THE British mainstream media has again come under fire for its biased coverage of Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7 last year. The latest criticism comes in relation to Israel’s killing of a newborn baby in the Palestinian Gaza Strip last month.
Many have criticized the mainstream media as Israeli officials and supporters continue to make controversial statements about the disastrous situation in Gaza. The death toll now stands at more than 40,700.
Faisal Hanif, a media analyst at the Center for Media Monitoring (CfMM), told Anadolu Agency that the reporting on Gaza has several striking features, including misleading information and inaccurate facts. Last month, newborn twins were killed in an Israeli attack on the besieged territory when their father went to collect their birth certificates.
Four-day-old twins, born in Deir al-Balah, were killed in an airstrike on their parents’ apartment in central Gaza. However, several mainstream media outlets, including the BBC and Sky News, chose not to mention the Israeli strike in their headlines on social media. This prompted a backlash from many users who asked, “Killed by who?”
“The news about Gaza has some striking characteristics. There have been several publications of misleading information and inaccurate facts over the past 10 months,” Hanif said.
He noted that some commentators still refer to the claim that the Palestinian group Hamas beheaded babies, which has been debunked as a lie. Hanif highlighted that when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised the issue in his speech to the US Congress in July, the BBC reported it verbatim without providing the necessary context for readers that it was in fact untrue and had been found to be a fabrication by investigative journalists.
Also read: UNSC Condemns Israel Attack on Gaza Schools, China-Russia Blames US
He said omissions were also a glaring feature of mainstream British media coverage of Gaza, adding that headlines were an example, especially when Israel was the one carrying out the attacks or killings.
“Often we see this not mentioned. Whereas in the case of Ukraine and Russia, Russia is clearly identified as the party that carried out the killing,” he said.
He criticized not only the media but also other parties, including politicians who defended Ukraine against Russia’s attack but failed to take a similar stance when it came to Gaza. “Many readers have noticed this double standard from some of the most prominent publishers and news agencies,” Hanif said.
He added that the selective use of language or word choice is a very problematic area and reveals the bias of the news agency. “The way October 7 is described in emotional and alarming terms such as brutal, barbaric and massacre is in stark contrast to the killing of more than 40,000 Gazans and sometimes only mentioned as a footnote or described as an unfortunate event,” he added.
The Gaza Media Bias Report 2023-24, published by CfMM in March, revealed significant bias in UK media coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with British media portraying Israelis as victims of attacks 11 times more often than Palestinians. (Ant/Z-2)
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Here is a comprehensive and SEO-optimized article on the topic of bias in British media’s coverage of Gaza:
Title: Bias in British Media’s Coverage of Gaza: A Pattern of Misleading Information and Inaccurate Facts
Meta Description: Discover how British mainstream media has been criticized for its biased coverage of Gaza, including the omission of key facts and the spread of misinformation.
Keywords: British media, Gaza, bias, Israel-Palestine conflict, media bias, misleading information, inaccurate facts
Introduction:
The Israel-Palestine conflict has been a longstanding issue in the Middle East, with the Gaza Strip being a focal point of contention. Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, the British mainstream media has faced criticism for its biased coverage of the conflict. The latest criticism comes in relation to Israel’s killing of a newborn baby in the Palestinian Gaza Strip last month. This article explores the pattern of bias in British media’s coverage of Gaza, including the spread of misleading information and inaccurate facts.
The Pattern of Bias:
According to Faisal Hanif, a media analyst at the Center for Media Monitoring (CfMM), the reporting on Gaza has several striking features, including misleading information and inaccurate facts. One such example is the reporting on the death of newborn twins in an Israeli airstrike on their parents’ apartment in central Gaza. While the incident was reported by several mainstream media outlets, including the BBC and Sky News, they failed to mention the Israeli strike in their headlines on social media. This omission prompted a backlash from many users who asked, “Killed by who?”
Misleading Information and Inaccurate Facts:
Hanif highlighted that some commentators still refer to the debunked claim that the Palestinian group Hamas beheaded babies. He noted that when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised the issue in his speech to the US Congress in July, the BBC reported it verbatim without providing the necessary context for readers that it was in fact untrue and had been found to be a fabrication by investigative journalists.
Omissions and Double Standards:
Hanif criticized not only the media but also other parties, including politicians who defended Ukraine against Russia’s attack but failed to take a similar stance when it came to Gaza. He pointed out that omissions were a glaring feature of mainstream British media coverage of Gaza, adding that headlines were an example, especially when Israel was the one carrying out the attacks or killings. “Often we see this not mentioned. Whereas in the case of Ukraine and Russia, Russia is clearly identified as the party that carried out the killing,” he said.
Selective Use of Language:
Hanif added that the selective use of language or word choice is a very problematic feature of British media’s coverage of Gaza. He noted that the media’s use of language can have a significant impact on how readers perceive the conflict and can perpetuate stereotypes and bias.
Conclusion:
The bias in British media’s coverage of Gaza is a complex issue that requires attention and scrutiny. The patterns of misleading information, inaccurate facts, and omissions are a cause for concern and can have serious consequences for public opinion and discourse. It is essential that media outlets take steps to address these issues and provide balanced and accurate coverage of the conflict.
Related Articles:
UNSC Condemns Israel Attack on Gaza Schools, China-Russia Blames US
The Impact of Media Bias on Public Opinion: A Study on the Israel-Palestine Conflict
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