AFPJournalists take cover during a rocket attack on the town of Sderot
NOS News•today, 9:18 PM•Adjusted today, 9:25 PM
Sander van Hoorn
news reporter
Sander van Hoorn
news reporter
Is it possible to provide a balanced report on a war if you are one of the parties? The largest Israeli radio and television channels are having a hard time. That is different from previous wars. “We report on our own war for survival.”
“Good morning. It is 6:45 am and we are at the newsroom early this morning because numerous rockets and grenades are being fired at Israel.” For this announcement on Channel 12, Israel’s largest news channel, a report on pop star Taylor Swift was cut short on October 7. Since then, the broadcasts on the news channels have continued incessantly.
Now, 44 days later, the news often opens with an overview of the fallen soldiers, often followed by diplomatic news, and reports about the families of the Israelis held hostage by Hamas.
Victims in Gaza
Information about victims in Gaza will only come much later. There is often someone in the studio who follows the news on the Palestinian channels and talks about it. This was different in previous conflicts with Hamas or Hezbollah.
For example, during the war with Hamas in 2006, there were live conversations with people in Gaza. During the war against Hezbollah that year, what was reported on Al Manar, Hezbollah’s television channel, was much more emphatically stated. What has changed in journalism?
“October 7” says Ofer Hadad firmly. Together with Amalia Duek, he presents the afternoon news on Channel 12. “I am not an American journalist covering the war in Afghanistan. My brother is in the army. My parents live in the north, on the border with Lebanon. And when I am at home , I regularly have to go to the bomb shelter with my children. Make no mistake: ultimately we are fighting terrorists.” The war is also lasting longer than the one in 2006 and there are many more deaths on the Israeli side.
There is no one here in the newsroom who does not know someone who was injured or kidnapped on October 7. The news has never been so personal.
Ofer Hadad, presenter Channel 12
The reporters who quickly arrived on the scene on October 7 can still be seen daily. “The will to work is enormous,” writes media watchdog Het Zevende Oog. The organization is concerned because many journalists have personal traumas that they hide away. Hadad: “There is no one here in the newsroom who does not know someone who was injured or kidnapped on October 7. The news has never been so personal.”
On Reshet Bet, the Israeli news and current affairs radio station, a conversation with the father of one of the killed soldiers. Attention for the killed Palestinians is also less there, and would not go down well. Channel 12 is referred to disparagingly as ‘Al Jazeera Channel 12’ by some politicians because presenters and commentators criticized the Israeli government.
Foreign reporters who are live on location are regularly asked by passers-by whether they talk favorably about Israel. An Arab-Israeli reporter working for a Gulf news channel was attacked by an Israeli security official during a live broadcast for speaking Arabic and spreading lies about Israel.
Traumatized country
Many companies now advertise with the theme of war and solidarity. “Together we will overcome” is also a frequently used slogan in the streets. Journalist Hadad tries to emphasize solidarity within Israel by also allowing other population groups to have their say. “We also regularly have Druze and Arabs at the table and I am proud of that.”
October 7 was also traumatic for journalists and seems to have changed journalism at least temporarily. “We report on our own war for survival,” Hadad summarizes. And they report on a traumatized country. The presenter of a talk show on Israeli army radio starts every conversation with the question: “How can I help?”.
2023-11-19 20:18:25
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