Why do the media keep parroting Israel's genocidal lies?

Journalists in Western corporate and so-called public media – whether it is the BBC, CBC, CNN, The New York Times or The Washington Post – know exactly what is happening in Gaza.

They know there is a genocide because they see the same images the rest of us see, filmed by brave Palestinian journalists and ordinary citizens. They all know what the judges of the International Court of Justice decided.

They hear and read the same depraved, genocidal statements by the Israeli leaders who are methodically implementing this extermination campaign against people they call “human animals,” whether it be by bombs, bullets, disease or starvation.

They know that Israel lies and lies constantly, from fake stories of beheaded children and babies to fabricated atrocity tales about mass rapes to fairy tales about James Bond villain-like complexes under hospitals in Gaza.

These journalists know too that a significant number of Israelis were killed by their own forces on 7 October, whether due to indiscriminate so-called friendly fire or because Israel implemented the Hannibal directive.

They know all this because these things are discussed openly in Israeli media, which these journalists monitor. And if they don’t monitor Israeli media directly, they are aware of these facts because a handful of independent publications including The Electronic Intifada report on what Israeli media reveal.

And yet with a few exceptions, these truths are kept out of US and European media. Why? What’s the mechanism and reason for this censorship and the continual regurgitation of hasbara, Israel’s state propaganda?

These are some of the topics I discussed with journalist and broadcaster Chris Hedges on his show The Chris Hedges Report on The Real News Network last week.

You can watch the video above.

Comments

News From Israel

Permalink David Archibald replied on Tue, 03/19/2024 - 07:21

I an Israeli news outlet tells you the sky is blue...go take a look outside.

Discussion with Chris Hedges

Permalink Brian Robinson replied on Tue, 03/19/2024 - 13:13

This was a wonderful discussion that clarified so much. Thanks very much for posting it -- and for so much else over the years, both of you.

why does the media keep parroting....

Permalink john r fiore replied on Tue, 03/19/2024 - 15:12

"Main stream media" has always leaned toward the government because of access to sources and advertising from companies that have government contracts...there have been exceptions, such as the Pentagon Papers and the push back against Nixon and Agnew...but, these exceptions are very rare...on need only go thru the NYT archives coverage f the Vietnam war, from 1948, the beginning of the war, all the way to its end, 1975, the N. Vietnamese and Vietcong were always disparagingly known as the "Reds", an evil connotation linked to Red China and Red Russia...

I'm an American and I have

Permalink Sarah Greavison replied on Mon, 03/25/2024 - 15:34

I'm an American and I have been so upset, distraught, watching what is going on in Gaza, and being gas lighted by my media, and watching my government engage in this genocide. I feel helpless.