We’re Always Blaming Western Media “Bias” — How About Arab Media?

-OpEd-

BEIRUT — On May 25, the spokesman of Hamas’ Qassam Brigades armed wing, Abu Obeida, said in a video statement that the militant group’s fighters had killed and captured a group of Israeli soldiers in a “complex operation” in Gaza’s northern refugee camp of Jabaliya. The message was broadcast by Al Jazeera’s television network, which gave extensive coverage to the video and to the potential massive repercussions of the operation.

At the time, Mustafa Barghouti, leader of the Palestinian National Initiative political party, said that May 25 would be remembered as “the night of the collapse of Israeli myths, the myth of the superior and invincible army, the myth of Israeli immunity, whether in terms of military or intelligence immunity.” His comments were particularly disappointing, because this Palestinian writer and politician who is not affiliated with any of the warring factions, was expected to be more rational, balanced and honest with himself and with the viewers — and not to be drawn into repeating familiar, decades-old propaganda.

The fact is that this coverage that evening was typical of the reading of the conditions of some of the most prominent Arab media outlets, and their approach to the Palestinian cause in general, and the ongoing war on Gaza in particular.

Since the Oct. 7 attack, several Western media outlets have been subjected to justified and necessary criticism over their general editorial line on the Palestinian cause, their coverage of specific events, or their journalistic values in general. Yet major Arab media outlets, especially the most popular ones, lack not only the professional accountability and review, but also the same widespread criticism what Western media outlets have faced.

Arab media is also guilty

In covering the video propaganda and the military operation, Al Jazeera and its sister channels did not fulfill their minimum professional duties. They did not verify the alleged information in the recordings, nor did they put themselves at a distance from that information. They did not wait until the identities of the supposed prisoners or dead were verified or officially recognized.

Of course, their broadcast did not include any diversity of opinions or sources of news. This does not mean having the point of view of the Israeli army, but rather any voices in and outside Gaza, Palestinian and non-Palestinian, Arab or Western, who might provide another point of view of the video and operation.

The outlets are lax in matters of accuracy and verification of information.

While the Israel-Hamas war provides the most prominent examples of the failure of some of the most important Arabic-speaking media outlets, their failures date to before Oct. 7 and appear to be an integral part of their policy and mindset. Some outlets have always relied on rhetoric and composition, rather than information and analysis. And when there is analysis, it is full of fallacies and deliberate disregard for many facts and data. There is a lack of multiple opinions and voices on certain issues.

The outlets are lax in matters of accuracy and verification of information. And, according to ideological and political affiliation of the outlet, some decision-makers are not held accountable.

Many Arab media continue to promote illusions, feelings and populism. They repeated that Israel was “on the verge of annihilation” and is “weaker than a spider’s web”, while the Gaza Strip is covered with more than 40 million tons of rubble.

It is striking that when these media find a Western or Israeli writer or historian who predicts Israel’s demise, that person becomes a permanent guest. The outlets do fact-check the predictions or present other points of view.

Double standards

Many media have not stopped degrading the dignity of the victims, violating their privacy and normalizing scenes of violence and blood. In addition to the implicit complicity with — even the rough promotion of — parties that are repressing or committing violations against their people and other people.

Media that present themselves as spokespeople for Arab revolutions have described Hezbollah’s fatalities in Lebanon as “martyrs.” Thus, they ignore the fact that Hezbollah fighters have been — and still are — an essential part of the Syrian regime’s war of against its people and their revolution, including the Palestinians in Syria.

Why are some victims called “martyrs” and others simply as “dead”?

It is also unprofessional and immoral for some media to describe the Palestinian victims as “martyrs”, while they qualify Sudanese, Iraqi, Yemeni, Syrian and other victims around the world simply as “dead”.

Many media outlets in the Arab world have been and continue to be silent, about what could amount to war crimes and genocide, if the parties committing these crimes are from “our side.” Examples include Palestinian factions or other parties, Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, armed Iraqi factions resisting the U.S. invasion, Syrian President Bashar Assad or armed opposition factions in Darfur and elsewhere.

​All in one basket

After the Oct. 7 attack, all Western media was put in one basket, with no distinction between American, French or Italian media, left-wing and right-wing — or even far-right, print or television or web, large companies or government-affiliated, tabloid and mainstream, The Guardian and Fox News, or between Piers Morgan and Christiane Amanpour.

Much of the criticism of Western media was and is necessary and justified. Yet it has contributed to controlling the discourse of some outlets, preventing them from drifting toward adopting a single point of view and a single narrative. In certain cases, the criticism forced outlets to offer clear apologies for some of their reports and content.

On the other hand, voices criticizing the performance of our Arab media are rare. Reviews of its discourse, professionalism, balance and standards are almost absent — as are apologies or corrections for erroneous reports.

Back to Abu Obeida’s video statement: the Israeli military denied that any of its soldiers were captured on May 25, and neither Hamas nor Al Jazeera or other like-minded outlets spoke again about these would-be captured soldiers.