In our modern world, those of the Western culture are constantly bombarded by advertisements, news stories, and cute cat videos, alongside countless examples of media. Even though it might appear that we are drowning in an indiscriminately-displayed mass of media, news and television networks alike are increasingly selective in that which they choose to advertise and broadcast. Many news stories aren’t covered just as many commercials don’t make the cut. Such is apparent in that major news networks that covered the horrible attack at the satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, on January 7th, resulting in the deaths of twelve people, but did not cover the weeklong assault from January 2nd to the 7th, led by an extremist group called the Boko Haram, who committed a massacre of Nigerian men, women, and children in the small town of Baga, resulting in the deaths of 150 unarmed Nigerians.
Why did major Western news networks cover the Charlie Hebdo attack but not the Massacre at Baga? As BIC Freshmen have learned in our second semester of Rhetoric, media is often representative of the culture that created it. What does this decision say about our culture? To find out, let’s take a look back at the culture that Aeneas founded so long ago: Rome.
In our second semester of World Cultures, BIC Freshmen have been reading some of the works of Augustine, but I would like to go a little further back, when Rome was still a republic. As of 90 B.C., the Roman Republic was involved in what historians call the “Social War” in which Rome conquered its defiant Italian allies who had rebelled against its control earlier that year. The fighting was brutal. Due to this conflict, only two legions were garrisoned in the Roman province of Asia Minor (stretching from Modern Greece to Modern Turkey). Despite the war raging across the Italian peninsula, these two Roman legions, alongside the forces of Nicomedes IV—the then ruler of Bithynia (now Northern coast of Turkey) and Roman puppet leader—marched against Mithridates VI of Pontus, who had previously tried to seize the Bithynian throne for himself. Mithridates handily defeated this invasion, however, and scattered the Roman-Bithynian forces, leaving Asia Minor completely undefended. As such, Mithridates marched freely through Asia Minor, conquering as he went.
Despite the lack of Roman military in the area, many of the cities in Asia Minor still considered themselves Roman, as a large portion of the population were Roman citizens. In order to further destroy the Roman presence in Asia Minor, in 88 B.C. Mithridates orchestrated a mass murder of Roman citizens across seven different Roman-held settlements throughout Asia Minor. Over the course of a single day, Mithridates’ troops purged each city at a different hour of the day, targeting any Latin-speaking civilians, no matter age or gender, while sparing all others. Ancient historians estimated that around 80,000 Roman citizens were murdered over the course of that day
When news of what became known as the Asiatic Vespers reached the Italian peninsula, the massacre was broadcast throughout Italy. Then wrapping up the Social War, this news solidified Rome’s relationship with its Latin allies, providing the men on the Italian front with a new zeal, eager as they were to destroy their dissenting Italian brethren and then head to Asia Minor to battle Pontus and Mithridates, who had butchered their kin. Of course, the Roman government did not broadcast the fact that they had tried to invade Pontus. The Roman Republic, just as modern nations do today, broadcasted media selectively, often in order to highlight the good qualities of their cultures.
Why does this matter? Modern news outlets extensively covered the attack led by two ISIS-associated gunmen against Charlie Hebdo in Paris, resulting in the deaths of twelve unarmed people, but neglected to mention the massacre at the Nigerian town of Baga, led by the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, resulting in the deaths of at least 150 unarmed people. Not to detract from the horrors and atrocities committed by the two gunmen in Paris—surely the event needed to be covered—but why is it that similar atrocities in Nigeria were not covered as well?
Some might say that the Charlie Hebdo attack was so extensively covered due to the fact that it was aimed directly at values that are core to Western culture, such as the freedoms of speech and expression. I would argue, however, that Boko Haram’s actions are equally aimed at Western values. Boko Haram literally translates to “Western” or “Non-Islamic teachings – are sinful.” As such, Boko Haram has openly attacked and butchered citizens of Nigeria who are close allies with the United States. Just like the Charlie Hedbo attack, the massacre led by Boko Haram was an attack against Western culture. As of January 25, Boko Haram has besieged the major city of Maiduguri. They are a serious threat. So why have the attacks not been broadcast by major Western news outlets? What does this say about our culture?
Why do you think the massacre at Baga has not been covered by major Western news networks? Does Boko Haram constitute a real threat? Leave a comment below.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? All are welcome! Email me at Lee_Shaw@baylor.edu
Further reading on the Asiatic Vespers:
http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/121264
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/miscellanea/trivia/aquillius.html
Further reading on Boko Haram Massacre at Baga:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/satellite-images-show-boko-haram-massacre-in-nigeria-1421326660
Further reading on Charlie Hebdo attack:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30708237