On Monday 26 August, Mohamed Duar of Amnesty International Australia hosted a virtual panel with Ahmed Shihab el-Din, an American-Kuwaiti journalist of Palestinian descent, co-founder of Media Diversity Australia and award-winning journalist Antoinette Lattouf and Guardian reporter Nour Haydar, discussing the perilous reality of Palestinian journalists on the ground in Gaza.
Speaking from Tunisia, Shihab el-Din began by explaining how gaining primary sources is very difficult as Israel targets and kills journalists and their families. He emphasised how the media is actively involved in “manufacturing consent” whether that be by amplifying and legitimising the Israeli narrative, dehumanising Palestinians or openly doubting mass Palestinian death by media and politicians alike.
Shihab el-Din continued, “The NY Times and other outlets have style directives… they only use terms like massacre, slaughter [when describing] Israeli lives but not Palestinian lives” and that they selectively use the categorisation “Gazans” to further divide the Palestinian people.
Lattouf spoke about her observations on the Australian media landscape in relation to Palestine. She also reflected on her ongoing case with the ABC, who dismissed her after reposting a post from Human Rights Watch describing Israel’s use of starvation as a tool of war.
Lattouf mentioned her role as a five-day casual on ABC Radio Lifestyle program, and her awareness of pro-Israel lobbyists bombarding management about her being on air from day one. She also responded to those asking why she took the case to the Fair Work Commission over a couple of days of work, with “I care about the ABC enough to fight for it.”
Lattouf noted that journalists are more likely to consider which lobbyists are watching and how current or prospective employers will react. She then spoke to a larger trend of failed basic journalism, let alone investigative journalism where there is no “fair summation of who, what, where, and how” and a desire to conceal war crimes by making headlines confusing.
Haydar, who resigned from ABC earlier this year, explained her decision as being based on “what kind of journalist [she] wanted to be”, well aware of the inconsistencies and double standards which exist within the profession.
Haydar noted that this then creates “a timidity in reporting” whereby journalists begin to pre-empt criticisms from pro-Israel groups. Labelling this a “seismic moment for our industry”, Haydar delved into how media organisations have isolated migrant communities, Australians from the Middle East and those who identify with the plight of the Palestinian people in general.
Haydar also noted the reaction of Arab Muslim communities who have previously experienced a distrust of the media for various legitimate reasons. This was not just deemed an issue for Arabs or Arab Muslims, but for all audiences who now turn their back on trusted news sources.
Shihab el-Din argued that there is a noticeable lack of trust of the mediq among young demographics who know “Israel is killing Palestinian civilians on purpose and that the media frames “everything that Israel does, whether good or bad, [as] justifiable.”
While the current media landscape was deemed demoralising in the attempts to “erase and silence catastrophic levels of suffering and destruction”, it was also agreed upon that this is not the first time the media is publishing misinformation and disinformation with regards to Palestine.
Shihab el-Din also spoke to the “killing of the messenger” and how it is continually framed as collateral damage. He denounced the lack of solidarity amongst journalists and that leaders who issue empty condemnations without consequences means that Israel’s recent decapitation of a journalist will “not be the first… or the last.”
Lattouf expounded on this, arguing that journalists can galvanise for Peter Greste and Evan Gershkovich, but not for Palestinian journalists. She then explained that lobby talking points “are getting through” to colleagues who believe the accusations that Palestinian “journalists aren’t really journalists” which all comes down to how people view Palestinians as “lesser than.”
When asked about the role of citizen journalism, Shihab el-Din noted that it is important Palestinians are doing this work especially as erasing the Palestinian narrative begins with targeting citizen journalists. It was deemed unsustainable” especially as social media algorithms censor Palestinians “who are risking everything to document” the genocide.
Duar also made the point of how despite this, various Palestinians are all nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize including but not limited to journalists Moataz Azaiza, Bisan Owda, Hind Khoudary, and Wael Dahdouh, and organisations like the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS), and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
Haydar called for people to keep their eyes on Gaza and consume the work put together by journalists in Palestine and “elevate those bearing witness to the destruction of their own people and culture”, especially as only someone experiencing it all can “do the gravity of the situation justice.”
Lattouf argued the deliberate fear-mongering in Australia has helped provide a “level of cover for Israel’s onslaught” and that there are “a lot of articles about hurt feelings.” She called upon audiences to demand better, and write complaints to editors regarding Australia’s framing of and participation in the genocide.
Shihab el-Din concluded by reminding attendees that they retain agency via the smallest of acts like sharing news and when that happens on a collective level, it serves a purpose to help broadcast the truth and build people power.
Visit the Amnesty website to access their toolkit on how you can help respond to the crisis unfolding in Gaza.
