Has the Media Failed to Depict Events Since October 7 Accurately?

Having reached over a year of war since October 7, The Middle East has sprung into a region of chaos and instability, showing no clear signs of fighting to end anytime soon. The Middle East has been characterised by political intricacies, deep-rooted social divisions, and historical and religious narratives. Given this context, media perception regarding the Middle East is crucial to forming opinions and narratives; however, Western media narratives have subconsciously chosen to favour Israel over Lebanese and Palestinian coverage when framing the narratives around key events such as humanitarian crises and political developments, which significantly impacts the audiences’ interpretation of the instability in the Middle East.

For instance, media coverage has often distinguished between the different political systems of Israel and its neighbours, Israel being primarily portrayed as a democratic state compared to Lebanon’s sectarian system which to Western audiences, essentially presents Israel’s form of government as more legitimate than Lebanon’s. However, although democracy contains the freedom of speech, on September 22 2024, Israel shut down Al Jazeera, the largest news outlet in the West Bank(Ramallah) during the war for 45 days under the ‘Al Jazeera Law’ which cut any official form of media representation on the ground in Gaza. (Al Jazeera, 2024 ) This grave issue not only violates the sovereignty of Gazan organisations but also restricts democracy and skews the view that Israel is truly a democratic state. 

Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed organisation formed in 1982 as a response to the Israeli invasion of 1978 and 1982 has been described as a terrorist organisation by Western Media, which exacerbates the claim of Israel’s right to self-defence as their enemies are considered terrorists in the media. In contrast, many local outlets within Lebanon have described it as a resistance group with the primary focus of repelling Israeli invasions. The same can be said of Israel's war in  Gaza and its emphasis on blaming Hamas for the continued destruction of Gaza, despite the region being invaded five times by Israel between 2009 and October 7th, 2023. 

This simplification of the context allows audiences to hold more polarising views as the media fails to capture the experiences and opinions of those affected by the conflict, fostering a mentality of “us vs them”, without properly understanding the context and history of the situation. A further issue with the Western media’s framing of events is their emphasis on Israel’s right to defend itself against groups such as Hamas or Hezbollah. This allows for the number and severity of casualties to be downplayed as it perpetuates a narrative which prioritises Israeli military strategy over the civilian casualties and destruction caused upon the region. Research has shown that the amount of media coverage does not always correlate with the severity of the humanitarian situation. For example, a study by the Pew Research Center done in 2009 after the events of Operation Cast Lead (Rosentiel, 2009 )  found that international media coverage of Gaza increases during significant escalations but often dwindles when fighting decreases, leading to a fragmented understanding of the ongoing situation. Despite all media outlets reporting on recent escalating events, Western outlets have tended to focus primarily on Israeli security. In contrast, Middle Eastern sources tend to focus on the humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian and Lebanese communities. 

The language used in reporting helps to polarise perceptions. Terms such as “militant” vs “terrorist” when describing Hamas/Hezbollah members significantly alter the reader’s understanding of a group’s legitimacy and intentions. Whilst Hezbollah and Hamas are seen widely as Iranian proxies, the lack of resistance groups, particularly in Lebanon where it suffered an invasion in 1978 and 1982 before Hezbollah’s existence, forms a different conception than suggested by the term  ‘terrorists’. Imagery also plays a crucial role in affecting public perception. The use of graphic photos of destruction and civilian casualties creates a strong emotional response where the reader sympathises with those who are suffering. However, the Western media usually focus less on civilian casualties compared to  Israel’s military goals. In TV reporting, Palestinian voices (1598) have been referenced almost three times less than Israeli voices (4311), showing the significant disparity between the two sides. (Yusuf, 2024 ) 

