Media and Arts

If You See Media That Is Problematic¹ #

Unfair representation and disinformation in media coverage of Palestine abound. Here are some tips on how to recognise this and take action:

• Pay attention to language used: an otherwise factual article can still be framed in a way that undermines the Palestinian cause.

  • For example, outlets may refer to Palestinians who “have died”, versus Israelis who “get killed”.²

  • Some outlets are still failing to use the term “Occupied Palestinian Territories”. These outlets should be lobbied accordingly.

• Take screenshots as evidence
  • We are seeing things deleted faster than ever – not just on socials.
• Don’t get emotional
  • Stick to the facts – not because your feelings don’t matter, but because they’re not the point.
• Use socials to call them out.
  • Tag the media platform
  • Tag the journalist involved.
• Write a letter of complaint to the media platform.
  • Let them know why their coverage was problematic, with as much detail as possible.
  • Include the story and the journalist.
  • Tell them why they have breached their code of conduct. For example, if it was biased, prejudiced, or Islamophobic.
  • 💡 Tip: avoid Daily Telegraph and all its affiliates
• Go to Media Watch, which is a program that scrutinises other media platforms, and let them know here.
• Put in a complaint to ACMA here.
• Make a complaint to the Australian Press Council here
  • Exceptions: Content on ABC and SBS cannot be reported to the APC, and must be reported directly to those companies.
  • You can complain to the Council and to the relevant publication at the same time.
  • Complaints must:
    • Be about an alleged breach that ‘directly and personally’ affects a person/group
    • Be about articles published in so-called australia
    • Relate to australian events
    • Regard an alleged breach of one of the following standards (read more at the link):
      • Accuracy and clarity
      • Fairness and balance
      • Avoidance of harm
      • Integrity and transparency
    • Be made within 30 days of the first publication of the relevant material.
  • The Council’s complaint form will ask for:
    • Your personal details, including address and phone number
    • Details of the article, like the headline, date, and link
    • A statement on why you’re complaining
    • Other details, like whether you’ve been personally identified, affected by the content of the piece, and whether you’ve already complained to the publication
• Divide your media monitoring with others and share what you have seen with your networks, so they too can report it
  • The current news cycle moves fast. It’s impossible for us to stay on top of everything that is being reported. The more people speaking up, the better.

Hold The ABC Accountable³ #

The ABC (Australian Broadcasting Company), which is funded by taxpayers, claims to provide impartial coverage of the crisis in Gaza. However, many concerns have been raised about the favouring and prioritisation of pro-israel and zionist perspectives.

• Concerns raised by ABC staff:
  • The ABC’s coverage of Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza has been too heavily reliant on the talking points of the IOF.
  • The ABC has been unwilling to use language such as “invasion”, “occupation”, “genocide”, “apartheid” and “ethnic cleansing” regarding israeli government policy.
  • 7.30 host Sarah Ferguson’s interviews with pro-israel voices left many of their claims unchallenged, unlike interviews with pro-Palestinian voices.
• Responses from high-ranking ABC staff focused on “impartiality” and a denial of israel’s apartheid against Palestinians.

Protests and sit-ins have been organised outside the ABC’s offices in response to this. See here for more actions you can take from home to hold the ABC accountable.

Boycott Schwartz Media⁴ #

Note: this is a localised, organic call to action, and not a targeted boycott as called for by the BDS movement. Refer to our BDS section for targeted boycott actions.

Who is Schwartz Media? #

An australian publishing house, digital media, and news media organisation.

Why are we boycotting Schwartz Media? #

• Schwartz Media is a systemically zionist company with an explicit, top-down racist agenda that profits from the stories of certain model minorities.

• The owner and chief operator, Morry Schwartz, is a committed zionist who spent nine years occupying land stolen from Palestinians. In 2017, Schwartz told The Age: ‘I have no shame in saying I’m a great supporter of israel.’⁵

• In response to backlash, Schwartz has begun peppering his platforms with a few non-meaningful mentions of Palestinian existence — while ensuring that these mentions are entirely divorced from the reality of invasion, colonialism, military occupation and apartheid.⁶

Associated Platforms of Schwartz Media: #

• Black Inc

  • Notably, Black Inc is the publisher of the ‘Growing Up in Australia’ series.
  • Former Black Inc employees have described how Palestinian-authored manuscripts are quietly rejected on ideological grounds. The publisher’s ‘progressive’ image, they say, is ‘built on the exclusion of Palestinian voices’.⁷

• The Saturday Paper

  • Incoming journalists at The Saturday Paper have been explicitly warned by Morry Schwartz’s enabler-in-chief Erik Jensen that they would not be permitted to criticise israel.⁸

• The Monthly

• 7am Podcast

• The Culture Podcast

• The Politics Podcast

• La Trobe University Press

• Australian Foreign Affairs

• Anna Schwartz Gallery

• Quarterly Essay

Partners of Schwartz Media: #

Call and email these organisations to make it clear that as long as they partner with the zionist company Schwartz Media, we will not support their work. See page 20 of this document for a list of Schwartz Media Partners.

If You See Media That Is Positive⁹: #

1. Let them know!
2. Use your socials to highlight their work.
   1. Tag the media platform
   2. Tag the journalist
3. Write a letter of affirmation, support and appreciation.

Support The Sunday Paper¹⁰ #

• The Sunday Paper is an independent publication platforming artists and writers opposing colonial media hegemony.
• It platforms Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Palestinian artists and writers in boycott of zionist-owned australian publisher Schwartz Media.
• Order copies here.

Notes #