The Media And Her Image

AMBASSADOR EZEWELE CYRIL ABIONANOJIE  

The media as a means of mass communication is a purveyor of image. It lodges into the encoder’s heart an opinion concerning the view of a report. It is a means through which people design the image of an individual business, person, nation or continent to the desire of their interests before the external people. It could be used to make a cadaver seem to be a supernatural being in the hearts of people as it has been the wheeling strength of some religious circles. It can also be used to portray the image of a good man before the world as a horrible man as evidenced in the scenario of Nelson Mandela as United States of America declared him a terrorist in his struggles against the apartheid injustice and cruelty that was making the round in his country.

After the release of Nelson Mandela, an America Senator, Sheldon Whitehouse asserts, “Nelson Mandela does not belong on a terrorist watch list”. He proceeded by saying in regret, “This problem has caused injustice to South African leaders and embarrassment to the United States and I am glad it will be repaired”. The media is one of the most dangerous means if not well managed to either bring down or ridicule oneself as an individual nation before the external community as it is in most Africa nations. The media should be controlled to reveal only what will be of national interest, for it has a very strong influence over the economy of an individual people or nation. It can build or kill the image of business empires or that of an individual nation or people. The reputation of a nation or people influences the consumers’ perceptions and purchase intentions of the products that are manufactured there. That is, the perception of the country of origin of a brand affects the perception of the brand before external communities. The media is a medium through which a nation can aggrandize the inflow of tourists and foreign investors if it is positioned and exposed in a glorifying manner.

The media is a weapon of war in the hands of those who are masters in the act. This is what the colonial masters till date use to politically and religiously hold sway over the affairs of our lives. They choose the type of news they want you to hear about them and also choose the type of news they want their people to hear about you. Any news that will not portray Africans as slaves will be kept away from their people and any news that will soil their image before us will either be kept away from us or be coated with a colour that will cover or change the unacceptable image in the news.

It was a cool evening in the city of Barcelona, Spain, on the 25^th of June, 2009, I was watching news concerning their ex president, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero’s visit to Nigeria to discuss enhanced cooperation in the area of culture, tourism and fair taxation on goods. As the cameraman could not locate a threadbare looking area in the city of Abuja, he focused his video on the root of a tree while casting the news. Even their president was not shown not to reveal the beauty in the city of Abuja to their people. They chose to video the root of a tree probably to make their people believe that the meeting was held on a tree. In another occasion, during a cultural display in Barcelona, the humanitarian organization which I was the founding president happened to be part of the planning committee and they were to display pictures of present day Africans and their cities and I quickly printed pictures of Abuja city, Johannesburg, and other beautiful cities in Africa. Immediately I was stylishly discharged from the planning committee and on the cultural day, the pictures they displayed concerning Africa and her people were not friendly to our image; pictures of war – frayed zones with dirty, frustrated and hungry looking individuals. I quickly called on other Africa nationals and we screen shot Africa cities and exposed it to passerby tourists. Many of them were amazed and many took decision right there to visit Africa in their next holiday.

Our internal problems should be resolved internally for the people you expose the badass of your nation to do not have the interest of both you and your nation at heart. For instance, no international substantial moves or news about the incessant religious killings in Nigeria, for they want it to continue probably to either reduce our population, affect our economic growth, create avenue to sell arms, continue sowing seeds of hatred among us or all of the above. A wise man once wrote: “Cheers To Everyone Smart Enough To Not Fall For The Political Divide And Conquer Agenda, Because If They Keep Us Busy Fighting Each Other, We Will Never Focus On Who The Real Enemy Is”.

Hegemonies are tools in the hands of foreign predators to divide us and make us hate ourselves and keep seeing them as our only saviour. The game is, they will set you up through cultural, tribal, political or religious disparities and provide arms to fight against yourselves and as you run to them for help, they will keep sucking your wealth while pretending to deliver the help in question.

The media industry should be used to build a sense of self dignifying image that could bring honour and economic growth. It is imperative for every journalist and reporter to work towards positive image building that will improve social stability, economic growth, peaceful coexistence and a free and fair society where the rule of law lords over the affairs of the society. Information dissemination influences the national identity of a people. Therefore, our government must play key roles in perception management by working with journalists to only construct and publish stories that will edify national image. There should be a reliable governmental body to regulate, compensate and support the media industry to only work on the stories that will construct a sense of national self image in a glorifying manner.

Whenever you are being portrayed before the global community as children of a lesser God, it is left for you to tell the world via media campaign that you are not, for inferiority complex only affects the man who believes other people’s negative opinion or intention towards him.

As a nation we must put everything in place to manage the media position before the external communities for no one can deny the place of journalism in the formation of national image, which in turn affects stability, opportunities and national growth.

Ambassador Ezewele Cyril Abionanojie is the author of the book ‘The Enemy Called Corruption’ and writes from Lagos.