Media Discourses

In this composite teaching module, we have curated segments of teach-ins around the theme of Media Discourses. One of the most visible fronts of the struggle against Zionism has been discourses and debates in every form of media from social media to mainstream cable news outlets. Within these forums we see the fight for discursive power manifesting through competing narratives. In contemporary media narratives October 7th has become a new a milestone event and its own discourse that proponents of Zionism have utilized to justify Israel’s genocide in Gaza. In these segments, our experts explain Zionist narratives dominate media discourses around Palestine and obfuscate Israel's crimes and Palestinian suffering. This composite teaching module will offer students the discursive resources and knowledge to push back against dominant and hegemonic narratives that justify the ongoing occupation and genocide of the Palestinian people.

All segments in this Composite Module are drawn from the below teach-ins. Click on the title to watch the full teach-in.
Additional Related Teach-in

​Failures of Mainstream Media Outlets

​Laila Al-Arian engages in a critical discussion on the failures of mainstream media outlets in reporting on Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza, emphasizing the dehumanization of Palestinians in comparison to Israelis, who receive disproportionately more coverage whose unchecked claims are taken as fact.

American Media's Role in
​Reinforcing Zionist Ambitions

Is there a turning point to be noted in media coverage on Gaza? Adel Iskandar explores the question while acknowledging the role American legacy media has played in reinforcing elite political views in favor of Israeli and Zionist ambitions

How Does American Media
​Frame Gaza and Palestine?

One of the biggest issues confronting Palestinians is how American mainstream media frames Gaza and Palestine more generally. With the United States being the main backer and funder of Israeli occupation and genocide, the ways in which Palestine is represented in mainstream media is of critical importance. These frames fit Palestine and Gaza into Israeli narratives justifying the  the control of, the occupation of, and the war being waged on Palestinians. How does US media launder Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity through these kinds of framing? How does mainstream media use the narrative of terrorism to minimize these crimes?

On How Gaza is Portrayed in the West

Assal shares how despite the unprecedented live streamed genocide in Gaza, Western media still shares one sided narratives about Palestine.​

Limiting Palestinian Experiences

The one sidedness of American mainstream media around Palestine is not just a matter of amplifying Israeli and Zionist narratives, but also a process of limiting representation of Palestinian voices and experiences. These segments explore just how this minimization functions and what its effects are. What are the ways in which  American mainstream media obfuscate Palestinian suffering and points of view?

Ignoring the Murder
​of Palestinian Journalists

How do Western journalists and media fail journalism by not acknowledging the hundreds of Palestinian journalists that have been killed by Israel since Oct. 7? Our speaker discusses the double standard that exists with examples such as Ukraine.
​

Downplaying Palestinian Suffering

Will Youmans provides a detailed study on media representation of Israel's genocide in Gaza, revealing the gaps in  coverage of Palestinian suffering and evident bias towards Israeli sentiments and ambitions among key mainstream media groups.

Limitations Against
​Pro-Palestinian Views

Expanding on a broader study into mainstream media coverage of Israel's genocide in Gaza, our speaker highlights further breaks down the limitations set on pro-Palestinian voices that do appear in mainstream media platforms​

​Pushing Back Against Media

Assal talks about why it is important to push back against media and her hope that mainistream media will humanize Palestinans

On Assal's Headline Edits/Corrections

Assal explains her headline edits and shares why she focuses on correcting New York Times headlines

How Do We Push Back?

Despite the hegemony of Zionist and Israeli points of view in mainstream American media, many are beginning to push back by critiquing Zionist and Israeli narratives and amplifying Palestinian voices and experiences. Despite the set back we have seen since October 7th when it comes to the representation of Palestinian views, we have also witnessed an increasing presence of Palestinian view points over the past two decades. Furthermore, we have witnessed increasing dissent with in media outlets about the ways in which Palestinian and Palestinians are framed. In what ways can we push back on dominant narratives? How exactly do mainstream news outlets diminish Palestinian narratives? 

Emerging Schisms within
​Media Outlets Around Genocide

Adel Iskandar discusses Israel's repeated attempts at shaping media narratives while acknowledging the internal schisms in media institutions Israel's genocide in Gaza has caused and poses a number of examples to reflect such changes

​Independent and
​Social Media

​While mainstream media has been problematic in many ways in their differential reporting when it comes it Israel's actions, there has also been a rise in independent and social media reporting which has broken through to new audiences and is offering better coverage of what is happening in Gaza specifically, and Palestine more generally. These new forms of media have also sometimes pushed mainstream news outlets to improve their own coverage.

Supporting Independent
​News Outlets

​Laila Al-Arian describes the importance of supporting independent news outlets. She encourages those concerned with better news coverage of Palestine to subscribe and financially support independent news outlets when you can, sharing their reporting online, and sharing positive feedback when coming across good reporting.

Popularization of
​Independent Media Outlets

​Adel Iskander describes the ways in which new smaller media outlets and social media have been challenging larger corporation owned media in their reporting on Palestine and Gaza. 

Israeli and Non-Western Media

​Assal Rad explains how non-western news outlets do a better job of challenging Israeli government narratives than American and Western media. As she states, even Israeli news media is a great deal more critical of Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Israeli government. She encourages us to consider how the public consumes information and how western corporate mainstream news denies their audiences basic facts.