Controlling Information

There was a time when journalists were afforded the right to cover foreign wars without their work being massively censored. That’s not to say that the media hasn’t been censored or bias since its corporate inception, but at least individuals such as Peter Arnett, who was in Vietnam from 1962 to 1975 for the AP, during which he would win the Pulitzer in 1966 for his coverage, prove that independent coverage of conflicts is vital with regards to informing the public. Edward Murrow’s coverage of The Blitz is another example, as was his use of his television program ‘See It Now’ in 1954 which led to the downfall of Senator Joseph McCarthy.

Covering modern conflicts is a very dangerous business. To do so without bias is even more so, as major news media tends not to publish stories that aren’t at least somewhat tamed to ensure that they do not offend readers and thus imperil their consumer bases. There are exceptions to this rule, though they tend to primarily apply to veteran journalists that have significant reputations, such as Seymour Hersh, Robert Fisk, and so forth. The rest, especially in this day and age, are pushed to the periphery, many published only online or sparsely in the odd daily or periodical. And even then, their work is accused of being ‘liberally biased’.

All of that said, a very simple question has to be asked. Why do nations, such as Israel and the United States, disallow independent media coverage of aggressive military operations? During the invasion of Iraq the media was embedded with the military. In the case of Israel’s current operations, why has the Israeli government denied international journalists entry into Gaza?

The answer is quite simple. Information is power, and the ability to control it for the sake of ensuring that your actions are seen as justified to the world is paramount. The last thing that the Israeli government wants is members of the international media reporting uncensored from within Gaza, from witnessing the affects of collateral damage, the abhorrent conditions, and the humanitarian crisis that, despite Israeli claims, is very real. When it comes to modern warfare, information is power, and controlling it is quintessential.

As of today it’s being reported that 500 Gazans have been killed since the Israelis began operations. And while various agencies and groups have attempted to collect information as to how many of those killed have been civilians, the truth is that, at this point, it remains a guessing game. Scores more could be buried beneath rubble, still unaccounted for, and given the chaos reigning in Gaza, who has the time to properly conduct a thorough inquiry? For all anyone knows the death toll could be double that figure and the percentage of civilians killed much higher.

The IDF certainly can’t be counted on for accurate information, nor can the information provided by the UN or other groups be taken as gospel given the fact that they have had to frantically conduct such calculations in the midst of a bombing campaign. Were members of the international media present, reports of collateral damage, for example, would no doubt receive greater attention, thus aiding in filling in the broader picture. Unfortunately, most of them are being denied entry and therefore must rely on information provided them by sources in Gaza, or those few journalists that have either snuck in or were in Gaza prior to the commencement of Operation Cast Lead.