Will media trust take another hit as news brands rapped for racial bias in Ukraine-Russia reporting?

The Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association (AMEJA) has called on all news organisations to be mindful of implicit and explicit bias in their coverage of the war in Ukraine. This comes after several news reporters and commentators' showed implicit and explicit bias in their coverage of Ukraine, ascribing more importance to some victims of war over others, explained AMEJA. 

For instance, on 26 February, Charlie D’Agata, a correspondent with CBS News in the US, declared Ukraine “isn’t a place, with all due respect, like Iraq or Afghanistan, that has seen conflict raging for decades” during a live news segment. “This is a relatively civilised, relatively European – I have to choose those words carefully, too – city, where you wouldn’t expect that or hope that it’s going to happen,” D’Agata added. According to the New York Post, D’Agata’s commentary on CBS raked over 1.5 million views on Twitter within a day. Netizens were quick to call out D’Agata for racism, with some also noting that his comments were historically inaccurate.  One user even pointed out that by saying “with all due respect”, D’Agata already acknowledges that he should be careful to hide the racism, but “ultimately is unable or unwilling to actually stop the racism”. 

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The next day, D’Agata addressed his comments and issued an apology during a CBS news broadcast. D’Agata said that he used a poor choice of words, and simply wanted to convey that Ukraine has not seen such a scale of war in recent years, unlike other countries. “You should never compare conflicts anyway; each one is unique…I apologise for any offense I may have caused,” he said. 

D’Agata was not the only news reporter or commentator on the hot seat for comparing the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. A news coverage on the Russia-Ukraine conflict on BBC saw Ukraine’s former deputy chief prosecutor, David Sakvarelidze, saying that the conflict was very emotional for him because he sees “European people with blue eyes and blonde hair being killed”. Meanwhile, France's BFM TV’s Philippe Corbé also explicitly said, “We’re not talking here about Syrians fleeing the bombing of the Syrian regime backed by Putin, we’re talking about Europeans leaving in cars that look like ours to save their lives.” 

Additionally, Al Jazeera English anchor Peter Dobbie described the Ukranians as prosperous middle-class people who “look like any European family that you would live next door to”. “These are not people trying to get away from areas in North Africa,” he added. Others such as Daniel Hannan reported on The Telegraph that what made the Russia-Ukraine conflict shocking was that the Ukrainians “seem so like us”. “War is no longer something visited upon impoverished and remote populations. It can happen to anyone.” 

Reactions to reporting

The poor choice of words used by reporters in their commentary saw stars such as Trevor Noah calling out the double standards in media coverage of the crisis in Ukraine in comparison to devastation in other regions such as Africa and the Middle East. Noah who comes from Johannesburg, South Africa, said that he was shocked to see how many reporters around the world seem to think that it's more of a tragedy when "white people have to flee their countries". "Because, I guess what, the darkies were built for it?" Noah expressed sarcastically. He also explained that, racism aside, wars have been a part of Europe's history. "Until very recently, fighting crazy wars was Europe's thing. They even had something called the Hundred Years' War," he added. 

Since it's release on YouTube on 1 March, Noah's video has garnered over four million views and is ranked 12th on YouTube's top trending videos.

Reactions on Twitter from netizens also showed that they were in disbelief and found it "disgraceful" that reporters would display racism on such a sensitive topic. One user posted a video of Corbé's commentary, saying "Just when you thought you’ve seen it all in this world. Beyond belief."

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As for D'Agata, some pointed out that the crew on ground with him could have made some effort to stop him or cut the feed. 

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According to the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer report, today almost half of consumers (46%) distrust journalists.

In fact, 67% were convinced that journalists and reporters are intentionally trying to mislead people by saying things they know are false or gross exaggerations. This was an 8% increase from the previous year. Additionally, trust in traditional media dipped 5% to 57% this year, compared to 10 years ago in 2012.

Sharanjit Leyl, president of the Foreign Correspondents Association in Singapore and a former senior broadcast journalist at the BBC, told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that journalists shouldn’t ideally embed personal opinions in their coverage. “Eighteen years at the BBC has inculcated in me that impartiality in the news is key. It was the way audiences came to trust and believe what you say,” said Leyl. However, she added that in the current world, it also depends on the media organisation and the audience.

“A number of American news organisations are now so polarised politically that expressing opinions is a norm, and opinions among correspondents isn’t new,” said Leyl. What’s controversial in this instance, she explained, is the racial and cultural overtones.

“It is terribly wrong, but isn’t surprising because part of the audience watching in America would likely have those same biases. Sadly this has also galvanised the issue and created more interest and ‘clicks’ on the story than it normally would have earned,” she added.

She added that impartiality in the news is key, and to that end, Leyl said rather than just "training" reporters, media outlets should look to employ more diverse news staff. She cited that BBC’s strength for example is its coverage in a local language, and always aims to hire local staff in the various bureaus around the world. “That gives a local and hence more authentic perspective to how a story is told.  It’s a great way to gain trust in your audiences,” Leyl said. 

Meanwhile, media veteran PN Balji, told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that with the current state of media and the agendas on the table, readers need to take an active role in deciphering information on news stories, and particularly in the Russia-Ukraine conflict "the truth is the biggest casualty during a war". Readers today are left with no option but to look at different media outlets to find out the truths for themselves.

"This is not an ideal solution, but in a world split by ideologies and misinformation, we no choice but to have a suspicious and  have a skeptical mind," he said. Moreover, all of these problems are further exacerbated by media is under stress what with social media setting the agenda and cost pressures squeezing many organisations. At the end of the day, he added the Russian invastion of Ukraine has exposed another victim: Race. He said:

Viewing the world via race-tinted glasses is not new, and it is not going to go away.

So how can media win back trust and clear its name of bias reporting, we asked? "In the short term, media needs editors who must keep emphasising the original values of journalism. Report the truth. If that is not possible, then go for the next best thing - shades of truth and let readers decide," said Balji.

Photo courtesy: 123RF

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