Covering the Shi`a : English Press Representation of the Lebanese Shi`a 1975–1985

This book contrasts Western media coverage of the Lebanese Shi`a with their own narrative constructed during the 1975-1985 time frame. Robert Tomlinson reveals how the coverage of a critical population in Lebanon was misrepresented and how that misrepresentation haunts Western media coverage of the group today

Often demonized by the Western media and press, Hezbollah’s origins are rooted in activities of the Lebanese Shi`a in the late 1970s and early 80s. Covering the Shi`a: English Press Representation of the Lebanese Shi`a 1975-1985 chronicles how the English-language press and media represented the most consequential group in Lebanon to Western audiences during the critical period of 1975-1985. Focusing on three of the most prominent English-language newspapers at that time, the book outlines how the Western media frequently disregarded the Shi`i civil rights movement in Lebanon. Conflating that movement with other Arab independence campaigns, the Western media missed key aspects and the dynamics at work in the Lebanese Shi`i community. Additionally, in failing to understand and report the nature of the transnational networks that supported the Shi`i community in Lebanon, the resultant news narrative reported in the English-language media was at odds with the narratives harbored by the Lebanese Shi`a themselves. In order to gain an understanding of the operations of Lebanese Hezbollah today, and the current media coverage of the organization, this book offers insights on the origins of Shi`a resistance and how one can evaluate the group today.