Though I am not sure who coined the expression ‘Time will tell the truth’, these days it has become more relevant to Bahrain’s political developments than any other issue in the region. The sustained and discordant media campaigns against Bahrain that began right after the 2011 unrest seem to have subsided or even come to a halt.
Mainstream media rarely mentions Bahrain on their ‘top’ list – either due to lack of interest, dwindling supply of ‘prepackaged’ pieces of information or dubious credibility of the sources of the news.
The reform process which Bahrain is undergoing has brought and continues to bring national pride, self-confidence and hope to its people. These developments might have given media critics a staggering blow and forced them to either apologise or make tactical and strategic withdrawals from covering Bahrain news.
The media outlets that are still determined to tarnish Bahrain’s image share the same sectarian ideologies and regional interest. Obviously, they are either Iranian-backed outlets including Fars news, Ahlul Biet News Agency, Press TV or Hizbollah affiliated ones including Al Manar TV or Al Noor Radio station.
Though Al Manar TV apologised for its biased report on Bahrain last month, Hizbollah distanced itself from supporting the apology.
Since then, Hizbollah and its media administration have been at loggerheads: professional journalism versus sectarian propaganda based on fabricated news.
Things went from bad to worse for Al Manar TV. On December 26, 2013, Naharnet news outlet reported that ‘Abdulla Qassir, the director general of Hizbollah Al Manar TV, has resigned after Bahrain apology controversy’. Furthermore on the same issue, Al Safir newspaper reported that ‘Qassir left for Iran after his resignation was accepted’.
The question is: What makes the one-time strong media guru to bow his head and ultimately leave his job for good?
It seems that he cannot continue to live with abject lies and media manipulations, maneuvered by politically charged Hizbollah cadres.
Last week also witnessed a big surprise. The international newspaper, the Financial Times ( FT) apologised for mistakenly identifying Bahrain Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa as a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay (GDN, December 24).
Despite its reputation, the FT cannot be expected to employ half-backed journos who commit such silly and stupid mistakes.
Though a retraction piece was published, the damage done to the Foreign Minister cannot be repaired easily in the near future.
Generally speaking, one of the main reasons that helped Bahrain to preserve its identity, make progress and overcome the media campaign against it is the persevering reform process, which is evolving and is steering the country in the right direction, at a pace that suits its development.
Happy New Year.
Duri