The Arab Spring re-visited: Why the western media got it wrong

The momentous events that became known as the Arab Awakening or Arab Spring, or as some even called it the Arab Democratic Spring (2011–14) – although the Arabic term is thaura – meaning a revolution – were a historic development that took by surprise and later even stunned leaders, scholars, commentators and reporters in western countries, mainly in Europe and in North America. Part of the surprise and the inability of the western media to predict the uprisings and above all their dismal and totally unexpected outcome is the subject of this article. An attempt will be made to understand why the western media got it so wrong. Since it can be safely assumed that the Arab Spring has ended its run, certain questions regarding the reporting of this event are in order.