Note: The views and opinions expressed in blog/editorial posts are those of the author. They do not reflect the views or opinions of Misbar.
Misleading news and myths usually target society's most marginalized groups, and after repeated exposure, the myth becomes a belief and an unquestionable fact, despite being far from our lived reality. Today's media and social media help create and perpetuate these myths by misrepresenting these groups.
The Cuban theorist and academic Stuart Hall, one of the most important founders of the school of thought known today as cultural studies, reveals the importance of language in this process to build or disintegrate marginalized groups' identities.
In this blog, we discuss the myths spread by some Arab media about disabled people, as they are a marginalized group in most Arab societies, and how some journalists misleadingly approach this issue.
Most of the examples in this blog came from media coverage of the UN's International Day of Persons with Disabilities celebrations and the subsequent local celebrations in Arab countries. It is an annual event where the media are reminded of the need to shed light on a segment that is an essential component in various societies. When it came to covering UN Day, many news outlets in the Arab world chose to focus on the headlines rather than the details, which meant that their stories only touched on the surface of the issues.
In the screenshot below, Egyptian news sites focused on highlighting the ceremony honoring Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi for people with disabilities, with Al-Ahram writing an article titled "On their International Day... People of Determination are living their golden age during the era of President Sisi" so that the event becomes the Egyptian president, rather than the stakeholders themselves. The newspaper used "people of determination" instead of "people with disabilities," which is the UN's preferred term. This term is used to define this category because it conveys a realistic picture that embodies the reality of their situation. Physical, psychological, and social disabilities and sensory or intellectual disabilities are all included in the term disability.
Beautifying expressions do not change reality but rather present the disability as a flaw that must be concealed rather than the owners' strengths, say researchers and experts in this field. Disability is the wrong term, and "people with disabilities" is accurate.
The International Labor Organization's 2015 guide, titled "Guidelines for Media Coverage of People with Special Needs," deals with the importance of focusing on the person himself rather than the disability from which he suffers. One way to reinforce this is through the use of accurate terms in describing the situation, such as the need to say disabled person rather than disabled, a person of short stature rather than "dwarf," and the person us instead of “dwarf.”
This type of misinformation can be found in the story's title, which was published on YouTube last May by the Hikayat Arabiya website under the title "A Collection of Stories about the Handicapped." In this context, Nasser Ballout, a blind journalist for the Lebanese Al-Jadeed channel, told Misbar, "The best description for us is "people with disabilities," as the term describes our condition. Not just people with disabilities, but anyone with special needs."
According to the available moral evidence, a myth or other information circulating on several media and websites when it comes to this category is promoting the idea that people with disabilities are unable to marry and have children. Perhaps their disability prevents them from doing so. This misleading information is presented in the form of a story about a doctor treating a person in a wheelchair. The story ends with the doctor falling in love with him and marrying him only after he is able to walk again. The messages conveyed by this story, whether knowingly or unknowingly, are that people with disabilities do not have the right to marry or are unable to marry. Marriage is only available to the physically healthy. In contrast, the reality is quite different due to the uniqueness of each case.
To summarize, the media's most prevalent myth is that disabled people are rare in society. According to a recent UN report, their global population exceeds one billion. As a result, media misinformation creates false and misleading images of a group in society, depriving it of the right to live, work, associate, and raise a family, as well as the right to be respected for its person, rights, and existence.
Also, Arab media should portray disabled people more realistically rather than glorifying or demonizing those in power.
Translated by Faten Elwan
Misbars Sources:
Ahram
Sada Al Balad
Al Jazeera Mubasher
International Labour Organization
Marina Tuneva
STEVEN MARSHAL
Misbar