One key difference in the spread of information compared to previous issues regarding the Middle East is the increased use of Social Media to inform the public. Platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook provide real-time updates, as well as diverse perspectives, providing a larger voice for those affected by humanising the situation which may not be captured in traditional forms of media such as TV. Although social media will inevitably spread misinformation and propaganda, it is important to note that news outlets have not only contributed to but exacerbated these issues as well. For instance, since the escalation on October 7, the Palestinian ambassador in the UK Husam Zumlot was consistently pressurised to condemn the Hamas attacks by news outlets such as CNN or BBC, decontextualising the root problems of the events by essentially presenting that the problem happened on October 7, when in reality it has been a 75 year long territorial dispute. This indirectly also leads to the “dehumanisation and demonisation of Palestinians” due to the language used when describing the events. (Tamimi, Vargas, 2024 ) An example of said language is the Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant’s usage of the terms ‘Human Animals’ and ‘subhuman’ by the deputy mayor of Jerusalem Arieh King, creating a sense of victimisation towards the Israelis and justifying the use of violence on Gaza.

Image: Reuters, 2024  

The international community has also failed to hold those responsible to account. Despite the ICC issuing arrest warrants for Netanyahu on May 20 2024, these have not only been ignored by Israel, but challenged, showing how little influence they have in resolving the issue as international organisations are still predominated by the 5 veto nations, those being France, UK, China, Russia, and the USA. With differing interests, notably between Russia and the USA, the international community has held a slow and ineffective approach to resolving the issue. (Khan, 2024 ) In Lebanon, the former leader of Hezbollah Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah had agreed on a temporary ceasefire with the USA just days before the Israeli Defence Forces assassinated him by dropping over two thousand pounds of bombs on the southern suburbs of Beirut, destroying six residential buildings and killing over 20 individuals in the bombing, halting any hopes for a ceasefire soon, where sources such as Sky News and CNN briefly mentioned the event despite it holding significant consequences within Lebanon and other nations such as Iran and Iraq which have held 5 mourning days for the passing of Nasrallah. 

With over 41,000 confirmed deaths in Gaza since October 7, at least 30% of which are children, 70% of Gaza reduced to rubble, with another 2000 confirmed deaths in Lebanon since September 17 including over 10 healthcare workers, and millions displaced, Western media outlets must be more assertive and objective on the situation rather than framing the conflict in Israel’s favour simply because they are allies with the US. Any hopes for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine have undoubtedly been put on hold for decades to come as these events will undoubtedly fuel hate and aggression even further. The divide between Israel and the Arab world will certainly intensify. Considering all media biases, it is essential for individuals to critically engage with sources as well as seek diverse perspectives to better understand the context, and ultimately, find peace in the deeply divided region. 

By Ryan Gharbieh

Bibliography

Al Jazeera. 2024, Israel closes Al Jazeera bureau in Ramallah: All you need to know. [Online] Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/22/israel-closes-al-jazeera-bureau-in-ramallah-all-you-need-to-know (Accessed Oct. 2024).

Rosentiel, R. 2009, War in Gaza Quickly Shifts News. Pew Research Centre. [Online] Available at: https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2009/01/07/war-in-gaza-quickly-shifts-news/ (Accessed Oct. 2024).

Tamimi, T., and Vargas, D.S. 2024,  Propaganda vs. Truth: Israeli Propaganda and Palestinian Demonisation. E-International Relations. [Online] Available at: https://www.e-ir.info/2024/02/13/israeli-propaganda-and-palestinian-demonisation/

Yusuf, H. 2024, U.K. media is on Israel’s side. Declassified UK. [Online] Available at: https://www.declassifieduk.org/u-k-media-is-on-israels-side/

Khan, K.A.A. 2024,  Statement of ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan KC: Applications for arrest warrants in the situation in the State of Palestine. International Criminal Court. [Online] Available at: https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/statement-icc-prosecutor-karim-aa-khan-kc-applications-arrest-warrants-situation-state 

Middle East Eye. 2024, Four things you missed in Gaza since Israel's Lebanon bombings. [Online] Available at: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/key-things-you-missed-gaza-israel-lebanon-bombings (Accessed Oct. 2024).