In the 21st century, amid new media technologies, the new world order, and many events turning into a psychological tram, a news conference was held in the midst of a massacre as seen in the headline photo of this opinion piece.
This photograph depicts a news conference held at the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, which was bombed by Israel. This moment has been recorded as a historic event in terms of injustice, human rights violations, uncompromising journalism and the media.
As I mentioned, this is a historic photograph. We have never seen a country, so accustomed to massacres, with a deputy health minister addressing a news conference in such a helpless manner before.
The atmosphere in which the conference took place laid bare the brutality of the attack. In the background, the bodies of Palestinian children and adults who had lost their lives under the bombardment were visible. While trying to make his statements calmly, Ghassan Abu Sitta, a doctor associated with the international aid organization Doctors Without Borders, said this is a "massacre."
Of course, this scene was also challenging for the journalists present there and recording this broadcast because they, too, were bearing witness to a historic moment. It is a fact that we have witnessed the saddest and most shameful news conference in our profession. If you are a journalist, you cannot escape the realities you see when you open Twitter or Instagram – heart-wrenching stories and videos that can lead to trauma. We cannot pass the news as if we are scrolling through reels on the screen. What we see represents a tragic reality. These images are not from an American movie or TV series; they are from the U.S.-backed genocide.
Journalists are ready to face any danger to reveal the true face of war to the world. This photograph serves as a symbol of how we, journalists, and aspiring journalism students calmly convey the most harrowing moments witnessed by a war correspondent.
Journalists from various countries worldwide, numbering in the hundreds, await developments on the front lines in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or areas near the Gaza border. Currently, entering or leaving Gaza City is impossible. Predicting the outcomes upon entering Gaza is equally challenging. Israeli bombs do not discriminate for sure. As of now, 15 journalists have lost their lives.
Media is the most effective propaganda tool, and as such, it plays a significant role in shaping how war is perceived. How the media represents war shapes the public's view of conflict and war. Over time, we may inevitably experience what we call "compassion fatigue," both as journalists and as social media users.
Thanks to the media technologies of the 21st century, we tend to encounter tragic stories on a daily basis through various channels. When we are exposed to these stories and videos in large quantities, it can become emotionally taxing for the human brain. As a result of these frequent exposures, the human brain may suppress compassion through actions like denying or suppressing emotional responses.
Stressful situations can create a kind of exhaustion in the brain, causing every emotion to become heavier. As a result of this exhaustion caused by the overload of news, news consumers are beginning to adopt a more selective approach to the news they consume through social media. We can think of algorithms as a reflection of this selectivity process in the human brain.
This incident also carries significant responsibility for the media. War correspondents have documented war crimes and human rights violations. These pieces of evidence have encouraged the international community to investigate such crimes. Using these photos and images, the media should condemn Israel's attacks on Palestinians and demand that those responsible face justice.
*Multimedia editor at Daily Sabah
