ABSTRACT

Criticism of media coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict arguably exceeds that of other conflicts. As advanced in their Propaganda Model, Herman and Chomsky claim that this may result in “flak” (26), which can constrain news coverage of certain issues (see Herman, Edward S., and Noam Chomsky. 2002. Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media. New York: Pantheon). Researchers who have examined flak’s perceived influence have typically focused on media outlets in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and in Western contexts. This study examines flak and its perception in relation to reporting on the 2014 Gaza war and the period since then by the foreign news media. Interviews were conducted with media professionals who worked in the region and further afield in South Africa. They were asked about their perceptions of flak and how it is believed to inform their work. The findings show flak remains a significant factor for journalists and editors in both contexts. However, the South African news media are willing to engage with and debate the conflict’s complexities. I argue this is informed by political sentiment in the country, which is largely supportive of the Palestinian cause. This facilitates media coverage that contests the informational asymmetry of the conflict, which in most Western contexts results in reporting sympathetic to Israel.

摘要

对媒体对以巴冲突报道的批评可以说超过了对其他冲突的批评。Herman 和 Chomsky 在他们的宣传模型中取得了进展，声称这可能会导致“攻击”(26)，这可能会限制某些问题的新闻报道（参见 Herman、Edward S. 和 Noam Chomsky。2002。制造同意：政治大众传媒经济. 纽约：万神殿）。研究过 flak 感知影响的研究人员通常关注以色列和巴勒斯坦被占领土以及西方背景下的媒体渠道。本研究调查了外国新闻媒体对 2014 年加沙战争及此后这段时间的报道的攻击及其看法。对在该地区和更远的南非工作的媒体专业人士进行了采访。他们被问及他们对 flak 的看法以及人们认为它如何影响他们的工作。调查结果表明，在这两种情况下，攻击仍然是记者和编辑的一个重要因素。然而，南非新闻媒体愿意参与并讨论冲突的复杂性。我认为这是受到该国政治情绪的影响，这在很大程度上支持巴勒斯坦事业。这有助于媒体报道质疑冲突的信息不对称性，在大多数西方背景下，这会导致对以色列的报道表示同情。