France 24

After revisiting Philip Seib's The Al Jazeera Effect: How the New Global Media Are Reshaping World Politics [and Culture] (2008), I'm exploring other international networks in addition to Al Jazeera. It's very important to garner multiple global perspectives, something that is hard to find on American corporate-controlled media. It's hard to be be serious about the world when every commercial news story is punctuated by inane ads for pharmaceuticals most people don't need and cars most can't afford, or dominated by shrill politicos who like things on TV exactly as they are - a lot of stupid chatter, a lot of screaming, and a lot of breaks for more ads. That is, ample proof of the truth in two prophetic statements made in the 1960s: Marshall McLuhan's "the medium is the message" (1964) and Andy Warhol's "in the future, everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes" (1968). 

In The Al Jazeera Effect, Seib quotes Ulysse Gosset, one of the developers of France 24, a global network available free via the internet and broadcast in English, French and Arabic: "Today's news channels are part of the global battle in the world. It's as important as traditional diplomacy and economic strength. . . If we have a real desire to communicate around the world, we need to do it with the right medium, and that's English." 

Seib also quotes Alain de Pouzilhac of France 24: "Objectivity doesn't exist in the world. Honesty exists. Impiartiality exists. But objectivity doesn't exist." Pouzilhac discusses worldview and intent and the role of France 24 and French values: "paying more attention to the less well-covered parts of the world, encouraging debate, and emphasizing cultural as well as economic development . . . 'It's the opposite of what the U.S. does. The vision from Washington tries to show that the world is unified, whereas we will try to demonstrate the opposite: that the world has a lot of diversity. Diversity of culture, diversity of religion, and diversity of opinion.'" (pages 36-37).

I am very fortunate to interact with such diversity in all three of these forms every day: the more interaction, the better, in person, through social media and via freely available global services such as France 24. There's nothing to fear but fear itself, and always more to learn. Here's a link to the English language edition:  http://www.france24.com/en/

Today's Rune: Partnership.