I have previously written about how the media is a double-edged sword and it has its pros and cons.
However, I recently saw several reports in the Press, which had the old purpose of achieving someone’s personal interests and looked like a blatant attempt to try and polish the reputation of an individual or an institution.
Herein lies the danger!
They are well aware that they live in Bahrain – a very small country – and here everyone knows fact from fiction.
News travels fast and when news lacks credibility, it becomes obvious in no time at all.
The result is that rather than being positive and getting across a good impression, the lack of credibility results in the opposite happening.
Not only does this create a large amount of negativity, it also undermines the reputation of the individual and the organisation – within and outside Bahrain.
As an example, one of Bahrain’s largest companies went to the Press recently to say they are the first in Bahrain to transport their employees to worksites in air-conditioned buses.
This was, obviously, not true since several small and large companies already do it and that, too, for some time now.
So why get this so-called news out in the public domain anyway?
I am sure many of us remember the time when Iraq invaded Kuwait, the Iraqi Information Minister appeared on television to proclaim all was well and that the Iraqi Army was resisting the advancing US forces and holding on to its positions.
Of course, a few hours later, it emerged that the advancing Americans had not only liberated Kuwait on the one hand, they had also entered Baghdad. So much for the so-called ‘resistance’!
I still quote these two examples when I talk about the credibility of the Press and the written word.
Since, as the saying goes, ‘the rope that lies is short’, I advise everyone to be committed to credibility and not exaggerate their appearance in the media. This is not a measure of their success.
Sometimes, staying out of the limelight is the best way to get to what one wants.
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