This week’s Jadaliyya media on media roundup is set against the backdrop of a variety of issues. In Lebanon, an ad celebrating the country’s army was heavily criticized and eventually retracted after it was revealed that the soldier in the image was an Israeli, prompting a quick apology from the company.
Elsewhere, Pokemon GO’s popularity has finally reached the point where it has been banned for the first time in a country. Iran issued a ban that outlawed the augmented reality video game. In more progressive news, the International Federation of Journalists reported that Palestine became the first Arab country to sign the Declaration on Media Freedom in the Arab World.
All of these articles are available below in further detail.
Media and Politics
Aiding and abetting: the British media and the invasion of Iraq
Source: Middle East Monitor
This article aims to highlight the role of British media during Iraq invasion. Using the Chilcot report to anchor his argument, Pablo Navarrete gives the media full responsbility to the killing of millions of people, due to its practices during that period.
It`s time for Israelis to acknowledge that Arab lives matter
Source: +972
Almost the entirety of the Israeli media coverage of Abdel Fatah al-Sharif’s death has focused on his killer, Elor Azaria. This piece contends that, in the same vein as America’s Black Lives Matter movement, Israelis must sympathize with and better understand Palestinians as human beings with dignity.
Notorious anti-Arab Israeli rapper joins PM Netanyahu`s Likud party
Source: The Guardian
Benjamin Netenyahu sponsors Yoav Eliasi into Likud party, mainly because of his online presence and popularity among millennials, an indication of how desperate the party is to give attention to the radical right and racist voices calling for violence.
10 Facts the mainstream media won’t tell you about the war in Syria
Source: AntiMedia
A closer look at what western mainstream media chooses not to highlight or correctly portray in their coverage of the Syrian civil war.
Forget Iran, Netanyahu`s new No.1 enemy is the Israeli media
Source: Haaretz
A critical assessment of Netanyahu’s reaction to Israeli negative media coverage of his leadership ahead of the upcoming elections, after having exhausted multiple political threads that managed to sustain his image in front of his voters for a while.
Culture
"السلطة الخامسة " تعيد يسري فوده اليوم الأربعاء إلىالشاشة
المصدر: اخبارك
مثل الكثر من الاعلاميين العرب الذين يتعرضون للضغوطات في بلادهم، ينضم يسري فوده الى فريق دويتشه فيلي كمقدم لبرنامجه "السلطة" الخامسة" الذي تم توقيف عرضه من البث.
"سيرة باسم يوسف مع القمع في بيت الدين: "حتبقوا أحسن من دبي، ولكن لديكم فساد وطائفية"
المصدر: جريدة النهار
تعليق على اداء باسم يوسف في فعاليات مهرجان بيت الدين، مع التركيز على المواضيع التي تتطرق لها و كيفية سخريته عن الامور دون الخضوع لفخُ المسرح ال "شانسونيه".
Cactus is Palestinian painter`s canvas and `symbol of resistance`
Source: CNN
This piece examines the work of Ahmad Muhammad Yasin, a Palestinian artist who paints on cacti.
Travel ban on Gazan musician mars cultural exchange
Source: The Guardian
Commenting on the state of cultural production and art making in the besieged strip, this article links back to a piece published about how Gaza is becoming a tourist spot, against all odds.
Iran bans Pokemon Go over `security concerns`
Source: The Independent
Iran has become the first country to officially ban Pokemon GO after citing security concerns. The tone of the article, including the tweets it uses, suggests that this move will not be a popular one.
Media Industries
Syrian refugees design app for navigating German bureaucracy
Source: The Guardian
Although they have yet to receive the necessary financial backing, a group of Syrian refugees have joined forces to develop an app to help other newcomers seeking asylum to get through the huge amounts of paperwork that await them. The article profiles two of the developers and comments on German immigration policy.
Freedom of Journalists/Expression
Omani editor arrested amid media crackdown: Reports
Source: Middle East Eye
This article highlights a series of events surrounding one of Oman’s biggest newspaper editors, who has been charged of directly ‘critisizing’ the government and its judicial system.
A guide to online security for activists
Source: Electronic Intifada
As the BDS movement continues to grow and gain support, members are facing digital threats from hacking to having their websites shut down. This piece takes a look at the concerns activists have and how to overcome them.
Palestine first to sign Declaration on Media Freedom in Arab world
Source: IFJ
This article emphasizes what a monumental step forward it is for Palestine to become the first state in the Arab world to commit to protecting and upholding the principles of press freedom.
