The media bias between Paris and Beirut - The Listening Post (Lead)

In the midst of the Paris attacks, more than 4 million people checked-in to Facebook to mark themselves as "safe" after the social media site activated its rarely-used Safety Check tool.It also introduced a feature that allowed users to overlay the colours of the French flag on their profile pictures to express solidarity with the victims of the attacks.These features prompted many to question a potential double standard: Where were they when dozens were killed in bomb blasts in Beirut a day earlier, or when 149 people lost their lives in Garissa, Kenya back in April?Critics accused the site of valuing the lives of Western victims more than those in the Middle East and other regions. Meanwhile, journalists covering the story were accused of making unfair accusations, using divisive terminology and xenophobic reactions.Given ISIL's objectives to sow discord and provoke repression, did the media play into ISIL's hands?Talking us through the story are: Habib Battah, an investigative journalist at Beirut Report; Professor Brian J Phillips from the Center for Research in Mexico; journalist Justin Salhani; Alain Gresh, an editor at Le Monde Diplomatique; and Washington Post journalist.



INC News, 23/11/2015 - via AL JAZEERA