Headlines can be deceiving.
If we take a scan of recent news headlines from international newspapers we can find that nearly 4,000 cases of Ebola related deaths is unimaginable, that Russia is the new enemy of the western world (like they used to be), and that the violence in Iraq is due only to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
That is the power of media. More accurately, that is the power of western- controlled media.
Listening to a recent CBC program on the Ebola crisis in Africa, a world expert raised an interesting point. He brought up the fact that at least 4,000 people have died due to Ebola, and that international news had raised awareness of the condition and the fact that the vaccination was yet untested, yet it was to be used. In comparison, he stated that well over one million Africans had already died from malaria this year to date.
Comparatively, the prevention of malaria is simple: mosquito nets can significantly reduce cases of malaria with a far, far lesser cost (and profit margin). If we look at the cost of Ebola vaccines and research, and the funds being funnelled to slow its spread, big pharmaceutical companies stand to benefit greatly from its propagation worldwide.
If we are to believe western news sources, Putin is putting the world on a collision course with war. Looking a little deeper into the activities of Russia, it is easily found that the former USSR has moved away from a U.S. dollar hegemony (dominance as reserve currency), and has become a large part of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) banking system and economic partnership with initial assets of $50 billion. Their energy industry has also been on a collision course with U.S. interests in the Middle East and Europe. Are they “evil”, or just getting in the way of U.S.-led business interests?
What exactly is going on in Iraq? We are told that ISIS (aka Al Qaeda) is in a power struggle with the government led by the new president, Haider al-Abadi. Once again, an examination of the facts from a Middle Eastern viewpoint shows that with the previous president, Nouri al-Maliki, in control, tensions rose and Al Qaeda started a brutal civil war. With the new president, each of the warring factions is now a major part of the government resulting in stable leadership.
Looking back again, pre-invasion (1991), Iraq's currency (dinar) was valued as high as $3 U.S., while post-invasion, it has plummeted to 1066 dinar per U.S. dollar. Who profited? Iraq? Or the American-led companies who stepped into the oilfields to “fix” the destruction? Does North American media even mention the cost to the country? Does it even matter how deeply involved the CIA was in creating Al Qaeda?
In short, the news is only as good as your sources. News services do have bias, and there are right- and left-leaning media sources. The headline is just part of the story, and readers should not blindly assume the journalist is presenting all of the facts. Critical reading is just as important as accurate research.
