OPINION: Media ‘balance’ gives cover to Hamas’ psychopathic bloodlust
There is absolutely no need to fill up airtime with people seeking to justify these grotesque assaults, yet it happened, writes Charlotte Henry
Like many Jews not strictly keeping to the laws of Shabbat and yom tov, I awoke to reporting of the events in Israel and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proclamation that the country was at war. Things only got more shocking as we learned more about what was happening on the ground – the murder and kidnap of civilians and soldiers by Hamas terrorists.
Making it all the more difficult was the predictable determination of the media here in the UK to try and “balance” their coverage. That first radio news bulletin I heard on the BBC included a clip of its television breakfast show and language about “both sides” and the “ratcheting up” of their “rhetoric”.
Then there is this headline tweeted by the BBC Breaking News account: “Israel launches airstrikes on Gaza Strip and calls up reservists after Palestinian gunmen infiltrate its territory.”
This kind of language, which downgrades those who entered Israel by foot, motorbike, paraglider and sea, is a recurring theme. They are not “fighters”, with the sense of righteousness that label can bring with it. Nor are they “gunman”, which invokes images of a small groups operating independently. They are terrorists carrying out a co-ordinated operation and should be referred to as such.
At least Sky News had the decency to put “Israel Under Attack” as their on-screen headline.
The coverage was in stark contrast to what we could see on social media (when you managed to navigate through all the stomach churning whataboutery). There were videos of heavily armed attackers systematically going through kibbutzim, looking for peole to kill.
It is right a proper that mainstream broadcasters do not refer to or play every video going around the web. Verification and fact checking really matter. But it also cannot operate in an almost parallel universe.
When discussing the Middle East, nuance and attempts to explain the perceptions of all parties is often necessary and important. In a situation where terrorists are conducting a multi-pronged attack with the intention of killing as many Jews as possible, it is almost irrelevant.
It is right a proper that mainstream broadcasters do not refer to or play every video going around the web. Verification and fact checking really matter. But it also cannot operate in an almost parallel universe.
Outlets cannot hide behind the regulations as the reason for this kind of coverage. Ofcom is very clear. When describing “Due Impartiality” the regulator states:
“Impartiality itself means not favouring one side over another. “Due” means adequate or appropriate to the subject and nature of the programme. So “due impartiality” does not mean an equal division of time has to be given to every view, or that every argument and every facet of every argument has to be represented.”
There is absolutely no need to fill up airtime with people seeking to justify these grotesque assaults, yet it happened.
I also heard radio phone in shows where both caller and presenter were trying to be reasonable by providing wider context about the situation with Israel and the Palestinians. Rattling off history and referring to past conflicts. (I don’t just mean the Yom Kippur war, with which there is an obvious comparison to be made.) Almost all of it was irrelevant to the unprecedented and unjustifiable assault that was taking place in Israel at the same time.
We can, should and inevitably will discuss the Netanyahu crank coalition’s policies on settlers, Gaza and much in the days and weeks to come. We will also unpack the massive security failure for which they are ultimately responsible.
Furthermore, things are undoubtedly going to be very distressing as Israel responds to the actions of Hamas. We all hope it is able to protect Palestinian civilians as it reacts to the kidnap and murder of its own.
All of this will play out in due course.
When reporting on it, the media must not lose sight of what triggered Israeli operations, of what started this conflict this time. And it must be prepared to call out Hamas for what it is – a murderous terrorist organisation killing those in the region’s only true democracy.
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