People wearing protective face masks to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus walk across a street in Beijing, China, April 12, 2020. /AP
People wearing protective face masks to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus walk across a street in Beijing, China, April 12, 2020. /AP
Editor's note: Bobby Naderi is a journalist, guest contributor in print, radio and television, documentary filmmaker and member of the Writers Guild of Great Britain. The article reflects the author's opinion, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.
Ever wondered why some news outlets in the West are not content to see China dampening the rate of confirmed and asymptomatic COVID-19 cases, while slowly edging out from the lockdown and returning to work, especially in Wuhan, Hubei Province, which bore the brunt of the exploding coronavirus pandemic?
All too often the same media outlets publish depressing news and reports about China that are disturbingly negative and biased, and it's only gotten worse these days.
Perhaps, that's what they like to pay attention to under cover of the coronavirus crisis. It starkly demonstrates how the "bad stuff" sticks in their minds and how they assume it has real-world effects. They refuse to challenge themselves, reduce appetite for negativity, and break the pattern.
They give the impression that China is in deep trouble: China made light of the pandemic. Chinese masks, ventilators and testing kits have no quality. China is clamping down on coronavirus research.
It's easy to forget how these conglomerates trouble not to consider balance and fairness in their depressing stories, or admit that many nations are looking to China for guidance while they start going from quarantine to normal.
Instead of striving for accuracy and truth, they slant fake news so readers draw their anti-China line and conclusion. As if this is an underdeveloped country, there would be no vaccines, and it's the end of the world as we know it.
It's no mistake that they don't rejoice to hear Chinese companies are recalling workers, and authorities are removing travel restrictions – albeit with safety precautions. To crystalize everything, media forces and talking-head lackeys don't want to concede that if China cannot go back to work, no other nation can.
In its place, the worrywarts regurgitate far-right conspiracy theorists and unscrupulous politicians that, silly as it sounds, 5G technology is Beijing's master plan for global domination.
Residents wearing masks look at their smartphones near an advertisement for 5G smartphones from Chinese tech giant Huawei in Beijing, China, March 8, 2020. /AP
Residents wearing masks look at their smartphones near an advertisement for 5G smartphones from Chinese tech giant Huawei in Beijing, China, March 8, 2020. /AP
This tendency to overemphasize the negative might be the reason why arson and harassment are on the rise out of baseless fear that 5G technology spreads the coronavirus. The arsonists will learn to their dismay that this won't help sweep their astonishing incompetence in handling the pandemic under the rug.
This is the tendency they have to give far more information to negative details than positive ones. This is fine, except that their pre-existing notions are negative, lack scientific, legal and moral support, and are not true across all cultures.
They are intended to react to negative stimuli, seizing on a rising China and its political implications to sow fear. There are still many unknowns, but some Western media forces are hardwired for negativity and criticism. It provides new fodder for how they feel like pushing everything China under the bus.
Whether they are fiddling these days or not, one thing is certain: The Chinese people and government are not dwelling on their unfair criticisms, and bad news is yet to have any effect on their storied willpower to return to normal. Never suffering from the same psychological phenomenon, China has begun to rebound and is helping other nations where infections and fatalities are rising.
The jury is still out on whether there are ways to combat the persistent negativity, reasons why news domains in "exceptional" need to stop ruminating on the negative, do a total reversal, reorder priorities, and benefit from China's successful experience in beating the common enemy.
In a period during which billions of people sit in self-isolation and confirmed cases of the virus continue to surge, there's still a bustling market for positive news and optimistic conclusions.
China is slowly returning to work and not all countries and cultures are built by negativity towards it. It matters that the odd negativity towards China is not shared by everyone as "an effective strategy for survival." Thoughtlessness is not global in scale and this is true across all continents.
Ultimately, not everyone wants to be wrought with populism assertions against China. It serves no one's interest to see China fail or the planet fall into an abyss of negative emotions and ruin.
There is a more objective view of the current situation that this had beginning and it will have ending.
This positive approach will open up immense powers for cooperation with China to turn over a new leaf and strike back against a disaster of this magnitude that is ravaging the planet. It's an obvious step to give hope for humanity where good news is concerned.
(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com.)