Coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict:

Coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict:

The Fight for media domination

Is the Media Biased or just reflecting Ground Realities ?

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a part of the greater Arab-Israeli conflict , is an ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinians.The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not a simple two-sided conflict with all Israelis (or even all Israeli Jews ) sharing one point of view and all Palestinians another. In both communities, some individuals and groups advocate total territorial removal of the other community, some advocate a two-state solution , and some advocate a binational solution of a single secular state encompassing present-day Israel, the Gaza strip , the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.

The Isreal-Palestine conflict is a conflict which has attracted world-wide attention even since one even cares to remember.The news emerging from the region has a following which may be unrivalled as far as International issue's is concerned.The interest and curiosity is fuelled by the Political,Economic Religious and Cutural importance of this region for the majority of the people of the world.And considering this fact the significance & impact, any development or incident could have on the world over is widely acknowledged not only by public but also by the media in particular.Then it comes as no surprise that all the worlds media's attention is centered around this compariively small mass peice of land in the Middle-East.The big media monopolies of the world are literraly falling over each other to get their peice of the action,all in the effort to keep their viewers,readers or audience happy.They constantly strive to quench the seeminly limitless appatite for the news from the worlds oldest conflict zone.For some people apart from the generic importance of this region, their is also a desire to safeguard the vested interest of some parties in this region(Which also includes the media) and for them, it is top priority to keep a constant tab on the happennings and the news coming out from this region.This a conflict where a news is made or created every second and it is very necessary to be one step ahead of the news.As in any other conflict there are always profit to be made and and an enduring impact to be created. One oppurtunity lost could mean the difference between disaster or godsend if handled properly by the news managers of the world i.e the 'Media Behemoth' the strong and powerfull 'Media Monopolies' of the world.It is for this reason this conflict is not only being pursued in the nooks and corners of the cities, towns, and countryside of Israel and the territories of West Bank and the Gaza Strip with bombs and bullets, but it is also being waged on television and in newspapers and magazines among the various media outfits and is now a media battle in itself. This battle is hightened and possibly infalmed by the coverage of the conflict by the media, all in the efforts by all the various parties involved to win the "war of words & also the war of ideas and ideals".In keeping with the old adage that "Wars are won, not only on the battlefield, but also with words." and media plays a crucial role in this "war of words & war of ideals .And this battle will continue to rage for years to come as long there is a conflict to cover.

And so how the media monopolies covered or represented this crisis plays a very important role when it comes to how the crisis is viewed around the world.The support each side is able to garner for itself from the community or from any other corner, is also widely dependent on how it's side or position is potrayed by the media in general. And this perception could prove the diffrence between winning and loosing.Hence it is important to analyze how the biggest and most powerfull media power have portrayed this confilict.And is more important to analyze the impact this has had on the ground,and also where it could possibly lead the conflict in the future.All the while it is also important to factor in the reason that has affacted the coverage and try to understand and guage the implication this coverage has had on the power of the 'Media Monopolies' to alter the course of world politics and world economics as well,this holds true further more when you consider the Israel-Palestine conflict.Media Monopolies, as an agent of influence has no boundaries, no moral obligation and certainly no accountability. What was once just a means of information channel is today a weapon for political manipulation - a real power base for world politics that plays games with people’s minds and feelings - and even more frightening - it can change peoples destinies for ever.The Isreal-Palestineissues for example, the needy and deserving have become rioters - the oppressed are beng called terrorists and known terrorists are depicted as peacemakers. Hence the media monopolies are... crucial in the overall scheme of things. It presents a version of reality. It creates awareness of what's happening, and the perceptions that are presented affect public opinion" and this the biggest strength of these media minopolies.The media's are involed in a mad race to out perform each other in this batle of attrition.And the various mediums of information are literally are enclosed in an battle with in a battle to out manouvere and our perform each other and thereby profit the party that they favour whcih indirectly will end up favouring that particular media.

The Result of this madrush of the media monopolies to eshtablish it's presence in the Middle-East conflict zone demonstrates the importance the worlds media has attributed to this particular region.This small peninsula is now the the center of the worlds journalist and journalistic agencies concentrated in and round the conflict zone,which covers cover's all the various avenues of media.When you look at the numbers it says a lot in itself..

· Israel and the territories have one of the highest concentrations of journalists in the world, reflecting intense worldwide interest in the conflict. There are 350 foreign news organizations based in Jerusalem alone, employing some 800 reporters, cameramen and technicians. Since the beginning of 2004, another 1,300 accredited journalists have visited the region. The number is likely much larger if you include freelancers and writers who enter as visitors without presenting credentials.

· The biggest media represention are the big players in the world of news gathering and its propagation including.CNN(AOL-Time Warner),BCC( Britain State Public broadcaster),Reuters(Germany & Britain),API(US based news agency),AFP(France).All major US and UK based newspapers,magazines which includes New-York Times and Washington Post, and T.V channels such as ABC,Fox,NBC from the U.S and ITV and Channel 4 from the UK and also radio stations have also set up permanent posts and regional bureau have also stationed full time,experienced and expert correspondents to collect and distribute the news as soon as possible who are backed up by hard working and skilled reporters.The media behemoth likethe ones stated above are dominant over the regional media an account of their bigger resources to call upon and better technolgy and not mentioning more professionalised set-up and mode of functioning.

What these simple stats and facts reveal is the media monopolies recognizes the importance of the conflict zone and understand's the role they can play and the rewards it has in store for all of them.These monopolies has help shape the direction which the conflict has headed and even continue to head.These monopolies has already taken sides,choosing wisely taking into account the profit that's instore for them if they play their cards right.

· It is an open secret that all the media groups in the U.S openly support the Israelis as the the Isrealis have the strong support of the influential Jewish lobby groups who have a strong voice not only in the senate and the congress ,but also is a strong player in the financial sector.And have the power to make or break any institution or organizations,and offcourse the media houses are no different.The case is no different in the U.K as the worlds medis monoplies are concentrated in hanffull of individuals.E.g:- Ted Turner(AOL Time Warner),BBC(British Govt.),Rubert Murdoch(Media Corp).

· The Big Media corporations don't have to play to the news media or suffer having their activities reported on; they own the news media. The big mediai monopoles all have some vested interest in this region and their coverage is determined by the financial ambitions and goal of the organisation rather than being determined by the founding principle of journalism or by the ethics which govern the noble profession of jiournalism.Most media moguls have financial connections with defense, banking, insurance, gas, oil, and nuclear power.Which in simple language means that news is only considered news worthy by these organisation when the news is benificial to the media which is carrying it.

· The Who owns what can be a factor in tailoring (some would say censoring) the news information. For example, Westinghouse and General Electric, two of the largest corporations with defense contracts and nuclear interests, own CBS and NBC respectively.

· US media in particular has more or less stuck to the Bush administration’s propaganda line that they have shed the role of a watchdog and become the messenger of Washington’s position.

· The media is briefed about the ongoing's in conflict the Middle-East which takes place in Washington or London, to journalists who know little themselves.This despite the fact that virtually every one of the media houses represented in the Pentagon briefings has teams of journalists on the ground who are being kept in the dark.

· American TV networks use ex-US military officers as their analysts, thus ensuring that their erstwhile colleagues now masquerading as independent analysts compliment the line of the Pentagon.

· The desire to keep once audience happy has resulted in charges of bias and distortion of facts by the media practitioners .It is not surprising considering the financial,political and cultural goalsof the media.And the corporate world which directly or indirectly holds a tight leech on the media organisation, which is either forced or is more than happy to toe the line.