Why didn't CNN's international arm air its own documentary on Bahrain's Arab Spring repression?
By the time the CNN crew arrived, many of the sources who had agreed to speak to them were either in hiding or had disappeared. Regime opponents whom they interviewed suffered recriminations, as did ordinary citizens who worked with them as fixers. Leading human rights activist Nabeel Rajab was charged with crimes shortly after speaking to the CNN team. A doctor who gave the crew a tour of his village and arranged meetings with government opponents, Saeed Ayyad, had his house burned to the ground shortly after. Their local fixer was fired ten days after working with them.
Internal CNN emails reflect continuous pressure on Lyon and others to include claims from the Bahraini regime about the violence in their country – even when, says Lyon, she knew first-hand that the claims were false. One April 2011 email to Lyon from a CNN producer demands that she include in her documentary a line stating that "Bahrain's foreign minister says security forces are not firing on unarmed civilians," and another line describing regime claims accusing "activists like Nabeel Rajab of doctoring photos … fabricating injuries".
Despite Lyon's being stonewalled by CNNi, she said facts began emerging that shined considerable light on the relationship between the regime in Bahrain and CNNi when it came to "iRevolution".
Guardian CNN and the business of state-sponsored TV news
At the same time as CNN was covering the regime, Bahrain was an aggressive participant in CNN's various "sponsorship" opportunities, with official agencies of the regime often boasting of how their extensive involvement with CNN was improving the nation's image around the world. Beyond that, there are multiple examples of CNN International producing plainly propagandistic coverage of the regime, often without any minimal disclosure of the vested interests of its sources.
The primary regime agency exploiting these opportunities at CNNi is the Bahrain Economic Development Board (BEDB). It describes itself as "responsible for marketing the Kingdom of Bahrain abroad". The agency is chaired by "His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince".
In its 2010 annual report, the BEDB – in the section entitled "Spreading the Word – at Home and Abroad" – proudly touted its extensive involvement with CNN.
GuardianFair and balanced, or something like that.
