Every day brings news of more terror in Gaza. The IDF’s attacks are indiscriminate, causing a large number of civilian casualties. But if you only follow the traditional media, you would barely be aware of that here in the US. The European media is much more nuanced, with graphic reports on the humanitarian crisis occurring before our eyes.
It appears that the Israeli propaganda war is quite effective in controlling the media narrative.
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One reason is the long-term efforts of lobbying organizations, such as AIPAC.
For more than half a century, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee has worked to help make Israel more secure by ensuring that American support remains strong.
For an alternate view of AIPAC, check this site.
But then there are the specific actions for the current conflict.
A little over a week ago the IDF (Israel Defense Force) launched it’s YouTube Channel.
We thank you for visiting us and will continue to update this site with documentation of the IDF’s humane action and operational success in Operation Cast Lead.
(my emphasis)
In other words, a classic propaganda effort – echoing the words of Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni who stated that “There is no humanitarian crisis in the Strip, …” as entire families were wiped out by bombing raids. The channel shows clips of attacks on tunnels and other military targets while conveniently leaving out civilian casualties and mass destruction. Since Israeli authorities deny access to Gaza for international journalists, they can maintain a strict control of the information released.
Another recent effort is Help Us Win – organizing the netroots and social site in influencing the global media.
What is this site? A site where you can ensure that the international coverage of the Campaign Against Hamas is balanced. What should I do? You can leave comments on blog posts and newspapers that tells Israel’s side of the story Is that all? Nope – you are a part of the effort. It is all about the power of the masses!
The Jerusalem Post reports:
[…]
Links to the news articles about the war are also provided, so that users can post positive talkbacks about Israel.“This truly is Israel’s first new media war,” said Michael Dickson, director of Stand With Us International. “We’ve seen demonstrations and rallies around the world, and they have been really militant and extreme.
It was a discussion on New Year’s Eve that really alerted me to the problem. A good friend – highly educated, resourceful and politically adept – seemed to have no knowledge of the reasons for the truce not being renewed or the effects of the recent blockade of Gaza. Her arguments could have come straight off IDF talking points.
So while I will not totally follow AG’s advice of ‘News Strike’, I suggest that everyone diversify their news sources to include a variety of international channels – The Guardian, The Independent, Al-Jazeera, etc.
I am glad this site has contributors that point us to the news that was filtered out by the traditional media.