“They don't help Christians, they behead them”

So, yesterday was the 20th of January. Black January.


A GV journalist commented on the Azeri blogger’s article , daring to suggest that both sides should acknowledge that truly horrible things were done to each other.

And straight away, he got attacked by someone who seemed to have been blinded by his hatred. The guy probably did not even read the comment. He saw the Armenian name and jumped to conclusions. I can just imagine him hitting the keyboard, spitting those words out, not pausing for a second to lsten to what was being said. Attempting to translate a common Russian expression literally into English failed, but the overall mood was pretty clear. But why, I asked this journalist, are you so surprised? Media has always been guilty of selective coverage. And readers just see what they want to see.

I have never realized how balanced the UK media actually is, compared to the US, until I went to NY and was sitting in my friend’s living room, flicking between channels, when she shouted at me from the bathroom:

-What are you doing???!!! You can’t listen to that! That is the Republican news channel!

I was amused: You have news that are openly pro one party and not the other? You mean, you have a news channel that is not even pretending to be balanced and unbiased? ( But then again, what about the Telegraph in the UK?)

And today, as I was thinking about this, I got an email from my friend. Just in time. She likes to send me articles from the Israeli news, which usually focus on how fair and noble Israel is. And portray the evils of the Muslim world. She also likes to send me various articles published in the UK, which, in turn, portray Israel as the only evil and cruel side.

And what I am saying to her is: Chill, girl! Of course, media is biased. Come on! A properly unbiased media simply does not exist. However frustrating it might be to the offended side.

So, today she sent me this.

Briefly, for those who don’t speak Russian, this article claims that the “Muslim world does not give a damn about the pain of Haiti”

According to CBS news, they say, no Muslim countries sent any help to Haiti.

Can this be true?- I thought, and Googled it. And,of course, CBS aid lists come up.

With a long list of countries... none of which is a Muslim one. But there is more than one result in my Google search. And so, more information comes up that claims otherwise.

So, have any Muslim countries made any donations? I guess, all it comes down to is who you chose to trust. As well as where you live. As well as what your chosen TV channel tells you.

It is a bit like believing in God. To start with, you just have to decide whether you are a believer. Then, I guess, chose which one you particularly fancy. There are plenty to choose from. Or you can believe in evil aliens, like Tom Cruise. Whatever is your thing, you stick to it, don't you. You don't sit there, wondering if others have got it right and you have not. You are convinced that your views are the only correct ones and everyone else is a moron, right?

So, isn’t it the same when it comes to what news you chose to believe? You just have to choose what you want to hear and switch to that channel, avoiding the others.

It really is up to you whether you want to think that no Muslim countries wish to help Haiti. Or believe that they do, and the anti-Muslim, pro-Israeli countries try to portray them as a nasty heartless bunch. Like this one comment I noticed in Yahoo! answers: “They don’t help Christians, they behead them. “

So, there is plenty of biased news on the net to pick from, whatever point of view you are trying to prove. Just pick one that your friends will approve. Pick the one that goes with your society and religious views. Pick the one that will let you sleep peacefully at night.