The Listening Post

With Alexey Navalny’s death and Julian Assange’s extradition appeal happening within a week of each other, we look at the selective treatment of the two dissenters in the Western media.Lead contributors:Chip Gibbons - Policy Director, Defending Rights & DissentMatt Kennard - Chief Investigator, Declassified UKBranko Marcetic - Writer, JacobinRebecca Vincent - Director of Campaigns, Reporters Without Borders (RSF)On our radar:Usually silent in the face of the suffering in Gaza, Israeli TV channels broadcast segments on the abuse of Palestinian captives - with a positive spin. Tariq Nafi reports.Namibia’s (mis)remembered genocideGermany’s genocide in Namibia early in the 20th century has long been a misremembered episode in colonial history. Despite efforts to correct that record, many are yet to hear the testimonies of the victimised communities: the Herero and Nama peoples.Featuring:Christina Haritos - Communications ScholarSuzie Ndaundika Shefeni - Researcher and JournalistJephta Nguherimo - Herero Activist and Poet

More than a million Palestinians have been crammed into the city of Rafah -  which is being bombed by Israel with the imminent threat of a ground invasion. Western media, however, has once again failed to communicate the severity of this moment.Contributors:Laura Albast - Media Analyst, Institute for Palestine Studies-USANabih Bulos - Middle East Bureau Chief, LA TimesAdel Iskandar - Professor of Global Communication, Simon Fraser UniversityJacob Magid - US Bureau Chief, The Times of IsraelOn our radar:Haaretz newspaper published an article about Israeli soldiers cooking food in Palestinian homes– the same homes these soldiers chased them out of, all while Palestinians themselves are being starved by Israel. Nic Muirhead on the mocking of Palestinian suffering.The Kremlin’s youth militarisation pushSince Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has invested considerably in managing domestic perceptions of the war - including among younger citizens.With the war dragging on, the government’s youth propaganda has escalated. Educational institutions have become part of an orchestrated effort to shape loyal militarised nationalists and passive media consumers.Contributors:Alexander Borodikhin - Editor, MediazonaEkaterina Kotrikadze - Anchor, TV RainIan Garner - Professor, Queen’s University Centre for International and Defence Policy

This past week’s elections in Pakistan were meant to be a formality, the outcome - a win for the PMLN - predetermined by the Pakistani military and intelligence apparatus.But despite their attempt to manage the narrative and meddle with politics, former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his party, the PTI, had an unexpected pull with the people.Contributors:Amber Shamsi - Director, Centre for Excellence in JournalismAsma Shirazi - Anchor, HUM NewsFahd Husain - President, AIK NewsMoeed Pirzada - Journalist and YouTuberOn our radar:Two weeks after the International Court of Justice concluded Israel may be committing genocide in Gaza, Israeli soldiers continue to film and upload evidence of their own war crimes. Tariq Nafi examines the material being posted online.John Kirby: US messenger on the Gaza WarFor Israel’s primary backer in its war on Gaza, the United States, getting the messaging right has not been easy. The face of the White House’s policy is US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.Despite some uncomfortable exchanges with reporters, Kirby has maintained an aggressive approach in his delivery. Whether audiences are buying it is another matter.Meenakshi Ravi explores the figure of the spokesperson and the challenges of being President Biden’s messenger on Gaza.Featuring:John Nichols - National affairs correspondent, The NationKristian Denny - Associate professor, Columbia UniversityPrem Thakker - Politics reporter, The Intercept

Israeli intelligence accuses a UN refugee agency of collusion with Hamas – and the media take it at face value.Israel has for years been claiming that the United Nations refugee agency (UNRWA) is in cahoots with Hamas. The latest allegations – which coincided with the International Court of Justice’s order for Israel to prevent genocide – bear the hallmarks of a distraction tactic. So far, the media have taken the bait.Contributors:Diana Buttu – Palestinian lawyerTal Mimran – Former Israeli government adviserAbdaljawad Omar – Academic, Birzeit UniversityKenneth Roth – Former executive director, Human Rights WatchOn our radarLast month, a New York Times investigation carried Israeli allegations of sexual violence by Hamas during its October 7 attacks. Meenakshi Ravi explains why that story is being called into question.Germany’s ‘Palestine exception’ to free speechHistorical guilt and the stifling of pro-Palestinian dissent in Germany.Contributors:Hebh Jamal – Palestinian journalistHanno Hauenstein – Journalist and former editor, Berliner ZeitungWieland Hoban – Chair, Jewish Voice for Peace

Mohammed el-Kurd, writer and journalist on Palestinian resistance and Western media's warped coverage, discusses the ICJ ruling's impact on media coverage of Gaza. The podcast also explores the challenges faced in reporting on Israel's actions in Gaza, the biased coverage of the Ram Temple issue in Indian media, and the potential implications of the temple's consecration on Indian secularism.

