author is responsible for analysis and opinions in the text.

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