DCMF voices concern over coverage of events in Gaza

These “mistakes” convey a distorted image of the situation on the ground, DCMF has said in a statement.

DCMF has noted “bias” in Western media coverage as well as the dissemination of false images and inaccurate information. The current conflict is being covered as a battle between two equal powers, which is not a fair representation of what is taking place and represents a distinct lack of professionalism and ethics, according to the statement.

An example of inaccurate journalism was a report in which a Palestinian family was shown, standing in the rubble of their home. During an ABC News story, the family was reported to be an Israeli family, surveying the wreckage caused by rockets fired by Hamas.

Presenter Diane Sawyer described the family trying to salvage possessions from their home. The family was, in fact, from Palestine, and they were standing in the rubble following an attack on Gaza.

Sawyer later apologised after realising the mistake.

Other outlets have been criticised for their inaccurate reporting of the conflict as an equal fight, as opposed to a battle between an “oppressor and the oppressed”.

On July 8, The New York Times ran a headline stating “Israel and Hamas trade attacks as tension rises”, while The Wall Street Journal has published stories under headlines such as “Gaza Rockets Reaching Deeper Into Israel; Airstrikes on Palestinian Territory Aim to Degrade Hamas’s Arsenal”.

This depiction of a conflict between two equal opponents is inaccurate and contributes towards ignorance of the reality of the situation, DCMF says.

Journalists are also being targeted in Gaza. Hamdi Shihab from the Media 24 news agency was killed when the vehicle in which he was travelling was bombarded and a correspondent from the Palestine Today channel was wounded while airing a live report from Gaza. The centre has condemned the targeting of journalists by the Israeli authorities.