The ICJ hearings have drawn scorn as well as shock from Israel’s media punditry. In the West, however, the case has emboldened journalists to ask tougher questions of the Israeli narrative.Lead contributors:Oren Ziv - Reporter, +972 MagazineMouin Rabbani - Co-editor, JadaliyyaSelma Carmey - Human rights lawyerGideon Levy - Columnist, HaaretzDaniel Levy - President, US/Middle East Project; Former Israeli political adviserOn our radar:Australia’s public broadcaster- ABC - fired a radio host after she shared a report on Gaza’s humanitarian crisis to her social media. Meenakshi Ravi reports on a leak showing a pro-Israel pressure group may have been involved.Feature: Top marks for FinlandFinland’s educational drive around media literacy offers a model for educators, broadcasters and countries around the world.Feature contributors:Leo Pekkala - Deputy director, National Audiovisual InstituteMari Vesanummi - Media education producer, YLEValtteri Kela - Finnish language teacher, Helsinki French Finnish SchoolValentina Uitto - History teacher, Helsinki French Finnish School

With the International Court of Justice deliberating over South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, we look at how the proceedings could affect reporting on the war.Contributors:Qaanitah Hunter - Journalist, News24Nimer Sultany - Editor-in-Chief, The Palestine Yearbook of International LawDaniel Levy - President, US/Middle East ProjectTony Leon - Political commentatorOn our radar:In Ecuador, masked gang members break into the studio of the state broadcaster, firing at staff and taking hostages. Tariq Nafi explains the country’s gang violence crisis and why the media has become a target.Feature - Sudan: 2023’s Forgotten WarThousands killed, millions displaced - the crisis in Sudan continues unabated and underreported. Two Sudanese journalists reflect on the coverage of Sudan’s civil war.Contributors:Yassmin Abdel-Magied - Editor, Eyes on SudanIsma’il Kushkush - Sudanese-American journalistSubscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ajlisteningpostFind us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ajlisteningpostCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/program/the-listening-post/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile#Israel #Palestine #Gaza #SouthAfrica #News

After three months of destruction, displacement and the killing of Palestinians, we take a deep dive into the way the Gaza story has been covered.Since the attacks on October 7, The Listening Post has interviewed a range of experts on the news coverage – what’s missing in it, and how it has helped enable the crimes being waged on Palestinians in Gaza.In this special edition, we’ve compiled three interviews – with one journalist, one expert on human rights and another on digital rights. They talk us through the way the media – through their news coverage – have helped pave the way to a genocide.Contributors:Francesca Albanese – United Nations Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesMarwa Fatafta – MENA Policy and Advocacy Director, Access NowMariam Barghouti – Writer and journalist

In 17 years of The Listening Post, we have never seen a story anything like Israel’s war on Gaza.It has been a turning point for the world order as we know it and its media ecosystem – which is why, since October 7, we have covered nothing else.In this special edition, we compiled our reporting on the Gaza war over the past 12 weeks. The extent of the brutality, a genocide unfolding in plain sight; the sheer volume of disinformation, designed to defend the indefensible; and the complicity of so many Western news outlets – repeatedly exposed for failing to question Israeli propaganda, then spreading it.Contributors:Ariella Aïsha Azoulay - Professor of Modern Culture & Media, Brown UniversityAzad Essa - Author, Hostile HomelandsDaniel Levy - President, US/Middle East ProjectOrly Noy - Journalist, Human Rights AdvocateOmar Al-Ghazzi - Associate Professor of Media & Communications, London School of EconomicsRami Younis - Journalist; Former host On the Other Hand, Makan 33Ramzy Baroud - Editor-in-Chief, Palestine ChronicleSarah Leah Whitson - Executive Director, DAWNSwasti Rao - Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies & AnalysesYara Eid - Palestinian Journalist in GazaYumna Patel - Palestine News Director, MondoweissSubscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News

According to Gaza’s government media office, Israel’s military has now killed 97 journalists in the Strip. Israel has barred international media from entering Gaza, firsthand reporting on the onslaught there has been left to Palestinians already locked into the occupied territory - documenting their own genocide.Contributors:Amahl Bishara - Professor of anthropology, Tufts UniversityArwa Damon - Former senior international correspondent, CNNSari Bashi - Program director, Human Rights WatchWael Dahdouh - Gaza bureau chief, Al Jazeera ArabicOn our radar:The settler movement - which has placed 700,000 Israelis on the West Bank in complete contravention of international law - now has its eyes on Gaza. Producer Flo Phillips on Israeli developers' plans in post-war Gaza.The war in Gaza & the end times - the Christian Zionist view:Evangelicals in the United States - many of whom call themselves Christian Zionists - are some of the biggest supporters of Israel in the US, and they broadcast their support on TV and radio networks that have huge audiences.Contributors:Chrissy Stroop - Senior correspondent, Religion DispatchesMelani McAlister - Author, The Kingdom of God Has No BordersSarah Posner - Journalist and author, UnholySubscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribeFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglishFind us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeeraCheck our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile@AljazeeraEnglish#Aljazeeraenglish#News