Spinning facts, US media giant pushes for labeling Hamas 'terrorist'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Axios
19 Oct 2023 15:54

An American-based financial institution that owns alone 200 publications is pushing two other media giants to label the Palestinian Resistance faction as "terrorists".

Protests walk down Regent Street as they take part in a "March For Palestine" in London on October 14, 2023 (AFP)

Over five dozen newspapers, owned by Alden Global Capital, collectively ran an editorial urging the media to categorize Hamas as a "terrorist organization" and label its October 7 operation on "Israel" as a "terrorist attack", a report by Axios said.

These editorials circulated across 65 newspapers owned by MediaNews Group and Tribune Publishing, both of which are owned by Alden Global Capital, emphasized the necessity of accurate terminology, claiming that their "commitment to accuracy in reporting is universal."

"We ran the editorial in all MediaNews Group and Tribune Enterprises daily newspapers because our commitment to accuracy in reporting is universal. The Hamas attack on Israel was terrorism and those who carried it out are terrorists," as per a statement provided to Axios on behalf of both MediaNews Group and Tribune Enterprises.

"Hamas is a terrorist organization, and the acts of its agents on Oct. 7, when they crossed the border into Israel with the express intent of killing and kidnapping civilians, were terrorism. That makes them terrorists," the editorial, which needs a lesson in terminology-picking to differentiate between an occupation and a resistance, claimed.

"While some have suggested Hamas' political role in Gaza means it is not a terrorist organization, it is clearly targeting civilians for political ends, which is the very definition of terrorism," it continued, of course without making any reference to all the Israeli atrocities committed so far.

"The danger in using euphemisms such as 'militants' to describe terrorists is that it normalizes heinous acts of terrorism and implies that the deliberate targeting of civilians is a military act and that Hamas at large has some other, less despicable objective."

Contrastingly, some media outlets such as AP, wary of the politically charged nature of the term "terrorism", opt for more nuanced language. They believe that detailed descriptions of incidents serve audiences better due to the politicization and inconsistent application of the terms "terrorist" and "terrorism."

The debate over terminology also reflects broader shifts in public sentiment, with increasing sympathy noted for Palestine in prevailing political discourses and public opinion, compelling newsrooms to navigate this changing landscape with sensitivity and precision.

'You can't support Palestine'

X/Twitter platform's Chief Executive Officer, Linda Yaccarino, confirmed on Thursday that the social media giant has removed hundreds of accounts supporting Hamas and also removed or flagged thousands of pieces of content since the commencement of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.

This came as a response to EU industry chief Thierry Breton's 24-hour ultimatum handed to X owner Elon Musk to address the spread of disinformation on X to comply with the new EU online content policies, as Breton claimed to have indications that X was disseminating illegal content and fake news in the European Union.

Meta's Facebook platform has also imposed bans on sharing any posts containing the hashtag #OperationAlAqsaFlood and prohibited posts containing content related to Palestine. Instagram, also owned by Meta, also pursued the same policy.

Consequently, users are unable to share posts in support of Palestine while the Israeli aggression on Gaza continues for the 13th consecutive day, resulting so far in over 3,800 martyrs, 70% of which are children, women, and the elderly.

"Israel" and its supporters have sought on numerous occasions to remove opposing voices from the airwaves or the internet.

Former Israeli "Justice" Minister Ayelet Shaked boasted that she worked closely with Facebook to censor Palestinian voices, with the Silicon Valley company agreeing to remove around 95% of the information she requested.

But the virtual space was not the only place where support for Palestinians was deemed a violation of terms.

In an attempt to suppress global solidarity with Palestine, France completely banned pro-Palestinian rallies and protests or even gatherings. The decision was made last week before it was revoked by a French court after tens of thousands of people defied the ban and took to the streets to support Palestinians and Gaza.

Paris went as far as banning the Koufiyyeh, a Palestinian cultural scarf that has become associated with the country's struggles against the Israeli occupation.

Berlin also announced on Wednesday temporarily prohibiting demonstrations supporting the people of Palestine, citing "security risks".