Story Time. Imagine there’s a news source, let’s call it The Globe. You’ve trusted them for years. Then one day you go to a country, let’s call it “Syristan”, and you see an Event. But the Globe’s reporting on the Event is nothing like what you saw. This happens, again, and again.
You’re confused, because reporters from the Globe are right there with you, seeing the same things you’re seeing. But their reports are the complete opposite of what you see happening. Welcome to Syria. Now transfer “The Globe” to CNN, Fox, MSNBC, BBC…
Suddenly you realize when you google “Syria” none of the top results mean anything, because they’re all lies. You know that because you’ve been right next to the reporters as they’re lying. But now people are calling YOU a liar, because you’re not saying what everyone else says…
It’s like some sort of twisted reality, where up is down and wrong is right. Now imagine being Syrian, turning on the TV, and hearing reporters who live on the other side of the planet lying about your country. You look around and wonder, what Syria are they talking about?
This is the dilemma we face. Media has warped reality, but media IS reality, and so for many Syrians, they now live in a world where they’re bombed for things they know never happened. But they don’t have a way to get their message out, so all they can do is stand by and watch…
– Pearson Sharp, on FB May 8
