Do not be fooled by what you see on the first pages or the top results when you use the centralized search engine looking for unbiased media outlets. Even you will find customized articles and blogs’ posts about who are the unbiased media or the neutral worldwide, too often legacy media outlet being reinforced over and over as the ultimate and only source for news and for shaping and often dictating our views around the local reality and world news. Which is also typical when you turn on the satellite, cable, or subscription-based TV, most probably you will get all infamous CNN, BBC, Fox News, DW and others of what is known to be either state owned and/or Murdoch owned. This is also applicable to written journalism, most of them operate with paid subscription now such as the Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and the Atlantic to name a few of them.
The BBC, among others, is actively embracing a narrative wherein any news pertaining the current ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza; first referred to as Israel-Hamas War in addition to this aggression is seen as means to underscore the core message of Hamas across all reported events. The objective is to ensure the pervasive inclusion of this message in all content. This dialogue revolves around framing Hamas as a fundamental aspect, such as in Hamas’s involvement in healthcare—operating hospitals, managing health authorities, and similar domains—making Hamas an immediate and central reference point in these contexts and therefore, further legitimizing and having a “US blessed open green light” to do whatever they think is suitable in their claims of existential self-defense.
Ad Fontes Media issues their Media Bias Chart showing how various legacy media outlets are being biased/controlled and in what manner. In previous years, there was a need for digital literacy as a critical competency. However, in light of the rapidly evolving landscape, geopolitical developments such as arms transactions, proxy wars in the Middle East, but, now with the rapid pace of all political volatility, weapons deals, US proxy wares taking place as usual in the Middle East, and the presidential elections in the US as well as in Israel and the prevailing evidence of the climate change and its associated natural disasters that are being triggered now with the 18 tons of explosive used by Israeli aggression on Gaza during the past 29 days. All of this put all of humanity in a new basic need called news literacy therefore, as audience we will be able to identify propaganda and disinformation news taking several forms of selective-manipulative vocabulary and politically reinforcing the Israeli key messaging and propaganda, to events framing and factual distortion.
While legacy media and Israel allies are spending millions of dollars to control the media and how they should be covering the news in terms of wording and events-covering manipulation falling into facts-alteration. Moreover, some reports circulating the social media platforms on TikTok and X platforms through trending hashtag calling for #BanAIPAC or #AIPAC are withdrawing the public attention to the huge influence of the AIPAC who are claimed to be “running” the US.
Audiences who are more familiar with the internet and propaganda tools, are shifting towards non state controlled media through grassroot journalism, Telegram and other underground media. This is more evident in the audiences who are more familiar with patterns of media consumption and dynamics of information dissemination. Audiences are seeking “decentralization” and freedom in information access and undictated intellectual autonomy. We are witnessing more reliable sources of information coming from what we are identifying as an underground media or alternative media and information sources. Once again, citizen journalism is being revived and taking a profound, legitimate, unbiased and raw position. Examples of which are The Corbett Report (open-source intelligence news), Information Liberation, The Gray Zone, Thelastamericanvagabond.com, Mint Press News, TRT World, as well as Instagram accounts: ahmedhijazee, mahmoudabuzaiter, byplestia, abod_bt77, and motaz_azaiza.
In a recent Gallup survey, the findings shows a notable shift in the “Democratics’s” sympathies towards what they label as the Middle East conflict in reference to the Israeli aggression on Gaza entering its 29th day as of today. With 49% expressing empathy and siding with Palestinians than with Israelis side with 38% as if we are looking at an equal power entering war. Needless to mention the extra aid military package of estimated by $14.5 billion and stressed that Biden would veto the approval if needed.
Worldwide there is a wide expression for showing solidarity and support to Palestinians through demonstrations and rallies in various European cities and in within the Western world in general despite of their respective government official positions regarding the Israeli aggression against Gaza or as the officials adopt terminologies around the right of Israel to self defense and condemning with “strongest expressions” possible the Great Flood attack on the 7th of Oct. 2023, …. to the remaining of what I call the “copy & paste” dictated speech. There is a noticeable global “student movement” or conversations happening on campuses around the Israeli aggression on Gaza that concludes a binary black and white approach where Palestine is good, and Israel is bad.
While the UN does not recognize the act of resistance, yet in their 51 Article they outline right to self-defense and the UN spoke about the right of self-determination; “45/130: importance of the universal realization of the right of peoples to self-determination and of the speedy granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples for the effective guarantee and observance of human rights. In my opinion, this is already giving the upper hand to the occupier and the international community is continuing what they have been doing over the past century. In my opinion, resistance is not a right that nations or even individuals are waiting for to be granted, allowed, or acknowledged. Deeply rooted in our culture as Palestinian and as a value we live by death and no humiliation. Dignity is a key value for those who are driven by values in their liberation quest.
Throughout history there are various examples to refer to when studying armed struggle and revolutions. If we look at the World War II there several resistance groups to mention few of them: the Dutch resistance actively opposing the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, the Belgian resistance against the German occupation, also the Italian resistance groups, the Jewish resistance, the National Council of Resistance in France, the Liberation front in Greece against the Axis occupation, amongst many others. Furthermore, the Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya resisting the British colonial rule, as well as Eritrea’s Liberation Front, the Sandinistas in Nicaragua.
From the region, we highly regard the Algerian Revolution, or the Algerian War of Independence against the French colonialism led by the Algerian National Liberation Front. In addition to Libyan Resistance Movement led by Omar Almukhtar against the Italian colonization to Libya.
The term “War on Terror” has been used and mainstreamed by the US since the Father Push administration and it was heavily reinforced after the Sep. 11 attacks in 2001. This attack was a military invasion legitimizer for the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 (primary goal is dismantling Al Qaeda) and for Iraq in 2003 by the US with false claims related to Iraq or Saddam Hussein owning a nuclear weapon facility. The result of the American invasion to Iraq is having Iraq that is torn a part with sectarian-based ongoing conflict, stealing the heritage and wealth of Iraq, millions of displaced and Iraqis refugees worldwide, multiple generational collective traumas, hundreds of thousands of disabled persons due to the adversity of war and American aggression. Needless to mention the torture, atrocity and humiliation being deliberately practiced by the American soldiers against prisoner of Guantanamo prison and Abu Gharib prison.
Suha Ayyash
