The Listening Post

Throughout the various ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, western news outlets have repeatedly blamed their failure on Hamas. This week, we hear a perspective that rarely features in the coverage - the group's own - on the negotiations and the media narratives that surround them. Contributors:  Tahani Mustafa – Senior Palestine Analyst, International Crisis Group Basem Naim – Politburo member, Hamas Julie Norman – Associate Professor, University College London Abdaljawad Omar – Lecturer, Birzeit University On our radar: Ukrainian drone strikes on multiple Russian airfields have further escalated the conflict, as peace talks come up short. Tariq Nafi reports on the messaging on the airwaves both sides of the border. Is logging off the cure for ‘brain rot’? After decades of increased connectivity, screen time and addictive algorithms, more and more young people are logging off. The Listening Post’s Ryan Kohls looks at the community-based movements reevaluating their relationships with digital technology. Featuring: Monique Golay – Barcelona Chapter Leader, Offline Club Hussein Kesvani – Technology and culture journalist Adele Walton - Author, Logging Off

More than 600 days into its genocidal war in Gaza, some of Israel's closest allies have begun to condemn its actions. Alongside the changing global narrative, growing opposition in Israel to the Netanyahu government's war methods has seeped into the media coverage - fracturing a consensus that dates back to October 7, 2023. Contributors:  Yara Hawari – Co-Director, Al-Shabaka Natasha Lennard – Contributing writer, The Intercept Orly Noy – Editor, Local Call Muhammad Shehada – Visiting fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations On our radar: Over the past couple of weeks, dispatches coming out of Gaza’s hospitals have grown more and more desperate. Meenakshi Ravi reports on the healthcare workers getting the story out and filling the vacuum in the news coverage. Gaza Humanitarian Foundation: 'Aid washing' in the Gaza Strip Formed a matter of months ago, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is a United States-Israeli coalition of private military contractors that includes former CIA and military personnel. We speak with Jeremy Scahill, co-founder of Drop Site News, who has investigated the GHF, together with Palestinian journalists on the ground. Featuring: Jeremy Scahill – Co-Founder, Drop Site News

The images coming out of Gaza are apocalyptic, depicting the latest - and perhaps final - chapter in a genocide. Under an operation called Gideon’s Chariots, the Israeli military is forcing Palestinians into tiny corners of the besieged enclave. Its next phase: another full-scale invasion aimed at taking complete control of the territory. Contributors: Hani M Abuishaiba – Gaza correspondent, Al Jazeera English Sari Bashi – Israeli human rights lawyer Gideon Levy – Columnist, Haaretz Yousef Munayyer – Senior fellow, Arab Center Washington DC On our radar: When a documentary about Palestinian medics is commissioned by the BBC, made for the BBC, but never makes it to air, it begs the question: what is stopping the United Kingdom’s publicly-funded network from broadcasting it? Ryan Kohls reports. Pakistan’s military rides a wave of nationalism In the wake of its weeklong conflict with India, Pakistan's military is riding a wave of patriotic fervour. Waging a war of memes, music and messaging, the armed forces have had a brand refresh - and reminded the country who is really in charge. Featuring: Farieha Aziz – Podcast host, Dawn News English Wajahat S Khan – Journalist and author Maria Rashid – Author, Dying to Serve

United States President Donald Trump's tour of the Middle East this week is his first international trip since he started his second term. Conspicuously absent from his itinerary, however, was Washington’s closest ally in the region: Israel. In the US and Israeli media, the apparent snub has fuelled talk of a growing rift between Trump and his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu. Contributors: Diana Buttu – Human rights lawyer and analyst Dana Mills – Writer, +972 magazine and Local Call Jeremy Scahill – Cofounder, Drop Site News On our radar: Tariq Nafi reports on the killing this week of one of Gaza’s best-known journalists - and why it represents a new low in Israel’s unparalleled war on the press. Are India’s news channels helping or harming? The tit-for-tat conflict between India and Pakistan lasted only a week before a ceasefire deal was reached, but it was long enough to provide an insight into the role the media might play in a longer war. We speak with Indian journalist Hartosh Singh Bal about mainstream media under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government - from misinformation to hate speech - and the alternative news outlets trying to provide the antidote. Featuring: Hartosh Singh Bal – Executive editor, The Caravan magazine

One might think that images of starving children, as political leaders withhold aid and openly call for ethnic cleansing, would be topping news agendas everywhere. In the case of Gaza, the failure of many in the international media to meet the moment has made them part of the story. Lead contributors: Chris Doyle – Director, Council for Arab-British Understanding Daniel Levy – President, US/Middle East Project Muhammad Shehada – Visiting fellow, ECFR Sarah Leah Whitson – Director, DAWN On our radar: As India and Pakistan go toe-to-toe in their most intense fighting for decades, a flood of disinformation is fuelling the sense of panic on both sides. Meenakshi Ravi reports. Seeking justice on Ghana's courtroom shows If you are dealing with something personal and painful - a broken marriage or a family dispute - you might turn to a friend. For something as serious as sexual assault, it might go to trial. But in Ghana, more and more people are turning somewhere else: live radio. The so-called "justice-style" shows promise swift, public resolutions. But they are also controversial, with critics accusing them of turning private pain into primetime theatre. Featuring: George Sarpong – Executive secretary, National Media Commission Menenaba – Ghanaian writer Oheneni Adazoa – Host, Sompa Nkomo Show Zakaria Tanko Musah – Lecturer in media law and ethics, Journalism Institute

A deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir shattered a narrative Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has spent years constructing - that Kashmir was safe, open for business, and back to “normal”. In response, Indian officials have launched a sweeping crackdown and spurred nationalist rhetoric. Much of the media is echoing the government line. Too busy demanding revenge to ask the most basic of questions: How did this happen? Contributors: Anuradha Bhasin – Managing editor, Kashmir Times Sreenivasan Jain - Journalist and author Swasti Rao - Associate professor, Jindal Global University; consulting editor, The Print Nirupama Subramanian - Journalist On our radar In Pakistan, the media narrative on what happened in Kashmir has been dominated by powerful military and intelligence figures. But on social media, users are pushing back with satire and scepticism. Ryan Kohls reports. The White House and the memefication of cruelty Donald Trump has completed the chaotic first 100 days of his second term, marked by aggressive policies, talk of annexing neighbouring countries, and declarations of war against the mainstream media, universities and law firms. His administration’s online presence, filled with brash language and often cruel memes, reflects and amplifies his confrontational political style. Meenakshi Ravi reports. Featuring:  Meredith Clark – UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media Jon Roozenbeek – Professor of psychology and security, King’s College London Jude Russo – Managing editor, The American Conservative

As tech billionaires infiltrate the White House, the question looms, “Who really rules us, the government or Silicon Valley?" This film examines the influence and ideology of technocrats over the last century, and asks whether they pose a threat to democracy. Contributors: Gil Duran – Tech journalist Siva Vaidhyanathan – Professor of Media Studies, University of Virginia Payal Arora – Digital anthropologist Cori Crider – Senior Fellow, Open Markets and the Future of Tech Institute

The renewal of Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza has unleashed yet more death, destruction and displacement, but Palestinians remain determined to make the world witness their plight. Contributors: Shahd Abusalama – Palestinian scholar and artist Omer Bartov – Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Brown University Abdaljawad Omar – Lecturer, Birzeit University; writer and analyst The art of the political podcast interview The 2024 United States presidential race was the first "podcast" election - and given the millions of views and votes a podcast appearance can bring, it won’t be the last. Ryan Kohls reports on the allure of - and the problems with - the political podcast interview. Featuring: Susie Banikarim – Media strategist and consultant Max Tani – Media editor, Semafor Cenk Uygur – Creator and host, The Young Turks

Over the past month, hundreds of international students in the US have either been detained, deported, or stripped of their visas for protesting Israel’s war on Gaza. The Trump administration’s crackdown is being described as an assault on political dissent - one that has been enabled by mainstream news outlets and pro-Zionist pressure groups. This story is about more than just visas. It’s about who gets to speak in Trump’s America. Contributors: Adolfo Franco – Republican strategist and lawyer Eric Lee – Immigration lawyer Yumna Patel – Editor-in-chief, Mondoweiss Prem Thakker – Reporter, Zeteo News On our radar: The German government is attempting to deport four foreign students - none of whom have been charged with a crime - over their pro-Palestinian activism. Ryan Kohls reports. The media outlets in the Serbian president’s corner For the past five months, Serbia has been in the grip of historic protests against President Aleksandar Vucic's government. Young people have led the way, demanding political reform. But in doing so they've faced a powerful adversary - not only in government, but in its collection of loyalists in the media. Meenakshi Ravi reports from Belgrade on the narrative they have been spinning and the pushback they are getting from Serbian citizens. Featuring: Snjezana Milivojevic – Professor, University of Belgrade Vesna Radojevic – Reporter, KRIK Suzana Vasiljevic – Media adviser to the president of Serbia

Turkiye is witnessing its largest protests in more than a decade. Millions have taken to the streets after the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu - who is seen as the biggest challenge to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s presidency. Nearly 2,000 people have been detained so far, including journalists. But despite myriad official efforts to suppress news coverage, protesters keep pouring onto the streets. Contributors: Mehmet Celik – Editorial Coordinator, Daily Sabah Onur Erim – Political Adviser and President, Dragoman Strategies Ece Temelkuran – Author and Journalist Amberin Zaman – Chief Correspondent, Al-Monitor On our radar: Israel this week killed another two journalists in Gaza - Al Jazeera Mubaser's Hossam Shabat and Mohammed Mansour from the newspaper Palestine Today. The death toll of Palestinian media workers since October 7 now stands at more than 230. Tariq Nafi reports. Milei vs the media: the war on Argentina’s press freedom One year into Javier Milei’s presidency, Argentina is reeling from his radical economic policies and his escalating war on the press. Milei has targeted journalists, shut down the state news agency, and bypassed traditional media in favor of online platforms. As his government tightens its grip on information, Argentina’s media landscape is shifting. We hear from two journalists on opposite ends of the political spectrum about what Milei’s crackdown means for press freedom in Argentina. Featuring: Marcelo Longobardi – Journalist Julia Mengolini – Founder and presenter, Futurock