By Massarah Mikati and Jennifer Brandel

Author’s note:

Growing up as an Arab American Muslim in the post-9/11 world, I rarely felt that the mainstream media properly represented my communities with nuance and context — and I saw that coverage depicted and harmed not only my own community, but all communities of color. I’ve always believed in the power of storytelling, and the values of journalism to tell complete stories and minimize harm. That’s why I dedicated my career to centering the perspectives, experiences and identities of people of color. My goal has always been to uphold journalistic values and practices, and equally apply them across all communities.

That very belief is why we put together this guide. Journalists are human just like anyone else, and can sometimes slip up in upholding journalistic values in reporting on communities they are not from. We’ve been particularly seeing that happen when it comes to pro-Palestine communities, with media coverage often dehumanizing these communities, flattening their narratives or viewpoints and leaning on stereotypes in coverage. This guide seeks to help journalists ground themselves in ethical approaches to coverage of the complex situation happening in the Middle East and how it’s playing out in U.S. elections.

This guide is not meant to advocate for a particular group of people, outcome or viewpoint, and we made sure to have journalists of differing backgrounds review it. We specifically chose to focus on pro-Palestine communities for this guide because they have been a constant focal point in the presidential election. Our hope is that this guide can support you to produce more complete coverage of these communities, which would ultimately help us achieve our goal of Election SOS: to help journalists respond to critical election information needs (and center community in the process). The more we understand each other’s viewpoints and humanity, and accurately represent people’s stories and shared humanity, the more we are able to bridge divides across polarizing issues. And at the end of the day, that’s one of the most important roles of journalism.

-Massarah

Throughout the past year’s presidential campaign, there has been one particular topic front-and-center: the Israel-Gaza war, and U.S. support for Israel throughout it. Since the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, Israel’s war waged on the Gaza Strip has killed at least 40,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry*, while experts have sounded the alarm of spreading famine and disease due to Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian aid to the area. Throughout it all, President Joe Biden’s administration’s support for Israel has been steadfast, despite growing calls from American citizens to not only push through a permanent ceasefire deal, but to enact an arms embargo against Israel. 

For months now, the looming question has been whether that unwavering support will cost Democrats the presidential election — in addition to state and local elections — by alienating voting blocs who support Palestinian human rights. But in the midst of reporting on the topic, media coverage has come under fire for not only perceived bias in favor of Israel, but also insensitive or incomplete reporting of pro-Palestine communities. Because of the focus on pro-Palestine voting blocs, we put together this guide to support you in telling the most complete, compelling and ethical stories when reporting on these communities, their viewpoints and the impact they have on U.S. elections. By adhering to these guidelines, journalists can contribute to a more nuanced and respectful coverage of pro-Palestine communities while maintaining ethical and responsible journalism standards.

I need help with…:

• Building trust in pro-Palestine communities
• Responsible story framing
• Covering protests
• Representing pro-Palestine political views
• Working with editors and newsroom leaders
• Protecting myself or my colleagues from doxxing
• Something else? Email us at democracy@wearehearken.com

Building trust in pro-Palestine communities

The makeup of communities that are pro-Palestine is extremely diverse and intersectional racially, religiously, politically. But one thing many have in common, besides their support of Palestinian human rights, is a distrust of the mainstream media. That distrust stems not only from perceived media bias in covering Palestinians and their experiences, but also a history of harmful coverage of marginalized communities in general. Building trust in these communities is the first step to responsible coverage of their perspectives and experiences. Here are a few steps you can take to repair those relationships.

Show empathy and genuine interest

• Approach community members with empathy and respect for their perspectives and experiences. Acknowledge the difficulties they’ve been facing, and understand their hesitancy to speak with you or other media.

• Clearly communicate your intent in building relationships with community members. Make sure you’re not just connecting with them for stories (i.e. an extractive approach) but for actual, non-extractive relationship-building that will allow you to have a more well-rounded approach to your reporting.

• When writing a story, clearly communicate the intent behind that story. Be honest about your journalistic goals, and how their input contributes to a broader understanding of the issue.

Be mindful of language and assumptions

• Avoid language in your conversations, interviews and stories that might shame or condescend, especially concerning political actions such as whether or not to vote, or whom to vote for.

• Recognize that these communities are not a monolith. Learn and portray the complex diversity within the communities, their political views and their political actions.

Respect storytelling boundaries

• Nobody owes you their story. Approach interview and story requests with humility, not entitlement. Recognize and respect their right, and reasoning, in declining to participate in a story.

Be transparent

• Transparency is a powerful tool in building trust, especially with communities who are not media literate, who are cautious of the media, or have had negative previous personal experiences with the media.

