Eritrea accuses Al Jazeera of “malicious propaganda”
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
July 14, 2017 (ADDIS ABABA) – Eritrea accused Al Jazeera media group of continued smear campaigns against the tiny east African state.
The article posted last week touches range of issues including on a worsening political and socio-economical situations of the reclusive state.
It also questions the extent and complexity of the country’s transformation from a promising country into the personal fiefdom of President Isaias Afeworki and his cliques at the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ).
The author refers the one-party state as a country preparing for dawn.
Last June, the Eritrean government announced its full support of positions taken by Saudi Arabia and its allies who accuse Qatar of sponsoring terrorist groups.
In response to the article, Eritrean News Agency Director, Paulos Netabay, said the article in question essentially dwells on a “barrage of vitriol against Eritrea”
Paulos accused the author of routinely engaging in a smear campaign against the country.
“I will not waste your time here to respond to his unfounded and outrageous narrative. But what we find baffling is Al-Jazeera’s evident preference to accommodate and disseminate innuendos and lies by obscure authors of dubious credibility and/or who harbour sinister agendas against Eritrea?” he said.
“We had repeatedly urged Al Jazeera, on various occasions in the past, to refrain from this biased stance. But for reasons we fail to understand, this legitimate request continues to be ignored”
He added that Eritrea’s repeated requests for the right of response and to be given equal space to rectify the alleged propaganda against Eritrea had been ignored.
Al Jazeera has put a disclaimer pointing out that “the views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial policy”.
In this regard, Paulos said the disclaimer cannot, however, conceal Al Jazeera’s transparent selection bias which is indeed amplified by the links to several, negative, stories it highlights in the same article.
He added that Al Jazeera’s insistence on this “skewed approach” will only undermine and corrode its professed claims of “neutrality, objectivity and professionalism” in its coverage of international news and events.
(ST)