The war in the Middle East has entered a new phase. A ceasefire this week, the release of hostages by the terrorist Hamas and of imprisoned Palestinians by Israel are raising cautious hopes here and there that the situation could calm down.
In Germany, the war has triggered numerous, sometimes very emotional debates, which also reveal lines of conflict in the diverse society: there is an accusation of callousness towards Israeli victims, and at the same time there is an accusation of ignoring the suffering of the Palestinian civilian population. There is also a discussion about anti-Semitism, which often places people of Muslim faith in Germany under general suspicion.
All of these conflicts are played out in the German media, but are often expressed as tangible criticism of the reporting by German newspapers, news platforms or broadcasters. But can the media be generally accused of tendentious reporting? How has German media reporting changed since the Hamas massacre on October 7th? What role do changing media usage habits play in how the Middle East war is reflected in Germany’s diverse society?
The “quoted” hosts Nadia Zaboura and Nils Minkmar discuss this with the media scientist and political scientist Kai Hafez, who has been examining the role of the media in a diverse society for years and has advocated objectifying the Middle East debate in Germany.
“quoted. the media podcast.” is produced by the Süddeutsche Zeitung and the CIVIS Media Foundation, supported by the Mercator Foundation.
For further reading
Essay by Israeli sociologist Natan Sznaider in Spiegel:
Interview with the Palestinian philosopher Sari Nusseibeh in the Süddeutsche Zeitung:
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/nahostkritik-israel-sari-nusseibeh-frieden-gaza-1.6305804?reduced=true (paywall)
Comment from Teseo La Marca in overmedia: “The German reporting on the Middle East war is putting my credibility as a reporter at risk”:
Andrej Reisin’s response in overmedia:
https://uebermedien.de/90356/von-wegen-doppelte-standards-in-der-deutschen-gaza-krieg-breporting/