“DON’T shoot the messenger” takes on a chilling note when you consider the rising toll of journalists, media operators and technicians killed in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Since the beginning of the war, at least 140 journalists and media workers have been killed, several have been injured and others are missing. We know it’s not fake news because the International Federation of Journalists works closely with its affiliate, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS), to verify information. This has documented the killing of 130 Palestinian journalists and media workers.
But according to the PJS, that is only part of the picture. 21 local radio stations, 15 local and international news agencies, 15 TV stations, six local newspapers, three broadcasting towers, eight print media outlets and 13 media institutions have been destroyed. For a year now only “locals” have been able to report on the ongoing genocide since the Israeli government continues to bar foreign press from entering and reporting from Gaza and the West Bank. Who would be a messenger? Only the bravest!
READ MORE: 'Food availability at all-time low' in Gaza amid Donald Trump warning
Naturally then, Western media has relentlessly called out the murdering of fellow media workers along with the accompanying draconian censorship, yes? Well no. Sadly, but true, Western journalists and media outlets with few exceptions (The National’s David Pratt spring to mind) continue to provide us with a parroted, one-sided diktat. Journalists reporting from the “front line” of the action are in fact embedded within different IDF units, and we know the limitations that come with being “embedded”: not least, the resultant lack of objectivity.
Not content with this, the Israeli Cabinet passed the boycotting of Haaretz on November 24. This newspaper considered “left-wing” is the oldest newspaper in print in Israel and widely read abroad via its English language edition. The boycott is yet the latest action against Haaretz by the Israeli government, since it has been and continues to frequently be critical of both the government and the IDF: accusing, naming and shaming.
READ MORE: UNRWA suspends aid deliveries through main Gaza crossing amid chaos
Richard Walker said that “The National was created not to be a balanced newspaper but to be the newspaper that provided the balance” (Nov 29). With the explosion of social media platforms, difficult to monitor and mostly unregulated, the need for sources able to provide a “balance” and be “believable” is more important than ever. We have to have “go to” sites we can trust.
But without a majority “balance”, we are witness to the rise of extremism, aided and abetted by the unchecked ability to censor, the denying of access to sources, the impunity of mainstream media to misrepresent through bias, and the killing of the story along with the messengers.
Dangerous times for us all.
Selma Rahman
Edinburgh
DURING a debate on Tuesday in the House of Commons regarding the increase to employers’ National Insurance, SNP MP Dave Doogan highlighted that the public sector in Scotland will be worse affected than that of the rest of the UK. Worse affected because 22% of employees in Scotland work in the public sector, whereas the equivalent figure in the rest of the UK is 17%.
READ MORE: SNP and Plaid Cymru unite against National Insurance tax hike
Our private sector here in Scotland will take a hit of £1.25 billion and our strapped local authorities and world-leading universities will be badly affected. This move by the Labour government is devastating for the Scottish budget, yet despite the devastation there was a dearth of Scottish MPs representing businesses and local authorities in their constituencies in the Commons. Even the Secretary of State for Scotland was conspicuous by his absence.
Catriona C Clark
Falkirk
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