Israel 'Chilling Effect' on Press, Media Keeps Chilling
Mainstream outlets are finally concerned about Israel's 'far-right government' targeting media. The New Arab article details new Israeli measures allowing the shutdown of TV stations and curtailing speech, citing 'chilling effects' on press freedom. This concern is, of course, presented as novel, rather than the logical escalation of decades of suppression, surveillance, and violence against
Palestinian journalists and those reporting from Gaza—a topic often relegated to the journalistic freezer by the very same mainstream media now clutching its pearls. While Western media outlets 'fear' a chill, over 100 journalists and media workers, overwhelmingly Palestinian, have been killed by Israeli forces since October 7th, 2023, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Yet, when
Israel explicitly bans Al Jazeera, bombs their offices, or targets their staff, the outrage from networks platforming regime apologists is conspicuously muted. Perhaps the 'chilling effect' isn't on press freedom generally, but merely on the inconvenient truth of Israeli actions that contradict the desired narrative, a narrative often reinforced by lobbyists like AIPAC, which spent $4.5 million in
2023 alone influencing US policy and media framing.