The violence is France is petering out, thank goodness. And now, Jacques Chirac is asking television stations "to make sure that France's minorities become more visible on the nation's TV screens." The request seems like a quick-fix to me. I do think that the media should represent all sections of the population adequately, but this knee-jerk reaction to the violence of the last few weeks seems a little...well, fake. According to this article in the Independent, his critics seem to think so, too.
The article also mentions a "charm offensive on the foreign press" that has been launched by the French government to put the riots "into perspective":
The Finance Minister, Thierry Breton, invited a group of Paris correspondents to lunch to try to put the riots "in perspective". He pointed out that more than 200 people died in the Los Angeles riots of 1992. Only one death has been attributed directly to the two weeks on unrest in France.
The social and economic problems of the suburbs surrounding French cities should not be exaggerated, he said. The main problem was a lack of local jobs, because the suburbs had been turned into "dormitories".
I'm with the French authorities as far as thinking that the foreign press -- especially here in America -- tends to be overly critical of the ability of other countries to manage their problems. But I also think Breton could have avoided comparing the French riots to the riots in LA. I understand that most politicians do this to indicate that their problem isn't the only one that's been mismanaged (Musharraf pointed to New Orleans when he was criticized about the slow response to the Kashmir earthquake), but it seems like a bit of a cop out.
Also, surely the lack of jobs was not the biggest problem brought to light by the riots? I thought it was much more about racial inequality. I guess the lack of jobs stemmed from racial inequality and the two are inextricably linked together, but Breton's comment that "the main problem was a lack of local jobs" seems a tad simplistic. Especially when Chirac is around the corner admitting that racial integration is the key.
Like I said, I do see why the government might have such a defensive reaction -- the media is sometimes aggressively critical and unbalanced -- but PR exercises such as these seem to mask the seriousness of the underlying problems.
willemmarx @ November 20, 2005 - 4:57pm
Comparisons made by Breton or even Musharraf, while perhaps not a "cop out," are certainly commonplace when a government is seeking to divert criticism. It is typically used by governments against American involvement in their own country, and directed at America. The most notable example, I believe, in recent years, has been the use of the 2000 Florida election "recount" by foreign governments in undemocratic countries as an example of hypocrisy on the part of the US and more specifically Bush administration. This is particularly the case with Zimbabwe's Mugabe, supporters of Egypt's Mubarak, and a number of notable politicians in Central Asian republics.
American reporters are less likely to report such criticism, but as with Breton, it is often an effective if disingenous method of placating the domestic media, by pointing to supposed American failings.
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