If readers want to get a handle on what’s really going on in the Palestinian territories, how do they get the full story?
The worst way, it turns out, would be by reading the Palestinian press.
A study reveals that a whopping 80% of Palestinian journalists practice some level of self-censorship, and 68% of the journalists “said that some of their and their colleagues’ journalistic materials was banned from publishing many times.”
The study, carried out by the Palestinian center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA), revealed that only 19% of Palestinian journalists said they never practiced any form of self-censorship in their work.
That means that only one in five Palestinian reporters even tried to tell the whole story, and only one in three escaped having his or her work tossed out numerous times.
Self-censorship, or deliberately holding back information, is particularly insidious because it allows the ruling power to control the flow of information without appearing to apply pressure on the journalists.
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The practice occurs, usually, because of fear of some form of retribution if the “party line” were not maintained. During the recent Gaza war, for example, Hamas terrorists kept a close watch on the international press corps, resulting in a near absence of photos of Hamas firing rockets ate Israel.
But it can also take place when Palestinian journalists use their position to promote a political viewpoint, such as the anti-normalization movement in Palestinian territories, which seeks to stop any form of cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians.
Either way, the biggest loser in the practice is the public, which relies on the media for information.
While the study may be looking at self-censorship as an internal Palestinian issue, it has ramifications far beyond the Palestinian territories.
Western reporters working in the Palestinian territories are often reliant on Palestinian fixers, interpreters, and guides. If Palestinian reporters are censoring their own news coverage, how can Western editors know for sure that the people they rely on for their stories are not doing the same?
More importantly, the study proves, once again, that any information that comes from a region that does not protect free speech and a free press can never be completely reliable.
