Yes the media exaggerates and distorts things, but the facts are in there, 42 years of iron rule, countless reports of torture and mutilisation of his own people, he gave arms to the IRA, which they used to kill many people in the Republic of ireland still to this day, plus in England, the killing of tens of thousands of people over the past few months. All under the orders of Gadaffi himself. This picture hasnt been painted by the media, its based on hard facts, witness accounts, Gaddafi himself did not deny he was supplying the IRA with arms.
Yes he installed economic stability but that was due to the oil.