The World's Media Look at the Death of Osama bin Laden

As the world waited for President Obama’s address announcing the death of Osama bin Laden in a military raid, crowds began gathering on the streets of America. At the same time, reporters from around the world, representing both traditional and new media, began leaking news of the impending speech.  In the United States, jubilant revelers celebrated the killing of the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. Not surprisingly, global media responded with news reports reflecting their nation’s relationship with and trust of the U.S. While traditional Western media focused on generally straightforward and balanced coverage of the event and its aftermath, many foreign media reported with sensationalism and skepticism.

Chief of Staff for former Defense Secretary Rumsfield leaked the story of Osama's death on Twitter.

On the internet, worldwide response was rapid and intense.  Hours prior to Obama’s broadcast, Keith Urbahn, Chief of Staff for former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfield, was among the first to leak the story when he tweeted “So I’m told by a reputable person they have killed Osama Bin Laden. Hot damn.”  Meanwhile, Sohaib Athar, a resident of Abbottabad, posted live tweets about the raid without knowing what he was witnessing. According to Pew Research Center, news of bin Laden’s death dominated social media chatter on the internet in the following week, accounting for 80 percent of the news links on blogs and half the news links on Twitter.

International response in traditional media was no less intense.  Television networks interrupted regularly scheduled programming to air reports of bin Laden’s death.  The next day, coverage of the historical event dominated newspaper front pages worldwide.  Pew reported that coverage of the operation consumed 69 percent of news reports in all media during the week of May 2-8.

President Obama addresses the world with news of the capture and death of Osama bin Laden.

In the U.S. and other Western nations, media coverage highlighted the facts of the raid and killing, although these facts changed in the ensuing days as government reports changed.  The lead in the New York Times stated, “Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the most devastating attack on American soil in modern times and the most hunted man in the world, was killed in a firefight with United States forces in Pakistan, President Obama announced on Sunday.”  Two days later, many sources including the New York Times and guardian.co.uk reported on a statement by White House Press secretary Jay Carney revealing bin Laden was not armed.  As in the rest of the world, certain Western media outlets indulged in sensationalism, as seen in this report from the National Enquirer.

Elsewhere in the world, reports were as varied as the nations that generated them. 

In totalitarian nations, which generally view the U.S. as an enemy, coverage was either non-existent or highly prejudiced. North Korea tightly controls and censors media. The only legal source of news, the Korean Central News Agency, reported on storms and tornados in the U.S., but failed to mention Osama’s death at all.   A Cuban newspaper, Granma Internacional, focused on largely undocumented reports of perceived ties between bin Laden and the U.S.  China’s state-run news site, People’s Daily Online, featured a TV grab from CNN announcing bin Laden’s death.  The article quoted sources questioning the veracity of the report.  A subsequent story continued to cast doubts on the U.S. operation.  It said, “The fact that the U.S. side hurriedly buried the dead body of Osama bin Laden at sea s it claimed is also a factor contributing to the doubt about the death of bin Laden.  Many people in Pakistan believe that the killing of Osama bin Laden is a propaganda [sic] and there were local media reports saying that Osama bin Laden was killed long time ago.”

A newspaper in Ecuador led with a graphic of bin Laden

In Latin America, coverage was all over the map – ranging from support, to sensationalism, to criticism, and to skepticism.  Brazil media covered Osama’s death extensively; however, an important soccer match and ensuing clash that left many injured garnered greater emphasis.  Agencia Brasil, the state run news agency, reported on the comments of Antonio Patriota, the foreign minister, who said the Brazilian government “condemns terrorism in all its manifestations.”  He continued, “As Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden have been and still are behind the political strategies that favor terrorist acts, we can only sympathize with the victims and those who seek justice.”  A cartoon slide show from Brazil's largest web portal depicted Osama's capture in largely sensational terms.  A popular Brazilian blog site posted a highly critical commentary suggesting that killing of bin Laden was not a victory for the U.S. or the world. This article, which originally appeared in O Dia, a major daily newspaper and web site in Rio de Janeiro, provides perspective from a Brazilian father who lost a son in the 9/11 attacks and felt a sense of “relief and security” because of bin Laden’s death.

A graphic with a sand sculpture of bin Laden’s head as the final page of a book next to the words “The End” dominated the front page of one of the largest newspapers in Ecuador, Diario El Universo.  The headline read, “Bin Laden: Thrown into the Sea.”

In Venezuela the government was critical of the military action and the celebrations that followed.  El Nacional, a major newspaper and web site, covered this perspective, noting it differed from views of other Latin American nations.  They reported on a statement by Venezuelan Vice President Elias Jaua condemning bin Laden’s killing, and suggesting the U.S. was normalizing and celebrating murder.

Varied coverage from Arab nations reflects the complex conflicts and relationships in the Middle East.  Al-Qassam, the official Hamas website, reported on critical comments from disputed Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya, who is the leader of Hamas and maintains control in the Gaza Strip.  He termed the killing an “assassination” and called bin Laden a “holy warrior.” 

The Arab news agency, Al Jazeera, provided seemingly balanced coverage on the events surrounding bin Laden’s death and reported on the diverse reactions from the Arab world.

Many Arab newspapers featured fake photos of bin Laden

Iran Daily ran a front page headline that stated simply, “Osama Killed in US Attack.”  The subhead below declared, “No Pretext for ‘War on Terror.'" The article quotes Iranian spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast:  “With the death of Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden foreign powers no longer have a pretext to send their armies to the volatile region under the pretext of America’s so-called 'war on terror.'  We hope this (death of bin Laden) ends the war and murder of innocent people…and peace and calm is restored to the region.”

Reaction in Pakistan was mixed, with government officials often expressing surprise bin Laden had been residing in the nation and criticizing the U.S. for not involving its government.  Statements from former President Pervez Musharraff were reported by Pakistan Press International.  He said the U.S. operation was a “violation of our sovereignty,” and that the Pakistan government should have been involved.  He added, “We are fighting al-Qaeda, we have to fight the Taliban and we have to be together strategically.  I know that Pakistan is totally onboard in fighting al-Qaeda and Taliban.”

Globally, media coverage of Osama’s death covered the spectrum from fact to fiction and from serious to sensational.  Most all nations with even a modicum of press freedom generated coverage that was both objective and subjective.  However, the prevalent perspective, whether it be in new or traditional media, mirrored the politics and culture of the region where it originated.