Speakers at a discussion today said, the Israeli genocide in Gaza exposes the hypocrisy of the Western media and its coverage will be remembered as the “moral collapse of the West-led world order.”

The discussion titled “Western Hypocrisy on Press Freedom '' was organised by Drik Picture Library which along with the panel discussion also arranged an exhibition titled 'Gaza Holocaust: Killing the Truthtellers' and a panel discussion at DrikPath Bhobon in Dhaka.

Curated by ASM Rezaur Rahman, the exhibition paid tribute to the death of the truth tellers and displayed protest against Israeli atrocities in Palestine.

Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation force has killed thousands of Palestinian civilians, including women and children, turning Gaza and the West Bank into a war zone. Despite worldwide calls for a ceasefire, Israeli forces have reportedly killed 142 media persons in their line of duty.

The war has claimed the lives of more than 35,000 people, including over 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, and 1,200 deaths in Israel.

Criticizing Western media’s stance on this “so-called war”, speakers told the discussion that Western media, collectively, has lost all semblance of neutrality and has become “part of the problem” when it comes to Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

They were also calling out alleged inconsistencies in Western foreign policy and pointed out that the Western governments are advocating for forceful responses to certain international conflicts while seemingly turning a blind eye to others.

Renowned photojournalist and activist Shahidul Alam opened the discussion by highlighting the inconsistency of Western nations that promote democracy while violence continues elsewhere.

“As we speak, many people are still dying. We have to digest a lot due to the hegemony of the West,” he said.

New Age editor Nurul Kabir said, “As the freedom fighters of our independence war were terrorists to the Pakistanis, so are Palestinian freedom-seekers to the West. So, all these issues need to be understood politically.”

The outspoken editor pointed out that there is “no Israeli-Palestinian war” because war takes place between countries with similar capacity, but here the two sides differ greatly in terms of military strength.

“The current situation is all about control, capital, and power. Those in power use propaganda to establish control and legitimise their actions. This West hypocrisy is linked to settler colonialism. Through constant propaganda to the masses, the West creates a narrative of its political positions through various means,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, political analyst Zahed Ur Rahman said that major world newspapers, like the Washington Post and New York Times, are seen as credible sources but they also shape the news to fit their agendas and can be hypocritical.

“Dehumanization through language often paves the way for genocide. Every media outlet is influenced by economic and political considerations. Additionally, journalists' personal biases can skew their reporting. The world is intricate, and generalizations are dangerous. While the West champions human rights, their actions often contradict these ideals,” he said indicating towards Western media’s coverage of Gaza genocide.

Meghna Guhathakurta, Professor of International Relations of Dhaka University said, there is such a deep-rooted concept of narrowness in the Western media that this hypocrisy originates from there.

“These characteristics must be understood to understand their media character and media expression. How does Western thinking come about? Who are the policymakers? How come the victims are never included in the formulation of these policies? Because their voices remain unheard,” she said.

—-