Reporting Under the Microscope in Israel-Palestine and South Africa

Abstract

ABSTRACT Criticism of media coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict arguably exceeds that of other conflicts. As advanced in their Propaganda Model, Herman and Chomsky claim that this may result in “flak” (26), which can constrain news coverage of certain issues (see Herman, Edward S., and Noam Chomsky. 2002. Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media. New York: Pantheon). Researchers who have examined flak’s perceived influence have typically focused on media outlets in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and in Western contexts. This study examines flak and its perception in relation to reporting on the 2014 Gaza war and the period since then by the foreign news media. Interviews were conducted with media professionals who worked in the region and further afield in South Africa. They were asked about their perceptions of flak and how it is believed to inform their work. The findings show flak remains a significant factor for journalists and editors in both contexts. However, the South African news media are willing to engage with and debate the conflict’s complexities. I argue this is informed by political sentiment in the country, which is largely supportive of the Palestinian cause. This facilitates media coverage that contests the informational asymmetry of the conflict, which in most Western contexts results in reporting sympathetic to Israel.