A Series of Curtailing Media: ’Al-Manar’ after ‘Al-Mayadeen’
Nasri Sayegh - As-Safir Newspaper
"Arabsat" has removed "Al-Manar" from its satellites. It punished "Al-Mayadeen" and concealed it. The Kingdom is annoyed by free speech. Freedom worries it.
It prefers silence and favors dictating. It hates what is different to it and is reassured by compliance. It punishes those who disobey it and rewards those who obey it...this is nothing new. Every authority hates speech and is scared of freedom. The oil Kingdom, similar to other kingdoms of money, military, autocracy, and dictatorship, views free speech as a political disease, such that if it spreads it destroys the authority's fortress. History is a witness: a merciless war between princes of dictation and muftis. There was much bloodshed. Many pens were broken, while outstanding journalists were assassinated. Prisons were filled with followers of freedom and free speech. Saudi authorities have a proven track record of persecuting the press and media. What the Kingdom does is no exception to others like it, save that its sword can reach those outside its borders, borders which are preserved with everything that prevents freedom, free speech, and light.
Today "Al-Manar, and before it "Al-Mayadeen, and the list goes on. It is not permissible to even touch the royal pride. It has the status of being sacred, just as the dictator had the status of impeccability. In such a dominant presence of power, the strong play the game of lure, if money is available, and the game of exclusion, if wealth was deemed too precious. The Kingdom is the owner of wealth, and wealth produces words. The Kingdom is fenced off with infallibility, while it prevents the finger of accusation to rise towards it, albeit bluntly.
The problem of our time is that the transnational media, transmitted via satellite to every modern means of communication, cannot be (fully) curtailed, and no authority can fully prevent it from spreading. As the world's media is in the grasp of the dominant world class, the margin of difference of expression is very narrow, and will never equal the information bombardment flowing every second. What is strange is that this huge financial class, which includes Saudi Arabia, is tightening the space available for alternative media, even if it were merely a daily news bulletin, or a "headline" in a newspaper, or a phrase in a television interview.
In an article by Serge Halimi in "Le Monde Diplomatique" is a breakdown of the attacks - carried out by the "billionaire class" that owns most media outlets - on free speech, and its attempts to isolate alternative media. Western media demonstrated its blatant bias against the Greek people, when it threatened them not to obey their democratically elected government. The official capitalist media is the one who tamed the Greeks, obliging them with fear and scared them with the consequences of separation from the EU.
Whoever has the money has the right to speak, and the right to speech, and the right to define facts, even if these facts were wrong. Among the obstacles to the emergence and growth of alternative media are international institutions which all other authorities do not override: financial markets, multinational corporations, the World Bank, central banks, the owners of giant sums of wealth, with infinite numbers...these shape the limits of speech and knowledge. Everything that threatens their profits and the future of their investments is not only forbidden, but those things are allowed to be taken out. The financial capitalist class cannot leave alone the weapons of truth and knowledge in the hands of the media profession. The power of these people is in their speech and stances. As for the holders of legitimate wealth, the price of ink, paper, and machinery is not enough, so what if it were a global media? Having a hold on the media is one of the conditions of safeguarding the global system of looting, exploitation, and discrimination.
In France six out ten of the most wealthy have huge collections of newspapers, magazines, cables, television channels and satellites. The kings of media, the likes of Patrick Drahi, Rupert Murdoch, Bernard Arnault, and others throughout the five continents, own 90% of media outlets, press, publication companies, and music and film production houses. That is, 90% of what enters our homes, mould us into their image and likeness, as consumer objects that conform, are dependent, and marginalized from any political or social development or role. Evidence of this is the drop in appetite for politics among the new generations, and the growth of blind violence. This is a consequence of the acceptance of what is being said and published, or from the horrors of the violent rejection of what media infuses of injustice.
The wide-spread radio, print, "convincing" and seductive media empires, which wash away and disconnect the mind, make the human a responsive machine geared to consumption and the growing tide of detachment. In such invasive empires, what space remains for alternative media, or counter media? The media that covers the issues of the people that are governed, oppressed, and downtrodden? The media of the victims, victims of violence, barbarity, blasphemy, and sectarianism? The victims of wars in all Arab areas?
Alternative media looks like "a loud voice in the wilderness". However, it is a voice which is feared will have echoes in different environments. For this reason, this media does not escape the eye and grip of this authority. The issue is not only between "Al-Mayadeen" and "Al-Manar" on the one hand, and Saudi Arabia on the other. This issue has global implications. The Neoliberal coup could not have been achieved and continued without control of the media. In addition, the Arab tyrannical regimes would not have remained for so long if they had not taken hold of free speech, and harnessed the media .....Furthermore, Saudi Arabia and its friends would not have rested in relation to the former's policies and actions, if Saudi Arabia had not taken full control and used most media outlets for its protection. Saudi Arabia is protected by its media and the media of those who are with it, at a price. It is not protected by its army, policies, or its "wisdom".
Western media propels it from afar, with convincing lure and cheerful dictation, in order to protect the interests of large corporations. Whoever has the money has the truth. For this reason, the West of freedoms did not survive the massacre of the "freedom of the press". Chomsky compares the media of conformity in Western states, to Soviet media. The first is smart while the second is stupid. The first is commanded and comfortable, while the second is commanded but afraid. Soviet Media has one, central commission, while Western media has one employer made up of giant transnational companies that transcend values.
The Kingdom of silence and oil is one of these media empires, which owns newspapers, magazines, television and cable channels, and satellites. Its own media is widely present in its territory and the surrounding areas of the Saudi Kingdom. Its "friendly", funded media is the most widespread and under its compliance. Media independent of it does not risk criticising it, out of fear of sanctions that could affect its revenues. Furthermore, on the global media field, Saudi Arabia is protected by a decision from the supreme central committee of the global financial ruling class, and by those whose interests and wealth overlaps with that of the Saudis.
The Kingdom is protected and enjoys an immunity the like of which has not been provided for a state before, so it restricts various critical voices when it becomes fed-up, and so it expels "Al-Manar" and "Al-Mayadeen" from "Arabsat". This was something expected. What is more expected is that there will be less space for alternative media, and that monogamous media grows in stature, and thats humanitarian issues drop in importance, and that the calamities of the Arab people are sidelined, which [should rather]grow with the fall of their blood and limbs, with such great solemnity, and concealed from the image, word, and thought.
Imru 'al-Qais plead, and so do we: "O' long night come to an end"....perhaps the Arab light will obtain permission to enter amidst the current Arab darkness.
