Language is important in journalism | Media

Many free Western media consciously or unconsciously help spread the gospel of white supremacy.

“China: Big money or loan shark?”

This is the headline chosen by the BBC for its reporter Celia Hatton report The latest assessment of China’s lending habits. “New evidence shows that China’s funding for development is at least twice that of the United States and other major countries, and most of it comes from high-risk, high-interest loans from Chinese state-owned banks,” it continued, adding that “criticians are worried that many of China’s The high-interest loans funded by the project are putting unsuspecting people on huge debts.”

Let us wait a moment and think about the terms used to describe the activity. China’s grants and loans are classified as “development funds” and loaned out. But helpfully, the BBC told us that “China received foreign aid not long ago.” Nowhere in Celia Hatton’s report describes China’s “development funding” as “aid.” what’s the difference?

Another bbc report It might help from four years ago. Ms. Hatton wrote in the report exposing “China’s secret aid to the empire” that China’s money does not meet the “traditional definition of aid agreed to by all Western industrialized countries” because Western loans “are determined by the economic development and development of major recipient countries. The goal of welfare”. Obviously, she said that although up to 93% of US “financial aid” complies with the bill, China only provides one-fifth.

This is an amazing proposition. If the vast majority of US donations do benefit those who receive it, then there should be a lot of evidence. However, a 1997 study by the Congressional Budget Office found that foreign aid can only play a negligible role in promoting economic development and improving human welfare at best, and may even “hinder development, depending on the environment and conditions under which the aid is used. It is given”.

In fact, Western “development aid” itself is equivalent to loan sharks. According to a 2005 New York Times report, “Between 1970 and 2002, sub-Saharan countries received a total of US$294 billion in loans. During the same period, they repaid US$268 billion, and accumulated after deducting interest. Up to 210 billion U.S. dollars in debt.”

My goal here is not only to prove that Chinese exploitation is almost the same as Western exploitation. It is to show how many times Western media have used language designed to portray Western society as better, more benevolent, more ethical, and more responsible than other societies.

Several other examples illustrate this point. The BBC’s Laura Bicker reported that “analysts” are “worried” about North Korea’s development and testing of hypersonic missiles, but are not worried that the United States will do so, despite the latter’s massive attacks and destabilization of other countries in the world. record of. The BBC anchor was shocked by Kim Jong Un’s ability to manufacture missiles despite economic sanctions, and believed that this was evidence that the North Korean leader did not care about his hungry people.

However, despite the fact that more than 11 million American children live in families that do not have enough food, many Americans lack adequate health care, and the U.S. infrastructure collapses, they maintain and continue to develop the world’s largest munitions against Joe Biden. The library has little to say.

Similarly, if it happened in the West, reports of public officials abusing their power for personal gain would be different. When an investigation by the Wall Street Journal found that “130 federal judges violated American law and judicial ethics by overseeing court cases involving companies in which they or their families own stocks,” widespread corruption is not the first choice. U.S. senators who sold votes to lobbyists “benefit from donors” and will not feel guilty for taking bribes.

Of course, elections in the United States may be suppressed and voters suppressed, but they will never be manipulated or stolen. Any suggestion that the electoral system may not actually reflect the wishes of the voters will be immediately confused with the “big lie” committed by former President Donald Trump, and rejected, who falsely insisted that he won the most recent presidential election. .

However, the fact is that the American electoral system is systematically and deliberately manipulated. In many cases, who is in power is not determined by voters, but by mapmakers who are committed to subverting voting. That is stealing.

Language is very important. Words are very important. They show that it is not just ogres like Trump who spread the gospel of white supremacy. Many liberal Western media have made in-depth investments in the project by describing news events based on where and who they happened in the world. Unconscious or not, it must be called what it is.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.