Though international media workers rushed to Israel (it has granted accreditation to at least 2,800 correspondents since the war started), none have been allowed into Gaza except on a handful of tightly controlled tours led by the Israeli military. As a result, for the past six months, the world has been almost entirely reliant on the reporting of local Palestinian journalists for on-site information about the impact of the war — along with mostly unverified social media posts that have flooded the information space since its start.
The refusal to allow international media to cover Gaza from the inside is just one element of a growing censorship regime that leaves a vacuum for propaganda, mis- and disinformation, and claims and counterclaims that are extraordinarily difficult to verify independently. A CNN report on the so-called Flour Massacre — the deadly aid delivery that the Gazan Health Ministry said killed 100 people and injured 700 — for example, cast doubt on Israel’s version of events. But it took more than a month to piece together that evidence from eyewitness testimonies and after scouring dozens of videos.
Israel champions itself as a democracy and a bastion of press freedom in the region. Its actions tell a very different story. The high rate of journalists’ deaths and arrests, including a slew in the West Bank; laws allowing its government to shut down foreign news outlets deemed a security risk, which the prime minister has explicitly threatened to use against Al Jazeera; and its refusal to permit foreign journalists independent access to Gaza all speak to a leadership that is deliberately restricting press freedom. That is the hallmark of a dictatorship, not a democracy.
@ISIDEWITH2wks2W
What impact do you think social media plays in shaping our perception of conflicts when traditional journalism is restricted?
@9LN4LBC2wks2W
Disinformation is a huge problem in our day, and social media plays a large role in that. I think that people should be informed on world affairs, but they should be cautious and not belive everything they read. People need to be taught to examine the truth of any given report or social media post because they are often untrue.
@9LN4L4J2wks2W
They will only tell us what we want to hear, they won't tell us every detail like they should.
@9LN4F5L2wks2W
it shapse how we feel about them and how we think we should respond or act.
@9LN49F92wks2W
Definitely makes me even more upset at Israel and even more distrustful. If they truly think they're doing something good, they wouldn't have anything to hide and it's so frustrating to see the merciless genocide that Israel is doing to Palestinians.
@JerkyAuroraGreen2wks2W
The double standard is so clear. Israel can level entire neighborhoods, can assassinate journalists and their families, can shoot at and bomb aide workers and it’s all good.
10/7 was horrific and the perpetrators deserve justice. Don’t use it as an excuse to erase a whole population.
Good thing that's nothing WE would ever do in our United States, where we have a first Amendment protecting freedom of speech ... oh wait, looks like the feds have been doing that for *YEARS*!
It’s not just the Israeli censorship machine in Gaza, it’s the machine that has been gaslighting truths about Israel for decades. It’s always also been active in the US - anyone remember Tony Judd being cancelled in New York? - but the current efforts to brand any criticism of Israel as anti semitic represent the single greatest threat to free speech and right of association in the US today. It’s the new McCarthyism.
@JoyfulC4mpaignForward2wks2W
In addition to what is documented here, at this very moment, the right wing of Congress is using charges of antisemitism to harass and target one of its favorite targets -- liberal universities. And USC just canceled a valedictorian's commencement speech due to threats from Pro-Israel campus groups. All of these efforts are being undertaken to obscure the truth and protect the dragging of atrocities against humanity into the light. It's pretty clear, based on public support, that the long-term tactic of Israeli groups to shut down the truth by labeling any criticism as antisemitism is backfiring and giving cover to real and despicable anti-religious rhetoric and acts.
This Israeli government does not want journalists to see because they will be able to verify the carnage and killing that Palestinians have been posting for months on social media.
This is important: Reporters, including this author, need to stop writing that Egypt has any control over what enters Gaza. There is an agreement between Israel and Egypt that governs the Rafah crossing that was signed in the mid-2000s. In that agreement, Egypt gets to approve what enters Egypt from Gaza and ISRAEL approves what enters Gaza from Egypt. Let me say that again: ISRAEL approves what enters Gaza. Israel… Read more
Not only have the Israelis basically banned journalists & news outlets from Gaza (& the West Bank for that matter), unless tightly controlled & imbedded with the IDF; they have killed well over 100 journalists. Some reports say 200.
It is obvious why, so they can lie about every controversial incident. Like opening fire on starving people just trying to get food, killing children & shooting journalists. Which they have been caught lying about many times. ... This country is out of control .. It is everything we are supposed to be against. Yet we support it 100%. It is sickening
@ISIDEWITH2wks2W
The historical activity of users engaging with this general discussion.
Loading data...
Loading chart...
Loading the political themes of users that engaged with this discussion
Loading data...
