February 03, 2011

Media Coverage of Egypt Riots Uses 'Tam '89 Style Book


Anglo-American media interpret the mobs that shut down Cairo and other cities of Egypt as "pro-democracy protesters" that riot for "freedom" leading Americans to believe that the most important thing to a poor Egyptian is whether he/she can Twitter without obstruction. The coverage of the riots in Egypt is shockingly sloppy - celebrity journos are all on the scene and as in the late stages of the Tiananmen riots in 1989 they report mostly from the top floor suites of luxury hotels overlooking and speculating on events on the ground. At what point will any real reporting be done about the true underlying causes of the frustration in Egypt? The grinding poverty that gives Egypt a per capita income about one half that of China and without the sizeable affluent class structure. And more importantly the population explosion underway in the country. Egypt's population is set to grow 94% and peak at 136 million by 2075 according to UN statistics making Egypt one of the 15 most populated nations in the world for the next two or three centuries! There are so many interesting stories behind the riots that could help us understand the changes going on in places like Egypt instead of nonsense about "marching for freedom."

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Comments:
one middle aged egyptian man said in english to a cnn contract-reporter on 10feb2011 at tahir square, "give back the money."

cash is king and free tibet.
 
Population problems? Poverty problems? Sorry, such things don't exist in the West, so there's no interest in covering them. Besides, democracy will make them go away--as it has done in India, for example.
Silly you!
 
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