Roya Pour Bagher
CNN’s Chief International Correspondent, Clarissa Ward, was recently named the recipient of the Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity. This recognition followed significant backlash over a scene she and her team staged following the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government, which featured
The staged event featured an alleged prisoner from the fallen Syrian government – wide-eyed, allegedly enduring years of no sunlight and torture. When it was proven this was not the case, CNN was forced to self-investigate, but quickly moved on in a futile attempt to bury this endeavor under the rug.
Ward’s malign reporting went viral as a clear fabrication—an attempt to magnify anti-Assad sentiment not just within Western audiences but within the immediate region. Many were naturally outraged and demanded that CNN hold Ward accountable for her obvious lies. Given this blunder, is it genuinely surprising that this same correspondent would later receive an award from an institution that upholds the “pursuit of truth” as a core ideal? Or is it, perhaps, a form of compensation from the very dishonest media corporations that spread lies and propaganda to serve American imperialism’s agenda in West Asia?
Clarissa Ward is not the first figure to be honored despite having “dirty hands.” On December 10, 2009, former U.S. President Barack Obama was formally awarded the Nobel Peace Prize less than eight months into his presidency. Ironically, the man who “inspires hope for a better future” proceeded to authorize the second largest number of U.S. airstrikes on Yemen, and killed thousands in his so-called ‘counter-terrorism’ operations that targeted seven countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, and Somalia. He is by no means the first U.S. official to receive the Nobel Peace Prize despite committing war crimes. The late Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State—responsible for devastating campaigns in Cambodia and Laos resulting in millions of deaths—also received the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize.
Non-U.S. figures who serve Western interests are great candidates for awards as well – in fact, these recipients play a key role in projecting imperialist soft power, being awarded legitimacy from western institutions for their role in spreading imperialist ideals.
This brings us to Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel Prize laureate (2014), who was celebrated for her “struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.” However, she received backlash over collaborating with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a staunch supporter for the Israeli regime and a figure that opposed any ceasefire in Gaza – just scratching the surface of a perverse history of war crimes and racist policies.
While Yousafzai reaffirmed her support for Palestine following the backlash, she also stated the following:
“I stand against any form of violence against innocent civilians, including the taking of prisoners and hostages. And I stand in solidarity with the people in Gaza whose voices and demands must be heard.”
Yousafzai’s statement gives a clear indication of her stance regarding Palestinian resistance, which is more or less adjacent to liberal Zionism. Her collaboration with a personality complicit in genocide as well as such statements reinforce a common belief that she is a “puppet” of the West. Yousafzai is one of the many figures who either fail to address or outright reject the root of the problem: settler colonialism. The irony intensifies when one reflects on the Nobel Peace Prize’s own history, established by Alfred Nobel—most famously known as the inventor of dynamite.
Another vivid example of the West hailing actions that furthers its interests occurred in 2022 when the Grammys introduced a new category “Best Song for Social Change.” The first to be awarded was Iranian singer Shervin Hajipour for a song that played a role in escalating unrest and turmoil in the Islamic Republic of Iran over a heavily financed Western-orchestrated propaganda campaign to accomplish regime change. The riots at the time led to the deaths of numerous innocent lives. Numerous Iranian figures are recruited by the West through malign networks in order to sow discord on behalf of imperialism. In fact, the media war is a primary conduit for imperialism to project its soft power. The same subversive play can be observed in Cuba, where musicians were recruited to sow dissent.
One cannot help but speculate whether Western institutions bestow these awards to bribe the perpetrators or to whitewash crimes already committed or in progress—both possibilities arguably being true. Regardless, the stain on the reputation of such Western award ceremonies is a fact that cannot be denied. Western institutions will not hesitate to celebrate and honor agents who propel imperialist agendas across the globe.
These initiatives are part of a broader effort to spread propaganda and whitewash Western crimes as they advance hegemonic ambitions, especially in the global south. These efforts demonstrate the imperialist superstructure’s bid to enforce its legitimacy – showcasing journalists, artists, and other personalities that legitimize imperialism’s interests.
The bitter reality underscores the importance of fostering a culture that cherishes critical thinking and the pursuit of truth over the ubiquitous Western celebrity culture. It is crucial to think twice and question before eagerly accepting Western narratives about “peace” and so-called “award-worthy” individuals. If we do not consider political orientations and their sources, we risk becoming no different from those who commit these crimes—perhaps even worse – as propping up certain individuals and sources essentially gives them legitimacy.
In the meantime, there is also a vital need to establish and strengthen our own honest, God-fearing institutions for recognizing true merit in West Asia to counter the dominance of Western awarding bodies – the latter which is only concerned with reproducing imperialist control.
Roya Pour Bagher is a news writer based in Tehran, Iran.
