EDITORIAL: Defending one's country does not need much

President Barack Obama’s visit to Kenya again brought out the worst in the major news networks. This time it was CNN which unabashedly questioned the safety of President Obama in a country it described as “a hotbed of terror”. The report reached hysterical levels until it hit a brick wall; the Kenyan social media community who descended on CNN with fury and witty tweets. While CNN could have had its fingers burnt with its Kenyan venture, it was not the first or last time the so called international media undermine nations or attempt to influence public perceptions and set the agenda. Rwanda is no stranger to that kind of treatment. It has endured media harassment for the past two decades. The country and its people demonized to the extent those who visit for the first time are taken aback; it is not the picture painted in their minds by the media. Countering the negative image projected by the waves of unfair media attacks should make us learn something from the Kenyan avalanche of national patriotism Coming out in full force to protect a country’s image is not the sole reserve of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but should be everyone’s task, using all available resources. Publicly challenging stereotypes churned out by some sections of the international media, and setting the record straight like the ingenuous Kenyan backlash on social media could send a strong message to the self-appointed makers and destroyers of countries’ image; we will not take abuse lying down.

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EDITORIAL: Defending one's country does not need much