Maine Owl

They could learn from Flashpoints

Update to previous item: On the day (two days ago) when Israel blew up a UN school and killed dozens of innocent people, I suppose NPR deserves a bit of credit for running this 4-1/2-minute interview with one of their own stringers:

Gaza Resident Describes Situation

Mr. AHMED ABU HAMDA (Palestinian News Producer): The people now - because now they have been under attack for a long time, they're out of food, out of supplies. Plus, I saw, for the last two, three days - and I am myself one of them - a lot of people evacuating from their houses, going other relative's houses, especially the people who are living on the hot spots or hot lines where there are clashes and so on. So, everyone is really panicking from that and trying to stay in a safe place. ...

Mr. HAMDA: I'll tell you something, my dear. Now in my flat, I'm not safe, OK? If I go out, I'm not safe. I will choose the less threat. For example, I had to go to the Shifa Hospital while I knew it might be risky. But why I went there? I am a Palestinian citizen who live in Gaza Strip. In such a crisis, I need money to bring food for my family. I have to risk my life to provide this food for my wife, for my family. This is how we are living here.

NPR anchor Melissa Block mainly was interested in poking and prodding about the Israeli propaganda line, "Hamas uses the population within Gaza basically as human shields" and "You did not see Hamas militants. How do you know when a young man is or is not a Hamas militant?"

Here's what I think. The Palestinians elected Hamas in a free and fair election three years ago. Yes, I suppose they are the Palestinian equivalent of the War Party. They were elected for reasons not unlike those for which electorates both in Israel and in the United States choose our own War Parties (basically all Parties in both countries). That is, we're bathed in false notions that violence will be some sort of solution to our problems.

Listening to NPR (especially the hourly news updates), what we hear mostly is a picture of some sort of symmetric war where evil Hamas fighters are surgically targeted by Israeli heroes. When a report leaks through like the one above, the NPR hosts have to make damn sure the piece does not stray too far from the normal drumbeat.

Would it be so hard for them to devote a significant percentage of their coverage speaking with besieged people actually on the ground in the Gaza shooting gallery? No. KPFA's Flashpoints does it every day. The last couple shows reveal truly grisly crimes (phosphorus attacks) and reporters like Sameh Habeeb noticeably more shaken and fearful for his family. Mr. Habeeb received ten seconds on CBS a couple of days ago. He gets ten to twelve minutes per day on Flashpoints.