Every day I am more despairing at how badly Australian media is failing its duty in reporting on Israel, when it comes to both global and local events. It’s been so tough to watch and I feel helpless that all I can do is, like, point it out? But accurately informed voters are a powerful tool for change, so point it out I will continue to do.

I’ve spent my Friday doing a case study on one specific news story and how heavily one-sided the reporting has been. I’ve got data and a table and everything! Let’s get into it:

Israel’s (unfounded?) accusation that UNRWA staff participated in October 7

On the same day that the International Court of Justice made its preliminary ruling that Israel might be conducting a genocide, Israel made the bombastic allegation that 12 staff members of the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) were directly involved in the October 7 Hamas attack. UNRWA fired those staff members (prematurely) and opened an investigation into the claims. This was covered extensively by Australian news outlets. Based on these claims, the federal government suspended $6million in humanitarian funding for UNRWA.

But on Tuesday, British news outlet Channel 4 reported that Israel “has provided no evidence to support its explosive claim.” They got a hold of the confidential document that had been provided to UNRWA to confirm this. That’s very big news – this is an independent assessment of a claim made by Israel (remember: other governments, including Australia, cannot be considered independent in this matter).

So how did Australian news outlets handle this significant development in an important foreign affairs story? They barely acknowledged it. Here’s the tally of coverage, as of Friday afternoon:

*The Guardian is an international publication, so I’ve excluded any stories that focus on a different country’s response.
ºNews.com.au includes content from Sky News (which they republish)

Even though I expected the numbers to be bad, the final tally still shocked me. Why has Australian news media essentially ignored the Channel 4 report? I’m genuinely asking because I can’t think of a single good reason for such extreme underreporting.

It’s not because this is another outlet’s ‘exclusive’ report. All news outlets will report on someone else’s scoop if it’s important enough, and in some cases they will just republish it in full. At least, that’s what the Sydney Morning Herald did on January 29 when they republished the New York Times article explaining the details of Israel’s claim. Why not also report Channel 4’s follow up? And why did NewsCorp really not think they had space for one mention of it, amongst the sheer volume of content the produce or republish on news.com.au every single day?

The fact that ABC reported on the Channel 4 investigation twice can’t be taken in good faith, because the numbers don’t tell the full story. While one is a relatively straightforward article, the other piece of content is a segment from afternoon radio program, RN Drive. To discuss the Channel 4 report, the ABC team invited Peter Wertheimn from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry – a pro-Israel body that was part of lobbying efforts to have Antoinette Lattouf fired. Presenter Andy Park asks: “Have you or anyone on the Council of Jewry seen this dossier or what [Israel] is alleging?” Wertheimn answers: “No I haven’t seen it.” That’s where the interview should have ended.

The Guardian does contain one mention of the Channel 4 report within the Middle East live blog on Tuesday. But this is not run by the Australian team, and it’s not a standalone article, video or podcast so I haven’t included it in the tally.

There is an incredibly stubborn insistence in Australian media to protect Israel and Zionism that I don’t understand. Another example: leaked messages from a WhatsApp group of 600+ Jewish Australians in the arts industry showed that some members were actively campaigning to get critics of Israel fired and were recruiting for pro-Israel surveillance campaigns in Australia. (More info on that in Alex McKinnon’s newsletter). Instead of reporting on the concerning content of the messages, Sydney Morning Herald/The Age called it a ‘mass-doxxing’ and threat to Jews. It’s not accurate or balanced, it makes no sense.

This one-eyed view of events is media bias, plain and simple. For these seven news outlets to publish 111 pieces of content about an allegation by a foreign government and only three about a credible report that it might be a lie… is an abject failure. All the media literacy in the world won’t save us if developments aren’t being reported on in the first place.

To avoid ending on a defeated note, here’s what we need to do to make sure we’re well informed: Read very widely. When it comes to Israel and Palestine, you must get some of your news from international outlets. Let me know if you need my reccs.

And in the interest of staying focused on the real goal here, the one thing within our control is the Australian federal government. They must pressure the US to pressure Israel into a permanent ceasefire – none of this ‘humanitarian pause’ bullshit. You can have a hand in that by telling your political representatives what you believe, and participating in visible activism.

Lastly, support ethical media outlets with your clicks, views, shares, subscriptions. Hopefully you consider Zee Feed and this newsletter to meet that bar. If you do, please share our stuff around (I don’t ask for that enough). I’ll have some ways for you to financially support us very soon.

– Crystal
Founder & Chief of Everything at Zee Feed
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Good stuff on Zee Feed rn:

I read Ela Lee’s debut novel Jaded in one day – very much recommend. The story is very similar to Brittany Higgins case in many ways to which Ela’s very wise response was: “The aftermath of what’s happened to her doesn’t seem to be discussed as much as the actual events themselves.” CLICK HERE TO READ.

Smart stuff on the Internet 💭

All the stuff I found on the web that made me think, smile, or have an ‘aha!’ moment. Spend your Sunday reading them – you'll be better off for it:

A Wild Investigation of Transvestigators, the People Who Think Celebs Are All Trans on Vice
"Some tranvestigators have different “tells” they rely upon in their research. I found one who seeks out what they call a “wonky eye”, who had posted hundreds of photos of celebrities squinting against the sun or a camera flash, judged as secretly trans.”

The Palestinian Martyrs instagram account
Almost 28,000 people have been killed by Israel’s attacks on Gaza. But with such a big number, it’s easy to forget that we’re talking about people who had full lives. This Instagram account is posting photos and stories of Palestinians who have been killed and it’s a necessary reminder of what is really at stake.

Are We Finally Ready for Diablo Cody? on Bustle
“She isn’t afraid to look back on her past selves critically. ‘Juno’ has been re-evaluated for its teenaged character’s decision to carry her baby to term; without Roe v. Wade, it reads as less quirky, more anti-abortion. Cody has said she wouldn’t write Juno today. It belongs to the past: a different country, with more rights.”

Shifting Gears: Tracy Chapman, Luke Combs, and the “Fast Car” Phenomenon on Google Docs
I loved this essay written by Eliza, an American college student on TikTok. “So what’s the problem here? Artists cover the songs of other artists all the time, and as long as Chapman receives royalties from Comb’s success, which she does, all should be well. However, in the context of the original song’s fame, the new found success of “Fast Car” demonstrates patterns of white, male, and straight privilege in the music industry; specifically in the world of country music.”

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