In recent times, there has been growing concern about the prevalence of biased and provocative press articles and reports in some foreign media outlets. These reports have presented themselves as exemplars of “trusted journalism,” yet regrettably, this is not an accurate reflection of their recent output.
The aforementioned media outlets have been engaging in a pattern of abusive journalism, characterised by a lack of objectivity and a proclivity towards sensationalism. This has been perceived by political analysts as part of a concerted media campaign in the lead-up to the Tunisian presidential election.
To illustrate this point, one might cite the two most recent articles published in the Guardian, a British daily newspaper, with the title “The brutal truth behind Italy’s migrants reduction”. The aforementioned articles, published in the Guardian (British daily newspaper) and other French and American media outlets, contain a similar level of prejudice and abuse, lack of credibility, and conclusive evidence of selected migrants’ claims and accusations.
These include reports of beatings and rape by EU-funded forces in Tunisia and the EU’s alleged desire for Tunisia to investigate migrant rape claims. The arguments put forward by these media and their political analysts contain inaccurate information, inaccurate and hasty analysis and untrue allegations. The pitfalls of bias and fallacy are indeed evident in these press reports. So we can’t believe their thoughts and analysis that “hundreds of sub-Saharan migrant women have been raped by Tunisian security forces in the past 18 months” because it is a fabricated story that is completely unsubstantiated.
Sadly, reports against Tunisia by the Guardian and other foreign media violate journalistic values by implying fake news and disinformation. These media institutions deliberately aim to undermine Tunisia’s reputation, create tensions between Tunisia and many African countries, and mislead readers into believing their stories, which can cause danger, and anger and incite hatred and conflict.
Worst of all, such reports exploit the suffering of the migrants instead of addressing the causes of the influx of migrants and helping Tunisia to curb this phenomenon; such exploitation also makes it “hard to find the truth” in the dire situation, because relying on the testimonies of migrant smugglers, who exploit any security vacuum and extort money from desperate migrants, is not an honest choice? In any case, migrants are expected to be subjected to many conditions, including sexual and gender-based violence, at borders and destinations, especially at the hands of smugglers, not security forces.
As a Tunisian citizen, like many others, I wondered about the aims and objectives of distorting Tunisia and implicating one of its main security institutions at this time, without any evidence, even from the International Organisation for Migration. It is important to emphasise that Tunisia is moving towards ensuring the protection of the human rights of migrants in vulnerable situations and implementing binding procedures for its security forces to respect and protect them. It is worth appreciating from the foreign media the strenuous and sincere efforts made by Tunisia to combat the phenomenon of migrants, which has taken an unprecedented dimension.
It is crucial to highlight that Tunisia is taking significant steps towards safeguarding the human rights of migrants in vulnerable circumstances and implementing binding protocols for its security forces to adhere to and protect them. The international media must recognise and acknowledge the commendable and dedicated efforts made by Tunisia in addressing the pressing issue of migration, which has reached unprecedented proportions.
TunisianMonitorOnline
