S15-05 04

Media Disinformation in the Public Sphere: Journalism during Armed Conflicts

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Milica NalićUniversidad de Cádiz

Enfoque

The twenty-first century channels of information have often proved to serve as a platform for political strategies, and be significantly influenced from the places of power. In relation to this, contemporary philosophers point out to the existence of a mutual interdependence that frequently takes shape between the media, the governmental power mechanisms and a nations’ geopolitical and/or economic interests (Chomsky, 2015; Hall, 1993; Horvat, 2022). We argue that, once set in motion, this dynamic applies its influence on many mainstream media practices, causing public media channels to move away from the objective informative function inherent to the ethical principles that stand at the very base of responsible journalism (Bauman, 2016).

The main aim of our research is to identify the ways in which media reinterpretations of news on recent armed conflicts and terrorist attacks in Gaza and Israel diffuse harmful cultural stereotypes, abandoning the original purpose of the media as sources of trustworthy information (Maalouf, 1998; Rushdie, 1991). Through our research, we intend to draw attention to the dangers of journalistic practices that operate outside of the principles of their profession and set out to employ disinformation practices.

The methodology that we propose is a case study of two different accounts of the same event, covered by a public television corporation Radiotelevisión Española and an independent newspaper publication  El Salto Diario. The content of the news in question is the recounting of a lifestory of a young trauma survivor in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Israel and its interpretation offered by the two media outlets. In addition, we propose a brief analysis of the comments of the news consumers, which we believe further contextualises the potential effects of the disinformation in the media. We consider this specific approach to be particularly fitting for showcasing the efforts of the independent media and their value as an alternative source of information. Moreover, we will examine these efforts and their reception from a methodological perspective informed by the philosophy of ethics (Camps, 2013; Cortina, 2007; Eagleton, 1991).

Our preliminary findings resulted in two main conclusions. First of all, they suggest a strong inter-relation between the wealth of life experience of the news consumers and their ability to receive the news reports in a critical manner. Secondly, they indicate that the way in which the viewers and readers interpret the news accounts greatly depends on their tendency to see the world as pluralistic, and not strictly limited by the categories of nation and ethnicity, or lack thereof.

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      Comentó el 29/11/2023 a las 01:06:38

      Good evening, Milac:

      First of all, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your excellent work. As a journalist, I think it was necessary to have a research that put the focus on conflict-related information and its implications seen from a broader perspective.

      Regarding the results, if I have understood them correctly, you show that there is a concern among audiences about the bias of information and polarization. How do you think the media themselves can carry out more responsible journalistic practices? Do you think that the manuals are enough?

      Thank you very much for your time!

      • profile avatar

        Milica Nalić

        Comentó el 29/11/2023 a las 11:40:54

        Hello, Aarón,

        Thank you for your kind words and interest in the topic. I believe the input of professionals in the field of journalism is essential when it comes to questionning the reporting practices currently in place.

        It seems to me that many media outlets already adopt the practices of responsible journalism and call to their colleagues to do the same. In my opinion, this is the case with the publication that my research is based on - El Salto Diario. However, although the rise of the Internet has made the news creation and consumption more democratic, it is still difficult for the smaller newspapers to compete with channels that have a national frequency and consequently, a larger influence. Going back to your question, I think the manuals are absolutely not enough. Perhaps our focus should be on educating the citizens in media literacy, as the problem is often not the lack of ethical reporting, but the fact that the consumers' do not have the necessary tools for contrastring different news accounts in order to get an informed perspective.

        Thank you for your comment and have a great day,
        Milica

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      Jonattan Rodríguez Hernández

      Comentó el 28/11/2023 a las 22:52:08

      Congratulations on the presentation, it is really interesting. Given that your research highlights the importance of an ethical perspective in journalism and the issue of misinformation in the coverage of conflicts such as those in Gaza and Israel, how can the media effectively integrate the voices and perspectives of communities directly affected by these Conflicts in your journalistic coverage?

      Thank you very much for your time.

      • profile avatar

        Milica Nalić

        Comentó el 30/11/2023 a las 13:47:15

        Hello, Jonattan,

        Thank you very much for your interest in my research. I agree with you that the efforts aimed at giving the voice to those suffering direct consequences of irresponsible journalism are essential. However, I would say that the current situation in Gaza is especially concerning, as the contact of the people affected by the conflicts with the outside world seems to be made nearly impossible and we are witnessing censorship and silencing of those recounting the experiences not aligned with the official narrative of the North. If the situation does not allow us to integrate the perspectives of the affected communities directly, perhaps journalists need to emphasise structural problems in their reporting, since this will facilitate efforts that address human rights and democracy in the territories where the violence is taking place.

        I hope this answers your question.
        Best


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