Reporting on Gaza: Pictures tell the story

Posted by Lauren Drablier on January 13, 2009 at 10:22 AM

Since Israel's invasion of Gaza, newspapers have been trying to cover the crisis. Remaining impartial has proved difficult because foreign journalists have been banned from Gaza by Israel. As images proliferate across newspapers and the Internet, many are sympathizing with the plight of the Palestinians. The Guardian argues that perhaps, these images may be the best way to tell the story.

This crisis has changed the way the media is reporting, the Guardian calls is "a simple truth", that "Israelis no longer appear as victims." Why? Because of the images that have been emerging from Gaza - they are dramatic and shocking, making people empathize more with the residents of Gaza.

The Guardian highlights that pictures dictate what makes "good drama." And this "good drama" is helping people to see both sides of the conflict. Readers are overwhelmed by what they see, for example a picture showing a father in Gaza grieving over his three dead children.

According to the Guardian, suicide bombings have "virtually disappeared, - there was only one in 2007 - and rocket attacks from Gaza have killed just 14 Israelis in four years," which is making people question what provoked the atrocities they are seeing in their newspapers and online.

Although trying to remain impartial, which The Independent's Robert Fisk highlighted in an interview with the BBC, "it is the job of journalists to be impartial on the side of those who suffer most". But many times journalists tend to be "impartial on the side of those who suffer most visibly and dramatically," according to the Guardian.

Reports on the Arab-Israeli conflict have always struggled with placing the crisis in context, which, the Guardian reports, usually works against the Palestinians because they are frequently portrayed as "terrorists" and "wild bomb-throwing militants". However, the tables have turned now that Israel has banned foreign journalists from entering Gaza.

It is well known that "one side's context is the other side's lies and distortions," making impartial reporting from the Middle East almost impossible at times. However, in light of the words that may be distorted, "allowing the drama of visible events to dictate the coverage is probably the best course after all."

Source: The Guardian