The Review is a series of 200-word critiques examining the content and production of current affairs broadcasts.
In this installment of The Review, we explore a short report by a DRC-based Al Jazeera journalist on violence around the Congolese North Kivu town of Beni. The broadcast covers what government security forces claim to be doing to repel rebel militia attacks in the region, as well as how the local population have been affected by the attacks.
Video courtesy of Al Jazeera English (Youtube).
All images owned by Al Jazeera.
The Review
This short Aljazeera report is crammed with valuable information yet lacks context on key issues. The report does a sound job of setting the initial scene and describing the basis for the story in the first few seconds. The initial scene is a relatively boring one, a lackadaisical military patrol in a deserted town which may not hold online viewers’ attention.
The reporter states that “people say that they are facing unprecedented attacks.” Who says this? We never find out. The report continues to show the deserted village patrol. An interview with someone (beyond the Health Worker) who has been affected by the attacks would add a human element the death toll figures, engendering empathy and increasing audience understanding of the human cost of the violence.
The reporter states that security forces have killed ‘dozens’ of ADF terrorists. Yet implies that many (‘hundreds’) more local civilians are being killed by terrorists. This disparity would indicate that faith in the Congolese security forces (as well as the UN peacekeepers) has eroded, hence the deserted village. This opportunity to add context was missed. It could have easily been done so by asking the soldier interviewed for their view on this possible disparity.
(200 words)