If people thought that hate speech was eliminated when Radio of a thousand hills in Rwanda was closed down 20 years ago, then sadly the lessons learned there are being repeated elsewhere in the world. A study by a Harvard University researcher David Yanagizawa-Drott estimates that 9.9% of the participation in the genocidal violence in the Great Lakes Region was due to the broadcasts. The estimate of the study in 2012 suggests that approximately 51,000 deaths were caused by the radio station's broadcasts.
This investigative documentary was broadcast recently by BBC Arabic and BBC World News. It is well worth watching.
There is growing tension between Shia and Sunni Muslims in Iraq and Syria, fueled by these satellite television stations operating from countries like Egypt and the UK with money from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
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| Nour-Eddine Zorgui |
BBC Arabic Journalist Nour-Eddine Zorgui, writer and director Sam Farmar, and the team have done an excellent job is bringing the true extent of hate media to light. Because of language and cultural barriers we simply do not understand what's going on. It takes careful thought to put the issue into a meaningful context. For me, this documentary is an excellent example of why international investigative journalism is still needed.
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