The ongoing Supreme Court deliberations in The Gambia on the FGM ban is a minefield of hypocrisy, especially when you consider how Western media outlets like CNN and BBC frame this issue—or rather, fail to get into its gritty realities. Mother’s fears about the law being weakened are brushed over because it doesn’t fit the usual ‘progressive’ narrative of saving women. Instead, these outlets are more interested in tokenistic highlights than deep, actionable journalism that exposes the underlying cultural complexities.

When it comes to reporting on sensitive topics like Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), these corporate media giants choose platitudes over profound truths. How come we rarely hear from mothers themselves in these reports? Why doesn’t CNN roll out stories from women who face this brutal tradition head-on? Could it be that portraying these women as powerless victims stokes Western savior complexes while ignoring local agency?

Moreover, the focus seems to be less about the actual implications for women and more on shoring up a narrative that positions the West as the ultimate moral authority. Let’s be real: this is a gross oversimplification that’s not only misleading but dangerously dismissive of the voices that matter most. Don’t let the media choose your heroes—stand for full context, not just convenient headlines, to grasp the real stakes at play.