Drik marks 36th anniversary with lecture on Gaza’s ‘Media Genocide’

Drik Picture Library observed its 36th founding anniversary with the Golam Kasem Daddy Lecture titled "Media Genocide in Gaza". The event was held at DrikPath Bhobon last Friday.

The lecture was presented by Montaser Marai, manager of Media Initiatives at Al Jazeera, a Palestinian-Jordanian journalist and documentary filmmaker with over two decades of experience. In his lecture, Marai explored the role of Western media in shaping the narratives around the genocide in Gaza. 

The event was moderated by Dr Shahidul Alam, photographer, activist, and managing director of Drik, and the initiative commenced with a minute of silence for the thousands killed in Israel's war in Gaza.

Montaser Marai reported that Israel has killed nearly 250 journalists in Gaza since 2023, adding that the real number is perhaps higher. This is the highest number of journalists ever killed in a war. He questioned the Western institutions that spoke of human rights, asking where they were when the Israeli occupation had murdered the female journalists of Gaza, some of whom were pregnant at the time of their deaths. He questioned why the Israeli occupation did not allow foreign journalists into Gaza.

Using Gaza as a model, Marai explored media hegemony and elaborated on how the media is dehumanising the people in Gaza. "Our destiny is to die in the darkness", he said. He mentioned Anas Al Sharif, the Palestinian journalist from Al Jazeera who was murdered by the occupation in August. Marai said that the Western media tried to discredit Anas.

"They have killed Anas Al Sharif and our colleagues (journalists in Gaza) twice, once by the Israeli occupation and the second time by the international community and our colleagues in the international newspapers", said Marai. He cited Algerian writer and philosopher Malek Bennabi and said that the West doesn't carry its values outside its borders, highlighting the inequality between the Global North and South. 

Marai discussed the flow of information in both traditional media and digital media, saying that the supposed free flow of information only goes from the North to the Global South. He highlights that in the United States alone, five multinational corporations are in control of thousands of traditional media, and the digital media is almost entirely dominated by the US. He said that the Western media does not serve the people; they serve their foreign policy.

Marai communicated that even in the digital space, as the flood of information is almost exclusively coming from the North, the people are living in a bubble, controlled by the algorithms. Alternative media is often shut out from making counter-narratives. "Algorithm has become a new authority", he said.

Marai mentioned that often the Western media uses facts to control the narrative, for example, Jeff Bezos' wedding being highlighted over the genocide of Gaza. He said that many alternative media, like Al Jazeera, are being shadow-banned for trying to counter it, barred by community guidelines on different platforms. "I have the right to watch Al Jazeera or BBC, we need to have a free flow of information", he conveyed. "We need our voices to be heard."

When exploring the media hegemony in covering Gaza, he criticised the Western media for their framing of the news, exposing the double standard that is evident in the media coverage of what was happening on the ground. He compared how major media outlets like Reuters, BBC, and The New York Times had covered the war in Gaza and Ukraine — demonstrating how the coverage of Gaza used passive language, never mentioning the role of Israel behind the "blasts" that killed Palestinians. Yet the coverage of Ukraine always mentioned that attacks were carried out by Russia. 

"They don't mention the killers (Israel), but when it comes to Russia and Ukraine, they mention 'Russia strikes children's hospital.'" When covering the man-made famine in Gaza, Marai said that the Western media frames it as if it were a natural disaster. "They don't mention that the Israeli occupation had cut off the food and water, which is a war crime under international humanitarian law. They are covering for the killers, they are disinforming people." 

The seasoned journalist also added that these media outlets tend to apologise for such acts years after the destruction was done, citing apologies for the coverage of the Iraq War and the Balfore declaration.

"Till the end of my life, I will track all media complicit in this genocide. Even if it's the last mission of my life, I will expose them and help bring them to the court", Marai said. He urged the news organisations worldwide to do journalism, to fight against the hegemony.

The lecture was followed by an open discussion with the audience. People of different walks of life, students, researchers, activists were present at the lecture, many donning the checkered Keffiyeh.

Dignitaries, including Yousef Ramadan, Palestine Ambassador to Bangladesh; eminent writer Hasnat Abdul Hye; Irene Khan, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression; Nurul Kabir, editor of Daily New Age; Tasneem Khalil, editor-in-chief of Netra News; singer-activist Farzana Wahid Shayan; and others attended the event.

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