Presidential elections to be followed by parliament to end 10 years of armed conflict, and as a first step towards building state institutions that collapsed during the so-called “black decade”; How does the Libyan media address the most prominent and important event at a delicate time the country is going through?
Libyans and media specialists believe that the Libyan media varied in addressing the electoral process, between mobilizing towards the importance of this step in the positive direction and public incitement, amid a crisis of confidence that the Libyan street is experiencing with the local media.
mobilize public opinion
In the context of shedding light on the Libyan media’s handling of the first electoral elections, the assistant professor of media at the Department of Media at the University of Sirte, Abdullah Muhammad Atbiqa, says that the Libyan media, with all its means, plays an important role in two directions. The first is mobilization and an attempt to direct public opinion towards the electoral elections.
At that point, he explained to “Sky News Arabia”, that the role of the Libyan media appeared in the mobilization during the last period, as the turnout for ballot papers was very weak in the beginning, and with the nomination of many names such as Gaddafi’s son Haftar and Dabaiba, the media began to mobilize and was reflected So in the numbers of cards distributed significantly increased.
In this aspect of mobilization, the Libyan academic, Faraj Salem Al-Kuraimi, agrees with the opinion of the media professor Abdullah Atbiqa, who emphasized that the Libyan media in general is working to mobilize towards the electoral process, but with certain directions.
Libyan academic Faraj Al-Kuraimi said, during his statements to “Sky News Arabia”, that every channel or media outlet follows a certain orientation and is therefore marketing for the elections in a manner that suits the interests of the orientation they serve.
In this context, the Libyan media, Hurriya Bouyamamah, stressed the necessity of professional commitment to the media message at that precise time that the country is going through.
Hurriya Bouyamamah confirmed, during her statements to “Sky News Arabia”, that a large number of Libyan media outlets play a patriotic role with the utmost impartiality in terms of patriotism and reunification.
public incitement
Regarding the messages of incitement and violence broadcast by some Libyan media, especially digital, the assistant professor of media at the Department of Media at the University of Sirte confirmed that there are messages of violence and public incitement.
Media professor Abdullah Atbaika highlighted the call of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Grand Mufti, Al-Sadiq Al-Ghariani, in which he incited a boycott of the elections and broadcast by the organization’s channels and media.
This call led to armed militias storming the headquarters of the High Electoral Commission in Tripoli and starting a sit-in within the walls of the commission, expressing their rejection of the electoral process until a referendum on the constitution is held.
Atbaika regrets the situation of some media outlets inside Libya, which call for violence, incitement, and discrimination between the people of the same people, due to the pursuit of personal interests and certain agendas.
In that corner, the Libyan academic, Faraj Salem Al-Kuraimi, confirmed that some media outlets have become highly politicized, and this led to a difference of views between supporters of holding the elections on time because they serve a specific candidate; And there are those who oppose it, because if it rises, it will end their presence in the political arena or place him, and therefore the only victim is the citizen.
A crisis of confidence
Here, the Libyan journalist Ziad Taher Bouraiqa confirmed that the Libyan print media “newspapers” is very far from the Libyan reality, and with regard to visual media and channels, there is a crisis of confidence because, unfortunately, they mobilize one party at the expense of another.
Bouraiqa explained, during his statements to “Sky News Arabia”, that it is the radio stations in every city that enjoy the confidence of the people and residents of that city, but the confidence is completely lost in the local media.
Libya is scheduled to witness the first electoral entitlement to choose a president for the country on December 24, in an event that attracts international attention and support, and many Libyans view the upcoming elections as a watershed on the way for the oil-rich country to emerge from the cycle of chaos in which it sank more than a decade ago. .
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