Media stereotypes

Cruel Germans and terrorist Arabs

Germany plays a minor role in the Arab media. When it is covered,
negative issues often appear. Stereotypes dominate people's mentality on both sides. Journalists try to overcome the prejudices, as Egyptian
correspondent Elwalid Dardiry says - but it is not easy. A lot of work
has to be done to bridge the gap between these two different cultures.
Rabee has no German friends. He is a 22-years-old Muslim Lebanese who
lives in Berlin. Although he has been abroad for six years, he is rather
badly integrated into the German society. Rabee is part of a story in
the Arab media. It was published in Jordan Times in August and is a good
example of how Arabic media covers Germany: Living conditions of Arabs
and Muslims abroad and their integration into the foreign society. "But
that's only one part", Elwalid Dardiry, correspondent for several Arab
media in Germany, says. "International politics dominate - like
Germany's role in the European Union, Afghanistan or the Middle East
Conflict".

Elwalid Dardiry works as a

correspondent in Berlin

Elwalid Dardiry has worked for 15 years as a correspondent in Germany,

he knows a lot about it and how it is portrayed and perceived in the
Arab world. Stereotypes, prejudices, misunderstandings - these are the
difficulties with which he is confronted every day. "I want to help in
overcoming the wrong perceptions and arrogances on both sides", Dardiry
said, "we should respect the different cultures, none of them is better
or worse than the other."

Blood thirsty Nazis and Gerhard Schrder

Of course, stereotypes and images can change - but if they do, they
change slowly. Very slowly. The traditional clich of Germans in the
Arab World is the old Nazi image: Germans as a cruel and blood thirsty
people, as shown in many Hollywood movies. Nevertheless, the image of
France and Britain is even worse: People haven't forgotten their long
history of colonization in the Middle East.
For Germany, the situation has changed a little since 2003. Germany's
"no" to the Iraq War was seen as an official declaration of independence
from the United States. "Gerhard Schrder the former chancellor, and
Joschka Fischer, his foreign minister, became popular as brave statesmen
when they refused German participation in the war," Dardiry observed.

Politics play a superior role

Today, Joschka Fischer and other German officials contribute as guest

writers for Jordanian newspapers about the hot topics of international
politics, the Middle East conflict or the financial crisis and the role
of Germany.
In spite of this development, Germany is still rarely covered in Arab
media outlets in comparison to the big players like the US or China. And
often, Germany is only a minor aspect. "The problem is, politics are too
dominant in the media coverage," Dardiry said. "Where is the art, music,
German lifestyle? There's a huge lack of it".
Only Deutsche Welle - Germany's broadcasting station abroad - conveys a
broader perspective and reaches, according to the station, approximately
20 million households in the Arab World.

Alone in Germany: "I want to show both sides of the

story"
Dardiry works for France 24 TV Station, Radio Monte Carlo and an
Egyptian newspaper called Almasry Alyoum. He says that most Arab TV
stations or newspapers have no correspondent in Germany. The consequence
may be one-sided and superficial stories, but this is also a result of a
strong bias in certain media. There is no lack of knowledge, but a lot
of opinion in it.
"A good correspondent should never try to put his personal opinion into
his stories", Dardiry says. "I want to show both sides of the story. I
try to be as objective as possible." The correspondent must be
particularly careful, when it comes to sensitive issues. An example is
when Dardiry wrote about chancellor Merkel honoring the controversial
Danish cartoonist, who drew the caricatures of Mohammed. Although he
does not define his role as a mediator between the two cultures, he
stresses the common values of Islam and Christianity.

Appreciation for German correspondents in the Arab

world
Dardiry says he appreciates the work of his German colleagues in the
Arab world. "They are better in displaying background information and
the real Arabic culture. That's important, as the lack of cultural
communication is the primary reason for the misconceptions between the
East and the West.
"But many surveys prove that the focus of German media when it covering
Muslim or Arabic topics is often violence, conflict and terrorism.
Nevertheless, Dardiry says that "Changing the image of Islam in Germany
and the West is the responsibility of the Arabs and Muslims themselves.
We have to do it on our own."

Unlike Rabee from Lebanon, who is hardly in contact with Germans,

Dardiry certainly has done a lot for improving the image. The
correspondent has many German friends, and his son is on top of his
class.

By Ala Alfroukh and Johannes Doebbelt

Despite stereotypes, Germany highly

regarded
The way Germany is handling the euro crisis and the international
financial crisis has changed the country's image abroad. But how the
rest of world looks at Germany is still marked by stereotypes - both
good and bad.

