Bahrain's Arab Spring
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| The Little King, Michael Sowa |
Wake up!
Wake up and smell the coffee,
for that faint aroma,
that whiff of freedom
will become a memory
unless we stand together,
taste the freedom,
remember it and don’t let it go!
(Then the Saudi tanks came….)
“Here there will be no
Arab Spring,
we shall suppress the press,
crush the spirit of our people,
and none shall move against me.
Smell the fear; breathe it in,
for fear is all you have.”
Anna :o]
If it were not for the Medics would we even remember Bahrain Bahrain
The plight of the Bahraini people remains grossly under-reported. Perhaps this is because of its importance to Saudi Arabia , Britain and the U.S. Britain and the U.S. continue to court Bahrain
How often do we think of the Horn of Africa despite the remaining drought and famine? It is old news.
Why is the Health and Social Care Bill and its ramifications on the future of our NHS so grossly under-reported?
The power of the press to either feed or deny us information and the influence of those who hold political or commercial office who can ‘shape’ the way our news is presented to us should concern us all.
Anna :o] (Not paranoid whatsoever!)
With thanks to Tess at Magpie Tales for the inspiration.
24 comments:
well, i think as like any other profession, media and press have gone the business way and they report or under-report or misreport or tweak the facts to their own or their benefectors and friends interests... sigh...
Absolutely right Anna. There seems to be a conspiracy of silence about the things that matter and an excess of that which does not.
Our involvement in the Libyan conflict is only just being reported, with some emphasis on the appalling death toll amongst the innocents, despite our constant bombardment of the 'other side' when our mandate from the UN specifically states that we are there to preserve the lives of non-combatants and not to foster 'regime change' (euphamism for a coup engineered by Sarkozy and Cameron). Most bloggers are better journalists than any in the press and broadcast media.
fun one, wake up call is needed for all.
:)
Wonderful, Anna. I also addressed the king of media influencing the news.
not forgotten here, but most of the attention is on Yemen - when not congratulating the ruling family for some fab act or other ...
I don't know if we will ever get it right ...
Good post. Yes, much is seriously under reported. The dynamics of power are very interesting
Have you come across this?
http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/Protect_our_NHS_Petition
I think we both had the same general idea after viewing this image... Newspaper, morning coffee, people in power!
Excellent poem!
News is often 'convenient', or left out for the same reason. well said.
Oh very well done ... and very well said!
Yes, sometimes who can figure out why one story makes front page news when another doesn't make the news at all! Your point is well made.
So true. We have to watch out what we see or hear. If the media would want to misled, they are often successful and often they get away with it.
mislead, not misled. sorry.
Liam Fox and whether Adam is/is not his boyfriend is soooooo much more interesting than Middle East rulers slaughtering their own people.
Yes, Liam Fox and now the pictures of Joanne's flat are so much more interesting. At least the Guardian gives us a few facts.
What is the fate of a few medics in Bahrain compared to that?
From somebody else who is in no way bitter, paranoid, angry, disillusioned, but totally happy with the way things are and how we are all one big happy family, all in the shit together.
What are the medics doing about the H&SCB? My surgery has gone surly and 'work-to-rule/ish' ; now that bill has gone through the Lords, is anybody going to stand up and shout?
Dear Anna: When no one answers questions you know that there is "something rotten in Denmark" (or wherever!). The Freedom of The Press is "suppose to be" entrenched in the Constitution. Why isn't it? The power elite! How long has this been going on? Since someone figured out how to dumbdown rather then smarten up their fellow persons for their own gain! The oldest profession is not to profess behind closed doors! Chiccoreal
thank you for bringing the plight to light, you have written this though, particularly the first stanza can address much of the political climate around the world these days...
No, not paranoid....wise; wiser than any king. Thank you for an inspiring commentary, Anna.
Thanks for your welcome comments folks.
The power of the press/media to shape the way we think, decide what we read, see or hear (in the information they do or do not provide) is frightening and I must admit that I had not realised the very extent of this until this year.
For sure I realised that the way the news is presented depends on political allegience - just compare The Sunday Telegraph and The Observer (you would think they were written in different countries)and it is apparent that news is 'selected.'
If you consider how Murdoch was courted by both Nu Labour and our wonderful new coalition government you realise how much power the media has.
I will stop rabbiting and rambling.
Dominic ~ on 38 Degrees mailing list and have signed the petition - one of many I have signed.
Friko ~ hopefully there will be many shouting.
Anna :o]
hmmm, i like this.
its different.
and thanks for your comment,
was much appreciated =)
Thoughtful and thought provoking post. The poetry is heartfelt, the prose distressing. Thank you for these truths.
Well said. What the media chooses to emphasize really does influence how we perceive world events. It is difficult to get an unbiased view of what is really happening.
Oops - just come across these further responses! Thanks for your kind comments folks!
Anna :o]
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