CAIRO (IPS) — Exhaustive media coverage of the wave of
popular revolts sweeping the Middle East and North Africa has helped to dispel
myths and stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims, and foster better cultural
understanding, media experts said during a conference in Cairo last week.

“In covering the events that unfolded in Egypt and
Tunisia, and are happening now in many other Arab countries… the media was able
to build bridges that politicians were unable to achieve over many years,”
said Amr Moussa, secretary-general of the Arab League. “Their imagery has
helped create rapprochement between Arabs and the West.”

The conference, a forum on “A New Era for Arab-West
Relations,” explored the implications of social transformation in the Arab
region and the potential for enhancing intercultural dialogue. Participating
journalists and members of civil society highlighted the role of media in
bridging the gaps in mutual perceptions between the Arab world and the West.

Panelists described how Western media historically failed to
convey the diversity of the Arab world, its varied geography, and its full
spectrum of religious, ethnic and cultural identities. As a result, many
Westerners perceive the Middle East as an exotic and often threatening milieu
of deserts and camels, religious fervor and arbitrary cruelty.

Roland Schatz, CEO of content analysis firm Media Tenor,
said international news coverage has for decades reinforced stale stereotypes
of Arabs and Muslims, focusing on acts of violence and repression, while
glossing over positive and “ordinary” aspects of their lives.

“Violent upheavals drive news, which is mostly negative
when Western journalists cover this region,” he said.

While the past few months have seen plenty of upheaval in
the Arab world, the images filtering into Western homes also carry many
positive, inspirational messages. Iconic photographs and video footage of
protesters challenging brutal and autocratic regimes to demand democracy and
transparency have dispelled the myth that Arab societies are politically
apathetic and easily manipulated by dictators and Islamists.

Abdallah Schleifer, a professor emeritus of journalism at
the American University in Cairo, told IPS there has been an encouraging change
in the world’s perception of Arab societies.

“The images of the past decade were of Islamists, Osama
and beheadings — and in the decade before that, of burning American flags and
plane hijackings,” he said. “Suddenly we’re getting an image
projected in the West that is not intrinsically anti-Western, and that raises
themes which are very acceptable to the West, such as democracy and
freedom.”

Popular uprisings toppled Tunisian dictator Zine Al-Abdine
Ben Ali in January and Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak the following month. An
opposition movement has taken up arms to end the rule of Libyan leader Muammar
Al-Gaddafi, while anti-regime demonstrations have challenged the leaders of
Yemen, Syria and Bahrain.

The “Arab Spring” has reversed the usual flow of
ideas, which are now emanating from the crowded squares of Tunis and Cairo to
take root in the streets of Europe and North America. Schleifer points to
recent demonstrations in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, where tens of thousands
of protesters denounced the governor’s attempt to introduce anti-union
legislation.

“One of the protesters’ slogans was “Walk like an
Egyptian,” a phrase intended to imply dignity and pride,” he said.
“It shows that (Egypt’s revolution) has become iconic for similar protests
within the democratic formula.”

Dalia Mogahed, executive director of the Gallup Centre for
Muslim Studies, cited surveys that revealed the positive impact of the region’s
recent media exposure.

“The media had a role in showing the humanity of the
people in Tahrir Square,” she said. “Research showed that the
American public was paying close attention to the demonstrations in Egypt and
80 percent said they were sympathetic with the protesters.”

Conference panelists identified deficiencies in Western news
coverage of the region, particularly in representing the diversity and
complexities of Arab society to uninformed readers and viewers.

Hisham Hellyer, a fellow at the Centre for Research in
Ethnic Relations at the University of Warwick, criticized the media’s
disproportionate coverage of the secular, liberal elite while interviewing
anti-Mubarak protesters. He said Western journalists seeking the most
accessible and articulate interviewees inadvertently created the illusion
“that everyone in Tahrir Square spoke fluent English.”

He also challenged the media to go beyond “the usual
suspects” so as to present the views of wider Arab society, not just a few
individuals.

“There is a tendency among journalists to select people
known for their inflammatory comments,” he said. “These people have
no representative value; they only provide good sound bites.”

One negative image that will prove difficult to efface: when
thugs riding camels and horses charged anti-Mubarak protesters in Cairo’s
Tahrir Square on Feb. 2. The incident — captured on film — reinforced many
negative stereotypes about Arab backwardness and barbarism, remarked Gilles
Kepel, head of Middle East and Mediterranean Studies at the Institut d’Etudes
Politiques de Paris.

“It looked like a clash between the medieval and the
modern,” he said. “On one side were guys on camels and horses and on
the other were young protesters with iPhones and iPods.”

Importantly, however, intensive media coverage had already
acquainted Western audiences with the goals and composition of the protesters
in Tahrir Square. When the mounted attack came, it drew world sympathy to their
cause.