Stark differences in reporting on Ukraine conflict versus other wars, Manitobans say
Plight of Ukrainians deserves coverage, but Winnipegger wonders why other conflicts haven't had same attention
News reports about a young Ukrainian-Canadian man from Winnipeg enlisting to help fight the Russian forces invading his country focused on his desire to help protect his country despite the danger to himself.
For the executive director of the Islamic Social Services Association of Manitoba, the story stands out as an example of the stark differences in the way news media have covered this European conflict compared to others around the world.
"If it was a young Muslim man, Canadian of Syrian descent, or Iraqi descent, or Afghani, [who] said, 'I want to go and fight for my country because the Americans have occupied it,' or whatever — would that be given that positive light? Or would it be, 'Oh, he's going to go join the terrorists?'" said Shahina Siddiqui.
The plight of Ukrainians deserves coverage and sympathy, Siddiqui said, but she wonders why other ongoing conflicts have not received the same kind of attention.
"To me, the suffering of the Ukrainians is no less than the suffering of the Afghans or the Libyans or the Syrians."
The eyes of the world have fixated on Ukraine, as its outmatched forces have fought against the Russian military for a week.
The story has resonated strongly in Canada, which is home to one of the largest Ukrainian diasporas in the world. Manitoba has the highest proportion among the provinces of people who identify as Ukrainian Canadian, at 14.5 per cent, according to the most recent available census data.
For days, the story has remained at the top of news sites, and local reports have focused on the impact of the conflict on those whose relatives caught up in the fighting, and their efforts to help organize support for Ukraine's armed forces and refugees.
All about context: journalism prof
Some news outlets and organizations with global reach, like Al Jazeera and the U.S.-based Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association, have called out what they see as a double standard in the way the conflict has been framed, such as a CBS journalist's expression of shock that war could erupt in a "civilized" country such as Ukraine.
NEW: AMEJA’s full statement on the comments about “civilized” countries, people that don’t “look like refugees” and the like in recent coverage of the war in Ukraine. <a href="https://t.co/e9DpmyJT4S">pic.twitter.com/e9DpmyJT4S</a>
—@AMEJACanadian media should pay attention to the vicarious trauma Ukrainian Canadians are experiencing as a result of the war, Siddiqui said, while taking care not to diminish the suffering of other communities experiencing conflict.
"Should the colour of my skin or my religion make a difference in the empathy that I get or the humanity or my human dignity? Is my child suffering any different?"
The amount of coverage, the types of stories told and the language used to tell those stories play a significant role in shaping the public's understanding of a conflict, said Saranaz Barforoush, who teaches journalism at the University of British Columbia.
"It's all about the context, right? It's all about how deep we go in the coverage," she said.
Even in cases where a conflict might receive significant coverage for a time, such as the civil war in Syria or the more recent takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, stories often tend to focus on recounting events, without delving into the underlying themes, Barforoush said.
"One of the main ethical responsibilities of journalism is to minimize harm," she said.
"Sometimes when we are not paying attention to the plight and the suffering of the community, just because there's compassion fatigue or people are not just that interested in that area, we are causing harm."
Big players in Ukraine
Mohamad Jumaily, president of the Syrian Assembly of Manitoba, says there is deep empathy for Ukrainians among people in Syria, because they also have experienced bombardment by the Russian military, which has supported President Bashar al-Assad against rebel groups.
However, Jumaily doubts many Canadians are aware of that connection, because of the lack of ongoing and in-depth coverage of the war in Syria.
"I blame the media, because [of] how they deliver their message," he said.
"Many Canadians, they don't know about the situation in Syria — maybe because of the media coverage, they do not give importance, or they didn't focus on this."
Allan Thompson, head of the journalism program at Carleton University in Ottawa, agrees that the media have not paid enough attention to conflicts, but that does not diminish the importance of the story in Ukraine, he said.
"The prospect of the United States and Russia being in a direct military conflict, the players involved in this conflict, dictate that we will give this enormous coverage," he said.
That coverage should be an example of how news organizations cover other conflicts, he said, and provide an incentive to reinvest in international reporting, which many have retreated from.
The unequal coverage of conflicts around the world threatens to undermine democracy, Siddiqui said.
"It further divides us, and it further gives superiority to one race or one nation or one religion to the other. You're not bringing communities together. And one of the jobs of media should be to bring communities [together]."