In Turkey, worried artists ponder uncertain future
Source: Middle East Online
Freedom of expression in the ‘pearl of the bosphorus’ were restrained long before the failed coup attempt mid-July. Artists are being forced to become more ‘poetic’ with their art, and less direct - “They cannot accuse a fable, it might help protect ourselves”.
The absurd reaction to actor’s Palestine flag badge reflects a wider taboo in Britain
Source: Middle East Monitor
British actor, who is an outspoken supporter of the Palestinian cause, wears a Palestinian flag badge on live television, causing outrage among social media users.
British Muslim woman detained under terror laws after cabin crew report her reading Syrian art book on plane
Source: The Independent
The Independent reports on yet another case of anti-Muslim discrimination resulting in a person being removed from a plane. The piece examines the case of a woman who was detained for reading a book about Syrian art since the civil war.
Social Media
UAE government warns people against sharing plane crash pics
Source: What`s On
The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has warned all the country’s residents to avoid posting images and videos of “aviation accidents” on social media, bringing concerns among social media users about freedom of expression across the medium.
WATCH: Border cop confiscates Palestinian girl`s bicycle in Hebron
Source: +972
In response to a viral video of an Israeli border officer confiscating a Palestinian child’s bicycle, +972 offers context to the story including background information on her family, and Israel’s brutal and systematic oppression of Hebron-based Palestinians.
Ad celebrating Lebanon army criticized for using image of Israeli soldier
Source: The Guardian
Virgin Megastore’s ticketing box office was forced to apologize after using an image of an Israeli soldier in an ad celebrating the Lebanese army. The article makes note of the apology’s bizarre tone as well as providing context in regards to Lebanon’s political deadlock.
The citizens using Facebook to report on Egypt’s forgotten war
Source: The Guardian
In a bid to combat the state-controlled media, Egyptian citizens in North Sinai have taken it upon themselves to report the truth of their predicament fairly and accurately. The Guardian offers a profile of the individuals and organizations undertaking this task.
Media Practices
"الاعلام المعقم " لن يهيئ الرأي العام للقرارات الصعبة
المصدر: اضاءات مصر العربية
هذه المقالة تلقي الضوء على حاجة المجتمع المصري لوسائل اعلام اكثر وعيا، حيث انها تحضّر المشاهد لانشاء اراءه حول امور مجتمعية شاملة.
WAFA Monitors Incitement and Racism in Israeli Media
Source: WAFA
The Palestinian News Agency WAFA highlights a number of Israeli articles and publications that directly incite racism against Palestinian during the week of July 22 – 28.
Accused of hacking, blocked from hugging
Source: Electronic Intifada
While much of this piece gives the spotlight to Majd Oweida’s family, it raises interesting points about how his arrest has served as a centerpiece for Israeli media and, more alarmingly, how details of his interrogation have been forbidden from being reported.
Netanyahu distorts a Palestinian’s helpless reaction to occupying soldiers to dehumanize Palestinian parents
Source: Mondoweiss
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempts to twist the facts to his benefit, over a twitter video showing him stating that Palestinian parents “teach children to value death over life."
The one newspaper in which Trump is still winning
Source: Local Call
Israel’s most read newspaper, Israel Hayom, appears to be refusing to report on Donald Trump’s ailing presidential campaign. This piece slams the apparent distortion of the truth as “a total abandonment of the mission and principles of journalism.”
ISIS using kittens and honey bees in bid to soften image in Dabiq propaganda magazine
Source: The Independent
This piece dissects Islamic State media practices and the way its approach differs when trying to capture the attention of Western audiences.
Let us first go beyond the term ‘terrorism’
Source: Al-Arabiya
This article anchors its argument that the media should reevaluate its usage of the term ‘terrorist’, highlighting on France’s recent decision to stop doing TV profile of terrorists in hope to deter the ‘glorification’ effect among audiences.
Others
Actor Ewan McGregor says children in Iraq at risk of death, sex abuse, traffickers
Source: Reuters
Reuters reports on comments made by Scottish McGregor calling attention on the plight of refugee children in Iraq, highlighting his history of philanthropy in relation to his recent remarks.
[The "Media On Media Roundup" is an initiative to survey published material in the news and broadcast media that deals with journalism, coverage, or mass communication practices about the region. These roundups are produced and curated in collaboration with the American University of Beirut`s Media Studies Program. The items collected here do not reflect the views of Jadaliyya or the editors of the Media Page. You may send your comments or recommendations for inclusion in each week`s roundup to media@jadaliyya.com]