How do Western countries use the media to build their soft power in Africa?

Western countries invest a lot of money in building their media power and creating media outlets that achieve their foreign policy goals and influence the attitudes of the masses in the countries of the world.

These media, directed to peoples in foreign countries, contribute to managing the state's presence at the global level.

Therefore, the United States, France, Britain, and Russia focus on influencing the people of developing countries by using radio and television networks to achieve their foreign policy goals and build their soft power.

Despite the claims of these networks that they are committed to objectivity, impartiality and balance, the analysis of their content proves their connection to the foreign policy of their countries, and that they are a tool to achieve the objectives of this policy.

media diplomacy

The study of these networks can contribute to the development of the science of media diplomacy as a new field related to the science of public diplomacy, but it can be based on new approaches and theories commensurate with the challenges of the 21st century.

This science has been linked to the emergence of new concepts, such as “foreign policy directed by the media,” or led by these means, as the use of these concepts increased after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early nineties, and the United States of America alone controlled the global system.

The media's coverage of the American aggression on Iraq shows that America was able to control the coverage and prevent broadcasting scenes of human suffering, massacres and atrocities committed by its forces so that the scenario of the Vietnam War would not be repeated. Has the media become a tool in the hands of governments used to achieve their foreign policy goals?

Studying the content of the Western media shows that they used propaganda based on deception and falsification to justify the aggression against Iraq, and to promote the idea that America is protecting the world from Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction that could be used by Saddam Hussein.

Monopoly and control of transnational corporations

It was clear that the transcontinental companies - which dominated the media and communication industry - had allied with Western governments to control the global economy, and these companies used media empires to impose American control over the world, and to subjugate the peoples of the world to America by exaggerating the portrayal of American power, and to present America To the peoples as the force that protects democracy, global security and stability.

This constituted a transformation in the history of the press and media in America and Europe, which led to an increase in the bias of the Western media towards America and its policy, and work to achieve national interests, justify American aggression against peoples, and defend America and its management of global conflicts.

Studying the content of the Western media shows that they used propaganda based on deception and falsification to justify the aggression against Iraq, and to promote the idea that America is protecting the world from Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction that could be used by Saddam Hussein.

All this led to distorting the image of media diplomacy, linking it to propaganda aimed at demonizing the enemy, justifying American crimes, and the media's adoption of the discourse of power, and its use to achieve national interests.

Change the media policy

Therefore, a study of the content of the Western media shows that the events of September 11, 2001 constituted an important change in media policy and the building of new functions for the media, the most important of which is building the soft power of the state and its mental image, justifying its foreign policy, influencing peoples to achieve the goals of this policy, and achieving national interests. According to the perception set by the authority for these interests.

This change was not limited to the United States only, but Vladimir Putin also admitted that the creation of the "Russia Today" network in 2005 came to break the Anglo-Saxon monopoly on the flow of information in the world, and that the goal of its creation was to achieve the goals of Russian foreign policy, and that it was used as a tool for Russia's propaganda during the crisis. Ukrainian, and they managed to influence the peoples of Eastern Europe in favor of Russia.

It was clear that the 21st century witnessed the increasing use of the media in media diplomacy and influencing peoples to achieve foreign policy goals, and thus the strength of the relationship between the state and the media in America and Europe increased.

America and Europe used the media - especially radio and television networks - to influence the African people, and as a result of the weakness of the African media and the direct control of the authorities over them, the dependence of the African peoples on Western radio and television networks to obtain news and information has led to an increase in the influence of these means on the peoples.

In many cases, these media have played their part in creating events on the African continent such as the "South Sudan chapter" whose people rely heavily on American and European radio and television networks.

The case of South Sudan illustrates how Western countries used these networks to push the people to secede, a goal that colonial powers worked to achieve throughout the 20th century using a strategy that relied on the use of the media.

One of the most important means used by Western governments was to conceal information about the corruption of the separatist leaders in South Sudan, as they directly ordered their radio and television networks not to broadcast this information.

It is clear that this method has been used in many events in African countries, according to the extent of their governments' commitment to subordination to America and Europe, where the corruption of the leaders of these countries, their violation of human rights, and the atrocities they committed against their people has been obscured.

Therefore, journalists in Western radio and television networks imposed censorship on themselves so that no information would be published that would reduce the ability of Western countries to achieve their foreign policy goals.

This could contribute to explaining the lack of interest of the Western media in many events such as the Rab’a sit-in dispersal, and the violation of human rights in many countries.

But did the Western media tend to adhere to the foreign policy objectives of their countries by voluntary choice, or have these networks been subjected to a kind of restriction and censorship to play their role in implementing government policy according to a long-term media strategy to influence peoples, subject them to capitalism and American control, and support the authoritarian authorities of America? !

These questions can open a wide scope for understanding the relationship between the media, foreign policy and international relations.

Impact on local media

But America and Europe were not satisfied with using their radio and television networks to influence the African people, as they also influenced the African media by using various means, the most important of which is advertising, by providing advertisements to local media that support the foreign policies of Western countries and achieve their goals, and there are many Evidence of using advertising to achieve political goals, spreading Western propaganda, subjugating peoples to American control, and preventing the dissemination of information that could harm US-European policy and its authoritarian regimes.

Western countries are also working to influence African journalists to work for these countries and adopt their policies, and this is evident in South Sudan, Ethiopia and Nigeria, and this is done by hosting journalists in training courses, opening the way for them to produce media and covering events, facilitating their work and hosting them in radio and television networks. Westerners to talk about different topics, and this provides them with fame, and the possibilities of obtaining employment opportunities.

African journalists also imitate the journalistic methods used by Western radio and television networks to cover and edit news, and thus focus on the events that these networks are interested in, and this leads to an increase in media dependence on America and Europe.

This has led to the weakening of the African press and media, and its credibility eroding.

Therefore, we pose an important question to all media professionals in the poor countries of the South, how do we begin a new phase of the struggle to liberate our countries from media dependence on the West, and to build national media systems that provide the masses with knowledge and lead them to achieve comprehensive independence?