How foreign journalists covered the Capitol attack

By Thanos Dimadis

Foreign journalists covered the assault against the Capitol, the cradle of American democracy, along with their American colleagues. What we saw taking place in early January – the storming of the Capitol – was one of the darkest and saddest days in American history. The vandalism at the United States Capitol may have shocked the large majority of Americans who respect the democratic process; but for many worldwide, the images of insurrection were a reminder that even the most robust democracy in the world can still be unprepared against assault.

I am originally from Greece, where its Democracy was severely tested during the last ten years of the Greek and Eurozone financial crisis. The attack against the United States Capitol was a result of what happened in my country as well: the rise of an extreme populist government – sparked by an economic crisis. These pictures were sent to me as evidence of similar attempts to assault the Greek Parliament and democratic institutions shown by some of the government's leaders. For foreign correspondents, it is not unusual to draw parallels between the events of January 6 with uprisings witnessed in our own countries. The incident at the Capitol demonstrates how populism and misinformation have damaging consequences for not only all of the American democracy but for all democracies, stronger or weaker, more or less stable.

For the Washington, D.C.-based foreign correspondent and Bureau Chief for "The Straits Times" of Singapore, Nirmal Ghosh, the storming of the U.S. Capitol reminded him "of similar episodes in Bangkok, twice in the last decade or so, when first royalists and then "red shirts" in separate years stormed and took over Government House and camped in the grounds."

According to Silas Avila Jr., a foreign correspondent for Brazil working for the Brazilian daily newspaper "A Voz da Cidade," what happened in the United States Capitol "would be unimaginable in an advanced democracy like Sweden, Canada, New Zealand, and Uruguay. But I fear what can happen in more unstable democracies and with populist national movements like Trumpism". He parallels "the United States of Trump" – as he calls it – to his country, Brazil, under President's leadership Bolsonaro. "The similarities are profound, and unfortunately, Brazil lives a "déjà vu" of the Trump era," he says. He explains that "President Bolsonaro stated, without evidence, that there are frauds in the electronic voting system in Brazil and that, if there is no printed vote in the presidential elections of 2022, something even worse than what happened in the electoral process of the States United will happen in Brazil. He made the statement to supporters while commenting on the invasion of the United States Congress". 

Benjamin Tetteh, a U.S.-based foreign correspondent from Ghana, says that the Capitol riot is "a huge dent on the U.S., particularly, as it has portrayed itself as global police. How do U.S. election monitors chastise President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda over electoral malfeasance, when the U.S. as a country under the Trump administration gave the image that it could not manage its domestic elections? How will the U.S. foreign offices and missions criticize electoral conducts elsewhere in the wake of the January 6 attack on the Capitol?" he questions. 

Vanessa Jaklitsch, a Spanish journalist and U.S. correspondent in Washington, D.C. for La Razón newspaper and Telemadrid TV, covered the assault at the Capitol. She describes it as “a violent assault to the American democracy and its values” that “shook the foundations of one of the most stable and consistent democracies in the world that many other countries view as a mirror to look at themselves.” She remembers that during her coverage of that dramatic development for her audience in Spain, she was shocked: “While the whole world was watching, foreign and national correspondents based in Washington couldn’t believe what was happening in one of the most powerful, secure, and emblematic federal buildings in the United States and probably around the world. 

The real question here is what the roots of what transpired at the Capitol are. Were these rioters attempting to take over the foundation of our democracy? Was their motive to defend their leader, former President Trump, or were they simply resisting democratic rules and values? Foreign correspondents analyze what they experienced during their coverage through the filter of being foreigners and journalists who follow the development of American politics very closely. Jaklitsch believes that Trump is responsible for incentivizing the perpetrators: “the incentive the assailants needed to act was the incendiary speech of a President who didn’t accept the electoral defeat and alleged fraud in the process, and who is known to be supported by these extremists’ groups.” Ghosh believes that former President Trump bears a massive responsibility. His view is that Trump mobilized those who stormed the Capitol. “They are his support base, already convinced of unproven electoral fraud in an environment awash with disinformation and conspiracy theories,” Ghosh says.

Avila is also of the same opinion that “Trump inflated his most extreme followers” and that “he is directly responsible for the invasion”. He wonders: “How can the United States condemn dictatorial regimes when an American president tries to execute a coup?”. Mladen Petkvok, a foreign correspondent from Bulgaria representing the Bulgarian National Radio in Washington, D.C., also uses the word “coup.” When he saw Trump’s flag in the building of the American Democracy, he initially thought it was a coup, he says.

Democracies are susceptible to populism. If the influence of responsible professional journalism diminishes in contrast to social media's growing influence on informing society then conspiracy theories, extremism, and delusions find fertile ground to mislead a portion of the population. We must learn from what happened in the Capitol and that accurate information, education, and a responsible political stance from our leaders can save our democracy from tragedies such as this. Petkov says the Capitol violence served as a stark reminder of “the deep divisions in American society and the determination of the society and lawmakers to protect democracy. It showed the power of baseless conspiracy theories to radicalize people and how ignoring that threat can lead to deadly violence”.