Opinion | Western media must reflect on year of shameful bias in China, Qatar, Ukraine war coverage
- Western media’s biased reporting has failed to account for increasingly perceptive and critical audience in non-Western world
- Diversity of opinions, self-reflection and shaping public discourse in a responsible manner among ways for Western media to improve standing and stay relevant
A trend that became clear last year is the decline in trust towards Western media, which dominates the global media space.
The largest news conglomerates have morphed into a powerful ally of Western governments, institutions and businesses when covering international affairs, and in the process have betrayed the calling of the independent fourth estate.
Western commentators appear increasingly captive to preserving Western interests and are unable to move beyond entrenched ideological positions to facilitate constructive dialogue with their non-Western audiences. They have become defenders of the indefensible – the fight to maintain hegemony of the West over the global majority. As the latter seek to build a fairer post-Western world order, mainstream media has become a tool used by the West to openly resist these efforts.
As such, 2022 may well be the year we look back on and say: “This was the tipping point when mainstream media finally lost credibility with much of its non-Western readership.”
At best, Western media’s current approach is ignorant and bad for business. At worst, it is divisive, contributing to rising global discord and tensions. It is high time it took its responsibility more seriously.
Biased reporting
