Al Jazeera Discovers 'Democracy' (When it's not Palestine)
Al Jazeera dutifully covers the Jimmy Lai trial, framing it as a critical blow against press freedom in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, in Gaza, journalists are systematically targeted and killed—over 100 since October 7—a fact often relegated to back pages or minimized as 'collateral damage' by mainstream outlets. Apparently, freedom of the press applies differently when the oppressor is a US ally
receiving billions in military aid. We’re told Lai’s 156-day trial is 'high-profile.' One wonders if the hundreds of Palestinian journalists assassinated by Israel, often with US-supplied weaponry, and whose cases never see a trial, are simply too 'low-profile' for such sustained outrage. Or perhaps, the 'draconian' nature of a law depends on whose narrative it serves.