Deutschland Symbolbild Bevlkerung schwarz rot gelb

Too dominant, too patronizing, too impatient, a know-it-all attitude,

cold and egocentric: these are common characteristics associated with
Germans, and not only by the southern European countries like Greece,
Italy and Spain. These negative stereotypes are prevalent around the
world, even in countries where Germany traditionally enjoys a high
reputation.
German foreign correspondents can vouch for these stereotypes; they've
compiled their experiences from working in more than 15 countries in a
book. Of course, it's not a scientific study - the findings are simply
based on the journalists' personal perceptions, meetings and discussion
with people around the world.
"People respect us but they don't love us," says Hanni Hsch, who has
worked as a US correspondent for Germany's public television broadcaster
ARD. This observation is confirmed by her colleagues working in other
countries. The surprise, though, is that despite the many negative
stereotypes there is still is a positive image in the end. The
admiration for what's perceived as positive simply outweighs the bad.

Germany's
economic power
is a major
factor in its
positive image
abroad
Only half the
truth
Among the positive associations with Germans are that they are
hardworking, disciplined, very well organized and highly efficient. Even
Italians and Greeks, who like to criticize Berlin for its tough stance
during the financial crisis, still have a lot of admiration left for
Germany.
"The Greeks respect the achievements of the Germans and their ability to
weather a crisis like this," explains Greek journalist and DW
correspondent Jannis Papadimitriou.
The one big surprise, noted by all the correspondents, was a renewed
interest in Germany. For a long time, Germany was seen as a rather
colorless actor on the international stage. German diplomats kept a low
profile and avoided getting involved in international conflicts.
But since the financial crisis, Berlin has been forced to take clear
positions and defend its interests, and therefore has developed a much
more distinguished profile. That new profile doesn't seem to intimidate;

instead, the correspondents agree that it makes Germany and the Germans
more attractive.
Disappointed love
Often, Germans have no idea of the admiration they're met with in other
parts of the world. And subsequently, people in other countries can be
offended if their admiration for Germany is not met with an appropriate
response.
"In China, people think of Germany as a great country because of its
philosophers, musicians and scientists," says Erning Zhu, who works for
DW's Chinese department. "Germans, though, are unfortunately not as
interested and in general are not as internationally oriented."
What's also a pity, says Zhu, is that Germans place little value on the
traditions that stress helping each other. "Germans are locked far too
much in formal regulations, and are rarely capable of solving problems
informally, on a personal level."
Brazilians, too, are disappointed. Their country has in recent years
gone through an incredibly positive development. But Germany's
Chancellor Angela Merkel has only once made it to Brazil. During that
same time, she's visited China six times a discrepancy noticed by
Brazilians.
In Turkey, people tend to have a very informed view of Germans and
Germany, as many people have relatives who live or have lived there.
There are many positive relations and feelings towards ordinary Germans,
but the image of German politicians is a lot less positive.
The series of murders of Turkish people by a German neo-Nazi group and
the way politicians have handled the cases has added a lot to the
disappointment. What's doing even more harm is Berlin's persistent
stance against Turkey joining the European Union.
"Much trouble has been caused in this area," says Jrgen Gottschlich, a
correspondent in Istanbul. Turkey, then, has become rather indifferent
toward Germany and Istanbul is developing itself into a trade hub
between Asia and the Arab World.


The football World Cup also did its share to improve Germany's image
around the world
A lack of courage
In Russia, Poland, Israel and the US there are hardly any grudges left
over Germany's Nazi past. The matter of fact acceptance of Germany as a
stern democracy has been accepted to such an extent that it was actually
surprising to the correspondents.
In Israel, many see Germany as a good friend and ally. In Poland, the
foreign minister even called upon Berlin to show more courage and
political activism without fears over German dominance. And the US
has long expected Germany to become more internationally involved.
And for ordinary citizens of those countries, Germany's Nazi past is
hardly relevant today. Since the 2006 World Cup, Brits even like German
soccer. Russians are big fans of German medical care, while US citizens
share with the Arab World an adoration of German cars, beer and highquality standards. The times when the classic Bond villain was an evil
German are a thing of the past, says Hsch.
The German brand
The perception of Germany around the world matters. Germans are

enthusiastic tourists, and they want to be liked. German companies have

to sell their products on the international market, and a bad image is
bad for business.
British policy consultant Simon Anholt realized that fact, and in 2005
he initiated the "Nation Brand Index" which regularly measures the
popularity of states by polling 20,000 people in more than 50 countries.
Among the main criteria are how attractive the country is to investors.
In the most recent index, Germany is number two, just ahead of the UK.
The top of the table is still dominated by the US.
As an economic power, Germany has been very successful for years but
what about the image of its citizens? The correspondents' book is the
first attempt in a long time to find some answers to this question.
While the Goethe Institute, which promotes German language and culture
around the world, is somewhat in touch what people think about Germany,
there's never been a publication on that matter. The German Foreign
Ministry has also never published any information on the subject, so
this new collection of journalists' impressions from their years abroad
some new, key insights into the subject.