Eva Jaber ‘28 (she/her) is a prospective English or international relations major. She is a member of the Cleftomaniacs a cappella group, an ESL tutor and hopes to encourage peace-minded advocacy on campus. Contact her at ehjaber@wm.edu.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own.
On Sept. 28, I woke up with many other students on campus, wondering if my family was still alive. I scrolled through the news to find a narrative drastically different from my reality.
As a Lebanese-American, watching the genocide in Gaza increase in intensity and inhumanity has been beyond painful. Now, I watch the violent aggression target my own loved ones in Lebanon. I share tears of fear and frustration with my family as we mourn for our relatives who cannot, and should not have to, escape the land they call home. I wonder why many of my peers are seemingly unaware of these unjustifiable atrocities that are backed by their government and funded by their tax dollars. There is no excuse for a community that is blessed with so many educational resources to be unaware about issues that impact their fellow students and, I would argue, call into question the very humanity of our nation and world. It almost seems as if our campus has been taught not to care.
The lack of media literacy on campus, coupled with anti-Arab bias in mainstream corporate media, is a dangerous recipe for ignorance and indifference. In this piece, I will specifically focus on The New York Times and The Washington Post, as the College of William and Mary provides students with free subscriptions. I have split my analysis of the media we consume into three separate sections: omission of accountability, insensitivity and the impact on our campus.
First of all, mainstream media tends to downplay American and Israeli accountability in the Middle East. This sense of national unaccountability may translate to a more individual sense of indifference among consumers. For example, a recent article in The Washington Post titled “Hunger Still Stalks Gaza” inappropriately omits accountability from the headline, failing to acknowledge that Israel is blocking aid from entering Gaza and weaponizing starvation, which is a war crime. Similarly, a recent article in The New York Times titled “Why the World’s Biggest Powers Can’t Stop a Middle East War” is quite misleading. Not only does the piece vaguely characterize the Israeli invasion of Lebanon as a “Middle East War,” but it also seeks to convey that actively contributing powers like the U.S. can’t rather than won’t stop the violence. Still, believers in the sanctity of human life understand that the repeated decision to fund ethnic cleansing, occupation and invasion is not simply a product of circumstance; instead, it is an imperialist act of white supremacy meant to enforce Western economic and geopolitical control over a region.
For an example of insensitivity, I reference a recent journalism choice The New York Times made regarding the pager attacks on Lebanon. For context, the recent pager attacks on Lebanon murdered civilians including two children and four healthcare workers as well as injured about 2,800 people, nearly two-thirds of whom required surgery for their faces and hands. This unprecedented act of violence breaches international law in many ways. These breaches include violating the right to life and engaging in booby-trapping, from a humanitarian standpoint, as well as deliberately aiming to psychologically terrorize a civilian population, from the standpoint of customary international law. Perhaps, then, it would surprise you to hear that The New York Times created a literal game that makes a mockery of this war crime. The first question in its Sept. 24 Weekly Student News Quiz provides incomplete context with passive language in reference to the pager attacks, detailing that “devices carried by Hezbollah members exploded… in an audacious plot by Israel.” The lack of reference to the brutal civilian casualties, passive language that removes accountability and the glorification of violence through the use of the word “audacious” dehumanizes the Lebanese people. This context is followed by a Buzzfeed-style questionnaire that prompts the reader to identify whether the devices were “alarm clocks,” “game consoles,” “laptops” or “pagers.” I am not sure what kind of dystopian world we are living in, but turning a war crime into a game is offensive and racist. It normalizes violence and delegitimizes the suffering of my loved ones abroad.
Unfortunately, many students feel affected by this violence. I had the privilege of speaking with fellow impacted Middle Eastern students, and I sincerely hope that their voices will inspire you to learn more about the issues that face our families. Kenza Houhou ’27, a Lebanese student with family in Beirut, described, “It just feels like the bombs are hitting, it just feels like an earthquake.” Empathetic rhetoric may be lacking in our media, but that should not limit compassionate discourse at our college. Maryam Elgindy ’28, a Palestinian and Egyptian student with family in the West Bank, spoke about desensitization. “I think there’s a sort of notion like there’s always conflict in the Middle East so then you know when it just grows and grows, people don’t really care,” Elgindy noted. In the face of such desensitization, which is influenced by the media we consume, Maria Haddad ’27, a Jordanian student, stressed the importance of identifying prejudice. “In any media, analyze the bias before you make your decision,” Haddad explained.
So, what can we do to better understand the Middle East and support our peers who fear for their families abroad? I suggest a three step plan: read, reach out and speak up. Our campus needs stronger media literacy, and that can be achieved through diversifying your sources of media consumption. As much as I criticized The New York Times and The Washington Post in this piece, I still advise reading them. The power to think for yourself is not found through reading a single perspective; instead, I argue that you should balance your consumption of Western corporate media with non-Western and independent sources. Al Jazeera is a reputable source that operates in the Middle East. Its articles, social media feed and app are all great sources of information. Breakthrough News records YouTube interviews with experts in the field and provides an independent leftist perspective that is informative and interesting, regardless of whether viewers align politically. As you educate yourself, I encourage you to reach out to any classmates or friends who may have family in the impacted regions. As Haddad shared with me, learning from people’s experiences is an underrated form of interaction and growth. Lastly, seek to educate others. Start conversations, share resources you find helpful and advocate for peace and justice however you can.
Still, there is a source of hope in this difficult time. “I think it’s horrible how it came about, but I think more people than ever know and are being educated,” Elgindy shared. Your curiosity and compassion can help make this campus a more aware and welcoming place for all students.