Meta removes TRT Arabi documentary on Israeli attacks against journalists

Facebook, owned by Meta, has removed a documentary produced by TRT Arabi that highlights Israeli crimes against journalists in Gaza and southern Lebanon, citing that it promotes dangerous individuals and organisations.

On August 30, TRT Arabi aired a documentary titled "Journalism Under Genocide," which shed light on the experiences of journalists covering the Israeli war on Gaza and their work in southern Lebanon.

The film traces the systematic killings carried out by the occupation forces against journalists since October 7, highlighting key stories of journalists being targeted while performing their duties.

The documentary, which took nearly three months to produce and was filmed under dangerous security conditions, focused, according to its director Khaldoun Fahmawi, on the targeting of TRT Arabi, Al Jazeera, Reuters, and AFP teams in southern Lebanon.

The film also addresses the Israeli military's targeting of journalists in their homes and the massacres committed against their families. It covers the story of the family of the martyred journalist Mustafa Sawaf and the massacre that targeted 47 members of his family, including the direct targeting of his two sons, Marwan and Montaser, by a drone.

According to Ismail Al-Thawabteh, Director General of the Government Media Office, 172 journalists were killed due to Israeli targeting in Gaza.

He added, "Our records document the arrest of 36 journalists by Israel during the genocide war on Gaza." Of these, four journalists have been released, while 32 remain in prison.

Journalists viewed as 'dangerous'

Although the documentary focused on the dangers faced by journalists that threaten their lives and hinder their mission to convey the truth, Meta's Facebook platform classified the content as promoting dangerous individuals and organisations and removed it.

The explanatory message sent by the platform stated that the documentary "praises or supports individuals and organisations we define as dangerous" and that the content violates "our community standards on dangerous individuals and organisations."

(31/08/2023 We have removed your video.

Reasons for this:

It appears that you shared or sent symbols or content that expresses praise or support for individuals and organisations that we recognise as dangerous or that you follow.

TRT Arabi 31/08/2023 "Journalism Under Genocide" — A new documentary on TRT Arabi documenting the suffering experienced by journalists in the midst of war.

You shared this content on your profile.

This account violates our community standards regarding dangerous individuals and organizations.)

These platforms have been accused of applying double standards, particularly regarding Palestinian suffering as a result of Israeli occupation and assaults.

Since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza in October, Meta has imposed strict restrictions on Palestinian content, removing much of it, which has angered Palestinians and their supporters.

In contrast, Meta announced that it intends to consider the term "martyr" neutral under certain conditions, allowing its use on Facebook and Instagram without necessarily leading to content removal.

In July, Meta also declared that it would delete posts containing the term "Zionist," labelling it as hate speech.

The decision was made following months of consultations on the purposes and nature of using the term "Zionist" on Meta's platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.