Remains of the Sderot police station, following recapture by IDF | Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
With every passing war, conflict, or even elections, the power of misinformation or fake news to shape narratives is growing exponentially. Truth has become dispensable and a casualty to pragmatism rather than what is factually correct. This wanton disregard for facts at an industrial level is reshaping not just the present, but also the past and future in an inconceivable manner. Nothing is safe in this rising tide of misinformation as it challenges what was considered as self-evident or a priori truths.
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The resort to fake news was also considered imperative so that the US and the Western powers could convey to the sceptics that they occupy the moral high ground and they were on the side of the right and truth. An apology from either the US President or the government of Israel has not come to support those who are valiantly trying to bust fake news.
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This is enough to dispel any doubt people may have about the power of fake news backed by the powerful western media. Not only does it help in spreading information about what may not have happened, but it also facilitates covering up a colossal crime or shoring up sagging morale. There was a little-noticed report after October 7 that had no attribution highlighted by very credible news outlets and publications like The Guardian that claimed a few days after the Hamas assault that 1500 militants had been killed by the Israeli forces. This was a big number, and for annihilating the militants so soon after the Hamas attack, it should have been a reason for the Israeli defence forces to rejoice, but seemingly it was a dud as there were no follow-ups on this story.
The truth is that the business of misinformation is getting meaner and more dangerous, but when it is used as a weapon of war, then it also kills people, not only those who are in the battlefield, but also those who are far, far away. Carefully crafted lies packaged as truth endorsed by the heads of state or by credible channels that are believed by the gullible who are left demoralised. When the likes of Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak, and Emmanuelle Macron are wheeled out to defend fake news, then one must realise what is expected from it. Things are changing though. Viewers are deeply suspicious of many news sources and have just been consuming them unthinkingly. This is the reason why those desperate to control the narrative do not want any credible news outlet to hold a contrary opinion on what’s happening on the ground.
This is not the only time that TV channels, websites, and newspapers have been controlled by the media during the time of war. Last year, Russian news outlets were banned from social media platforms so that the narrative on the Ukraine war remains unchallenged. There is so much anxiety on both sides of the conflict to provide historical validation and justness for their war efforts. Expectedly a superpower or a global hegemon has not just better firepower but also exercises control over all forms of the media that helps them earn legitimacy for their actions and also occupy high moral ground. Understandably, there were no takers for Russia’s desperate attempts to show that they were not at fault but driven to attack Ukraine due to NATO’s enlargement.
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What happens now?
Despite the attempts of the Western powers and Israel to control the media narrative and show that Tel Aviv had a strong reason for attacking the landlocked Gaza, the killings of 7000 odd Palestinians, including 3000 children and 1800 women, have outraged the world community. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres surprised Israel when he reminded the Netanyahu government that the attack did not take place in a vacuum. The Israeli government was critical of the UN Chief and subsequently refused to give visas to UN diplomats to visit the conflict-ridden areas in Palestine. Did it help? Instead of gaining sympathy through a friendly media, Israeli PM Netanyahu’s attitude was seen as grounded in unreasonableness. The more Israel killed Palestinians, the more they seemed to be losing sympathy on social media and outside. Campuses in the US and many world capitals saw demonstrations against the Israeli bombing of Gaza and demanded an immediate ceasefire.
Sanjay Kapoor is a Senior Journalist based out of Delhi. He is a foreign policy specialist focused on India, its neighbourhood and West Asia. He is the Founder and Editor of Hardnews Magazine. He is a Member of the Editors Guild of India (EGI) and, until recently, served as the General Secretary of EGI.
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