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Petition Letter to BBC & CNN
Ref: CGN- 2008-10-18-001
Dear Sir/Madam,
We are compelled to write and publish this complaint after seeing your consistent attempt to destroy Africa and her people via your negative and bias programming. It is so sad and heartbreaking that your news anchors have chosen the part of damaging Africa and her people with their consistent negative stereotype. We rarely see your low class media presenters show the Africa that we are familiar with.
All through your programming about Africa, you have never seized at least one minute of your stereotypical biased programs to show the Africa that is healthy, the Africa that has good houses and infrastructure, the Africa that is striving to come out of your devilish exploitation and post-colonialism . But you can spend 30mins to report about UK birds flew to Africa or even one hour to discuss a picture of a model.
Having visited some major cities in Africa like Abuja, Nigeria Accra Ghana, and other part of Africa and getting first-hand information from our correspondents from different cities in Africa. We are proud to learn of some great development taking place in this countries both in terms of their economy and infrastructure. Not downplaying some difficulties these countries still need to work on, but as a developing country, at least we must give credit to the little they have done so far while holding their politician accountable too.
But Surprisingly , your reporters and presenters close their eyes to those achievements and pretend they never existed and instead, they have resorted to associate Africa with a continent of survivals and survivors or Africa of diseases and poverty. We must say that it is shameful and reprehensible. Your consistent attempt to mar the face of Africa and her people is outrageous and must be stopped immediately.
Your betcha journalists and your selfish politicians have continued in their devilish ambition to sell their dehumanizing propaganda to the world using your media as a tool to talk about the Africa you have always prayed to be. This is appalling.
Standing on the principle of true journalism, we know that the prime goal of journalism is not to destroy but to build, but BBC World and CNN and their correspondents have psychologically damaged the image of Africa/Africans by your false negative reporting. It is not fair to always show Africa as a country with no hope or future. Your aged-long hypocritical and deceitful actions are disgraceful and unwelcome in this age.
We think it is time for your media to re-evaluate the goal of journalistic reporting. Isn't it time your programming show the world the good side of Africa too. with your consistent showcase of survivors or rather devilish stereotype on an African people, don't you think is time to lift your bad spirit from that continent. We think it is enormously vital that your media should consider how best to report your findings.
Dear BBC and CNN Directors, Has Africa felt encouraged from the western media coverage? Why don't you show the world the main street in United States or the beggars in London Street? you do not programme and broadcast such to the world instead you always show us your skyscrapers and sparkling metropolitan cities. All we ask for , is for you to do the same… balance your reporting.. we are not asking you to ignore the sufferings or the corruptions of our politicians.. by all means expose them but do so without making Africa appear what you always wish your audience to believe.
As we write, we think the time is over-ripened for your reporters to re-programme their thinking, to let go of the negative patterns that have been sabotaging others and adopt positive and nourishing realities that can transform our world.
Let's face it, AIDS or HIVs and poverty exists every where in the world including UK, USA, China, Russia and other European countries. So we wonder why your media presenters always show pictures of sick Africans or Asians whenever such topic is been discussed. Are their no sick HIV patients in your hospitals to programme? or Are your countries HIV free . Check this links HIV and AIDS in the UK and HIV and AIDS in the US Where did HIV or AIDS originated from?
Most annoying and worst part of your low class anchorage is that, your correspondents don't even know that Africa is a continent not a country. But if they do know, why will they always use Africa to describe issues in one country. For example, As i am writing , Bill Clinton just visited one or two countries in 54 countries in African continent , so if Bill Clinton or whoever visit a country for whatever reasons…why not say the name of the country than reports that Bill Clinton visited Africa. Please Africa is a continent not a country. Again, if there is drought in Ethiopia or war in Somalia … why not call the name of the country than using Africa as a generic name for a country. Whenever you talk of HIV… Why not mention specifically the country than say Africa. You never mince words when reporting issues in Eastern Europe. like in Romania, Armenia , Greece and other poorer countries in Europe or Haiti, Venezuela , Cambodia, Jamaica in the Americas. you carefully make a distinction of the countries but not so when talking about African issues . Why are you so bias? it is shameful and disappointing.
Candidly, Your media is losing its meaning. Nowadays, you are known for negative news. once turn on to BBC channel , all you hear is death, war, corruption, diseases, HIV, survivor only in Africa and Asia etc. people are becoming tired of negative news. we doubt if negative stories still make good news. Bad news no longer entertains readers, viewers and listeners. They are sick of it. They want something new, something different. And that is news! If really we have great passion for this noble profession we call journalism, then we should do all that is required to make it achieve its purpose, otherwise we will only be informing and entertaining and not educating at all.
When you talk about Africa, you hide the good sides of them, even their great achievement and infrastructure and show poverty, war, HIV etc.. As an African, most of our members are living in different part of the world, and they have witnessed that even in your various countries where you show us only your skyscrapers that, poverty, HIV, political maneuvering, bribery and corruption, slums , ghettos and all kinds of fraud do exist. So why capitalize on Africa and Asia for your catastrophic-stories resource bank From your various reporting, it plays out that in your thinking that anything good and beautiful emanates from UK, and USA but for other part of the world, they are devoid of good things.
Do you know that negative reports break the spirit and undermine people's ability to make positive change or attract goodness into their life? Showing the positive side of Africa can manifest better dreams and results for the continent. Africans are human beings with feelings. They have been emotionally distressed by reading, hearing and viewing only the ugly side of their beloved continent. They are lamenting: "Show the world the other side of Africa". Reporting the good side of Africa is very possible and newsworthy enough to balance decades of your stereotype on Africa
.. Stop your negative press for good and for once be objective. The Africans you know during your colonial and imperial era are changing. The oldest of independent Africa state is barely 50 years to compare with your country of 200 to 500years . So help us achieve our potential as we are trying hard to recover from your exploitations and your wicked actions. We would appreciate your response.
Anthony-Claret
Director
For and on behalf of Codewit Global Network
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