German media dehumanises Palestinians
JVL Introduction
This article outlines the worrying extent of dehumanisation of Palestinians in the German media but many aspects are reflected in the media of far too many other countries, not least, of course in the UK. Another important aspect is the all too frequent absence of context, which we have also seen this, for example, in reporting on the Israeli government decision to expand settlements in the Golan Heights following the fall of Assad when most outlets failed to note that all the settlements were illegal.
But guidance was leaked to Al Jazeera which shocked even this experienced web poster, for example, listing “possible comebacks” for anchors to use during live interviews with “pro-Palestinian voices” who make “controversial statements” – such as accusing Israel of war crimes….and telling staff not to use the word “Palestine …as it has not yet gained the status of a state”.” And “A handout from an anti-Semitism awareness training event suggests that “hatred of Jews is expressed using codes such as the ‘Zionists’ or the ‘Israelis’ … Therefore, criticism of Israel can also be a form of Israel-related anti-Semitism.”
Journalists are resisting but only one felt able to give their name.
LL
This article was originally published by Al Jazeera on Thu 19 Dec 2024. Read the original here.
As Gaza war rages, Deutsche Welle insiders accuse outlet of pro-Israel bias
Journalists at the German media network say newsroom leaders instil fear and dehumanise Palestinian suffering.
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Deutsche Welle, Germany’s equivalent of the World Service, is owned and funded by the state. In theory it is editorially independent, but Al Jazeera’s findings are no surprise. In 2022 it dismissed 7 employees in its Arabic department for alleged antisemitism. So far at least 3 of these have had their dismissal declared unlawful in the courts.
DW is not the only member of the German media to show strong bias towards Israel and against Palestinians. Practically the whole of the German media scene is guilty of this. Most strident are titles in the Axel Springer group, including Germany’s biggest selling tabloid Bild and the broadsheet Die Welt. But even the left-wing publications taz and nd clearly adhere to the pro-Israeli and anti-Palestinian line.
An important element in this is lack of context. The motivation for any Palestinian action is reduced to antisemitism.
In view of this, the results of a YouGov survey conducted in Germany in March 2024 are telling. Despite the huge amount of coverage, 67% stated they knew not very much or nothing at all about Palestinians and their rights. Only 37% said they had heard of the claim that Israel was instituting apartheid against the Palestinian people. 33% stated that media reports were biased in favour of Israel, only 9% that they were biased in favour of the Palestinians, and 30% that they were impartial.
Remarkably, despite the overwhelming bias in the media and the lack of wide-spread public protest compared to the UK, the German public does not share their politicians’ and media’s rosy view of Israel. A survey conducted for German public broadcaster ZDF, also in March 2024, found that 69% did not think Israel’s actions in Gaza were justified; 87% considered that the West should increase pressure on Israel.
Springer’s Bild Zeitung was always very right-wing as were/are Deutsche Welle and Deutschlandfunk (Radio stations), even in the 1960s… The ‘joke’ was that you did not need to be able to read, just look at the pictures which said it all. The Bild is the german version of the daily fail. Both are as repugnant as each other.
What gives me a wee bit of hope is the outcome of the ZDF survey referred to by Chris Romberg. The call is especially for the younger generations to learn from history and stand up for human rights theirs and other peoples’.