Ukraine’s refugee crisis exposes a stark media bias
The western media might have you convinced that war only happens in other countries — ones that are not white.
For more than a week now, the world has watched in horror as the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfolds. The viral videos of young men and older women grasping government-issued assault rifles crystalized an image of a Ukrainian people ready to play the spoiler of David to Russia’s mighty Goliath. Videos of women assembling Molotov cocktails to firebomb advancing Russian troops were praised as valiant expressions of heroism, resourcefulness and, most important, of a people determined to rightfully resist a foreign occupation.
Via MSNBC.com
These plaudits of Western media and governments sprinkled on Ukrainians were never afforded to the Iraqis who rallied to fight off an American invasion of their country, or to Palestinians who for decades have been told using armed resistance against Israel’s occupation of their homeland and in the fight for their own freedom renders them terrorists. That’s in no way to say that Ukrainians currently under Russian attack do not deserve the resources, coverage or compassion that they are receiving around the world. But it does feel like a teachable moment for the media industry to consider how we portray conflict among different populations. It also makes the point that the word “refugee” in Western media often has a racial implication, just like “good neighborhood” and “bad neighborhood” have racial implications.
By Ayman Mohyeldin, MSNBC Opinion Columnist
