Experts explain how to escape Israel-centric media bias, gaslighting

Western media and US politics are under increasing scrutiny for their biased portrayal of Israel’s war on Gaza, with both reinforcing narratives that minimise the suffering of Palestinians.

This bias has become more pronounced since October 2023, drawing criticism from experts who argue that such reporting and political rhetoric are not new but part of a long-standing pattern.

“Western media has been recycling Zionist talking points and perpetuating orientalist discourses,” says Gretchen King, an associate professor at the Lebanese American University, in an interview with TRT World.

According to King, this bias manifests in “victim-blaming, dehumanisation, and the perpetuation of orientalist discourses,” a pattern that "didn’t start on October 7."

The history of media bias in the Israel-Palestine conflict dates back to the mid-1900s, with experts noting that little has changed over the decades.

Data-driven studies and research have long pointed to a pro-Israel bias in Western media, particularly in its coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Today, critics argue that Western media continues to “manufacture consent for Israel’s wars and crimes” with little hope of changing its stance.

As media outlets continue to favour Israeli narratives, the US government, too, is accused of deceiving the public by perpetuating conflicting messages on the situation, all while enabling further violence.

Speaking to TRT World, Ashish Prashar, a former advisor to the Middle East Peace Envoy and political strategist, suggests that the US administration is “gaslighting the world on a mass scale” by acting contrary to what they claim in front of cameras.

He states, “It is happening on a mass scale as the White House, both parties, mainstream news, and college administrations all tell us we don’t see what we’re seeing.”

Prashar says the US “parrots” Israeli propaganda as fact and manufactures consent for genocide through both media and politics.

He adds that, on a political scale, the US keeps repeating its desire for a ceasefire while “scuppering ceasefire after ceasefire” and lying about who is blocking the path to end the genocide.

“The ceasefire talks are a ploy by the Biden administration just to give Israel more time to massacre more Arabs across the region,” he continues.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 42,065 Palestinians and injured nearly 100,000 since October 2023. Separately, Israeli attacks across Lebanon have killed more than 2,169 people and displaced another 1.2 million.

These figures are likely much higher when considering those trapped under rubble or thousands of missing Palestinians.

How Orwellian

Israel's war on Gaza has become the first televised genocide in human history, with citizen journalists documenting daily attacks on civilian areas, including schools, hospitals, and refugee camps, making it harder to deny the atrocities.

Yet, the Biden administration remains unwilling to acknowledge Israel's war crimes, instead stating they trust Israel to "investigate incidents," including hospital bombings, Israeli soldiers filming the rape of Palestinian prisoners, and the killings of human rights activists, journalists, and even 6-year-old Hind Rajab, who was shot with 335 bullets by Israeli forces while waiting for rescuers.

None of these investigations have been concluded to date.

Prashar criticises the US for forcing the public into believing that “genocidal racists can investigate themselves, that the abusers are the victims, and that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism.”

“In the end, the world is being held hostage by the United States of America who have aided and abetted the genocide of the Palestinian people and told us all what we’re seeing with our own eyes is not happening,” Prashar says.

“How Orwellian.”

So, how can people survive the manipulation from both media and politics?

Critical thinking is key

As a first step to escape media bias and gaslighting, Associate Professor Gretchen King suggests unplugging from Western media and turning to non-Western sources. However, she emphasises the importance of critical thinking in recognising manipulation and political agendas.

King advocates for media literacy as essential to countering media bias.

"We need to develop media literacy to understand Western media’s biases, and political economy and to critique it effectively. We must be aware of how consent is manufactured," she says.

She stresses the need for people to critique not only non-Western media but also their own Western media.

“It’s crucial to understand the political economy of media, the history of media imperialism, and Israeli propaganda. We need to push back and organise for alternatives beyond social media. Social media is one tool, but it’s not enough. We need mass media platforms of our own and must critique Western media at every turn."

In a recent report, published by Gallup on October 14, 2024, Americans' trust in mass media is at a record low, with only 31 percent expressing confidence in news outlets to report "fully, accurately, and fairly," similar to last year’s 32 percent.

For the third year, more US adults (36 percent) have no trust in the media, while 33 percent have "not very much" confidence.

In contrast, another report by PEW research, published on17 September 2024, reveals that over half of Americans (54 percent) now turn to social media for news, with Facebook and YouTube leading, followed by Instagram (20 percent) and TikTok (17 percent).

However, expert Gretchen King warns that while social media offers more freedom of expression, it is still shaped by ads, algorithms, and user activity, urging the need for alternatives to mainstream media.

"Social media is useful but must be paired with other strategies. Western media will always frame Israeli acts of terror as heroic. Social media provides space to call it what it is, but we can't rely solely on platforms we don't control. We need to organise for mass media alternatives that don’t depend entirely on the internet," she says.