The Ugandan-born moderate journalist in Kenya writes (hat tip: Mr. Ref): "The coverage of the euro crisis in both the Western, African, Asian, and Latin American press, has been ruthless. Every day for the past one year, if you are interested, you will have been fed on headlines and discussions about how the euro is history. And of course, the basket economies of the Eurozone, especially Greece, have been beaten almost to death. The jokes about lazy, tax-cheating Greeks seem to be endless. I was listening to a BBC programme on the Greek financial crisis a few weeks ago, and some Germans were being interviewed. One of them went on about how the Greeks were punching above their weight when they joined the Eurozone. That they shouldn’t have been admitted, because the truth is that Greece was a Third World country whose only useful export was olives. He then chuckled and said the world can never eat enough olives to get Greece out of its mess. Again, imagine if a German had said that about some ramshackle African economy. Accusations of, even, Nazism, would have been rolled out."
He continues his commentary: "The way various media have covered the Eurozone proves that the idea that there is a Western media conspiracy against Africa, is bollocks. The media the world over behave largely the same way. We love winners, and suck up to them. Most of us are obsessed with rich and beautiful people, sex, and scandal. Also, we are all largely barbarians who mock losers and kick them when they are down. Doesn’t matter whether it is a black, brown, yellow, white, or green journalists, we have a common tribal instinct. I have argued before on this page that the reason I don’t take the 'Western/international media perpetuates a negative image of Africa seriously' argument is because we African journalists report the continent largely the same way as the rest. And we are perfectly entitled to flog Africa for its failures and errant ways. However, the idea that Europe is grown up and secure in its skin so it can take whatever is thrown at it, while Africa can’t and needs to be covered with 'sympathy,' is unbearably condescending and patronising."
Charles Onyango-Obbo: "The Western Media Is Bashing The Eurozone Just As They Do Africa. There Is No Media Conspiracy Against Us Africans"
