Political Protests and the Media

     Third-world countries have become much too familiar with public protests and riots against their governments. From the student protests in Chile, to power struggles in Ukraine, and, most recently, to the protests in Burkina Faso. Many of these protests stem from the public becoming fed up with a dictatorial or repressive government administration. In Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaore just resigned from the Presidency due to increasing protests and pressure to end his 27 year reign in office. A large component of the increased pressure was from the riots and raids on Thursday. Many protestors stormed government buildings, including the State TV building. They overthrew the station, allowing them some air time to state their case briefly before the network was turned off.
     Media coverage of protests is a huge factor when it comes to actually enacting change in these demonstrations. Without media coverage, other countries are less likely to apply pressure on the oppressive government, either due to a lack of information, or due to the fact that their citizens most likely aren't aware of what's going on, allowing them to ignore the issue. France, who colonized Burkina Faso, supported the rebels protesting against Compaore's power hold, due to increasing coverage of the events occurring.
     One would think that one thousand voices would silence the voice of one man. However, when that one man has the power to censor and spin those one thousand voices, he is able to go on with his business without outside players intervening. The media is a necessity when it comes to spreading awareness for a cause.