Sunday, June 2, 2013

The international language of the photo-op

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince sits by roadside with ‘lost’ schoolgirl till dad comes for her

 Really interesting news report.  The story mostly serves as an extended caption for this picture:





The story is a features story, not a news report, and, really, is not all that different than coverage given to royal families in the West.  I could totally see a story about a member of the British monarchy doing something kind to a person-on-the-street.  It makes for a cute story.  Fascination with the life of royals is something that exists in the "East" and the "West."  And the notion and function of "the  photo-op" also crosses cultural boundaries.

What is more interesting to me, though, is the tone of the article.  Granted, this is from a feature story, not a front page news story, but, still, note the tone: "In another incident that shows the great humility and love that the leaders of the UAE have for their people..."  The press does not necessarily have the prerogative to critique leaders here, to be sure.  And there's a tradition (which is the case in most monarchies) of speaking in flowery language about royals.  The story goes on to list a bunch of words of praise that various people on facebook used when they saw the picture: "Like son like father. God bless the UAE."

Actually, this reminds me of how conservative a.m. radio shows in the U.S. describe American media's descriptions of Barack Obama.

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