'This isn't Syria or Iraq': Western media coverage of Ukraine-Russia war reeks of racism

biggest news of past week has been Russia's invasion of Ukraine amid strong condemnation from rest of world. As news channels scrambled to provide round--clock coverage of crisis, many people have pointed out "racism" in way reports are presented.

Some Twitter users have alleged that media coverage for Middle East, Asian and African conflict zones does not receive as much footage as European conflict.

A Twitter thre by journalist Alan MacLeod detailed some of instances of "racist" media coverage of Ukraine crisis.  thre points out shocking terms used by leing news organizations including BBC, CBS News, Al Jazeera, BFM TV, Daily Telegraph, and ITS (UK).

On BBC News, Ukraine’s deputy chief prosecutor David Sakvarelidze said he was very emotional seeing “European people with blue eyes and blonde hair being killed every day”.

On CBS News, foreign correspondent Charlie D’Agata while reporting from Kyiv said, “This is a relatively civilized and European city where you wouldn’t expect or hope that it is going to happen.” He also said this wasn't "Iraq or Afghanistan" – countries that have been suffering endless conflict. D'Agata later apologized in a brocast.

On NBC, a correspondent was asked what has changed in Poland since last refugee crisis in Europe in 2015, at which time country h been hesitant to accept refugees.

She shockingly replied, "Just to put it bluntly, se are not refugees from Syria, se are refugees from neighboring Ukraine. That, quite frankly, is part of it. se are Christians, y’re white, y’re very similar people."

On Al Jazeera, Peter Dobbie, while talking about Ukrainians fleeing country said, "What’s compelling is just looking at m, way y are dressed. se are prosperous middle-class people. se are not obviously refugees trying to get away from areas in middle east that are still in a big state of war. se are not people trying to get away from areas in North Africa. y look like any European family that you would live next door to..."

Telegraph in UK, in a column by Daniel Hannan, described invasion as: “y seem so like us. That’s what makes it so shocking. Ukraine is a European country. It's people who watch Netflix and have Instagram accounts, vote in free elections and re uncensored newspapers. It's not in a poor, remote country anymore."

"This isn't a third-world nation; this is Europe"

On ITV (UK), anor correspondent reporting from Ukraine said, " unthinkable has happened...This is not a developing, third-world nation; this is Europe!" 

racist reporting was also flagged by Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association which cautioned media houses to be "mindful of implicit and explicit bias" in ir coverage.

Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association condemns  "orientalist and racist implications that any population or country is 'uncivilized' or bears economic factors that make it worthy of conflict... This of commentary reflects pervasive mentality in Western journalism of normalizing tragedy in parts of world such as Middle East, Africa, South Asia, and Latin America," statement said. "It dehumanizes and renders ir experience with war as somehow normal and expected."