A new tragedy has struck Nigeria's already battered Christian community. On the night of June 13-14, a jihadist group perpetrated a massacre in the town of Yelewata. The attack, which was carried out with extreme violence, left at least 200 deadChristians who were refugees in a displaced persons center run by a Catholic mission. Many of them had previously fled violence from groups such as Boko Haram.
However, the human drama involved in this massacre has not had the echo that could be expected in the Spanish general media. Of the five most listened radio stations in our country, only two gave coverage to the news. Only one of the five newspapers with the highest circulation dedicated a news item to it. Among the five most watched television channels, only one reported the attack. And as for the major news agencies, only one of the four main ones picked up the event.
In contrast, the information was widely disseminated in media specialized in religious information and in alternative portals. The silence of the mainstream press contrasts with the seriousness of the facts and raises uncomfortable questions.
The comparison is inevitable. In the attack in BataclanIn Paris, nearly 90 people died. The media coverage was massive, sustained for weeks, as is logical in the face of a tragedy of such magnitude. But why do 200 lives cut short in Africa barely make the front pages or the news? Is a Western life worth more than an African one? Does the religion of the victims play a role?
How is it possible that a massacre of this magnitude does not merit attention in most of the mainstream media? Is it an ideological, cultural or religious bias? What if the victims were of another religion, on another continent, or if the killers were not jihadists? Would the coverage have been different?
The lack of attention from the mainstream media not only hurts: it is disturbing. Because when journalism becomes selective with tragedy, it loses its capacity for public service and becomes a factory of omissions.