• Walk interviewees and story subjects through your storytelling process: Explain who else you plan to interview, as well as the story-editing and publishing process to avoid surprises. When the story is complete, offer to read them their quotes (while emphasizing that you cannot make changes unless there are factual or contextual errors) so they know what to expect upon publishing.

Be sensitive

• Employ trauma-sensitive interviewing techniques when speaking with community members, on- or off-the-record.

• Be cautious not to sensationalize stories or resort to “trauma porn.”

• Do not simplify or flatten the complex dimensions and layers to community members’ perspectives, opinions and experiences. Some questions you can ask interviewees to ensure you are capturing a nuanced narrative are:

  • What is oversimplified about this conflict?

  • What do you want to understand about the other side? What do you want others to understand about you?

  • What’s the question nobody is asking?

  • Who are the people nobody is talking to, or the viewpoints nobody has captured?

  • What do you want to know about this controversy that you don’t already know?

  • Where do you feel torn?

Follow up

• Keep in touch with community members beyond the immediate story. Regular contact helps build lasting trust and demonstrates genuine interest

• Once your story is published, follow up with your sources. Be open to and accept feedback, including critical feedback, with grace, as outlined in this NPR piece. “It’s necessary to listen to the critics, even when they are spewing venom. On some level, on some details, they might have a valid point.”

• Issue a correction if you got something wrong, and consider a follow-up story to more fully represent the reaction you received and the truth within it.

Responsible story framing

Language matters

• What words are you using to describe Israelis versus Palestinians? Israeli violence versus Palestinian violence? Israeli deaths versus Palestinian deaths? Pro-Israel protesters versus pro-Palestine protesters? Data journalist Mona Chalabi found chronic, significant imbalances in media descriptors of each side. When reporting, carefully choose your language, and be consistent and balance in how you refer to either side (refer to these studies from data journalist Mona Chalabi).
• Be careful not to equate anti-Zionism with antisemitism. Doing so further harms the Jewish community and perpetuates antisemitism. Many Jewish people and Israelis are not supportive of the war or the Israeli government. 
• Use active, not passive, language to clearly and directly convey the truth (i.e. don’t say Palestinians died, say they were killed and when known, by whom).
• Avoid sensational, polarizing language and framing so as not to create further division. Focus on providing a balanced and accurate representation of the communities and issues at hand.

Avoid bothsidesism

• Be mindful of the power imbalance between Israel and Palestinians in your reporting. The Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association says, “This is not a conflict between states, but rather between Israel, which has one of the most advanced militaries in the world, and the Palestinians, who have no formal army, no air force or navy, and use comparatively less advanced armaments than Israel.” 
• Also be mindful of the power imbalance between pro-Israel folks and pro-Palestine folks in your reporting. Numerous reports have found a disproportionate impact on people who advocate for Palestinian human rights, primarily in the form of loss of jobs, but also lost elections. Understand why that is and how it impacts our democracy, and incorporate that context in your reporting.

Stick to the facts and provide important context

• The best way to protect your reporting is to ground it in verified facts. Everything written in your voice should be an indisputable fact. Leave speculation and analysis to the sources you quote in your story.
• Incorporate critical context in your reporting when community members use certain language or make specific claims. (i.e. if a pro-Palestine person calls the Israel-Gaza war a genocide, reference quotes and studies from genocide experts or rulings from the International Court of Justice. If someone says apartheid, reference studies from Human Rights Watch or Amnesty International.)

Showcase diversity

• People who are pro-Palestine hail from a variety of different racial, ethnic, age, religious and political backgrounds. Be sure to indicate that pro-Palestine communities are not a monolith.
• Include anti-Zionist Jewish people in your coverage.

Covering protests

Highlight peaceful intentions

• Clearly differentiate between the majority of peaceful protesters and any isolated incidents of aggression (i.e. “Thousands of peaceful demonstrators gathered to express their support for Palestinian rights. A small number of individuals were involved in clashes with [specific group, e.g., police], which occurred under [XYZ specific circumstances].”)

Provide appropriate context

• When reporting on aggression or clashes at protests, provide context on who initiated the conflict. If law enforcement or counter-protesters instigated the clash (such as what happened at University of California, Los Angeles in the spring), this should be noted explicitly to avoid misrepresenting the nature of the demonstration.

Avoid sensationalism

• Because of its racial connotation, steer clear of framing a protest as a “riot” or exaggerating the scale of unrest. The focus of protest coverage should remain on the primary intent and predominant behavior of the protesters. 
• When in doubt, remember the journalistic lessons learned and shared in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in 2020.

Protect your sources

• Because of widespread doxxing of pro-Palestine people, protesters may not want to share their identities for your stories or have photos taken of them. Many cover their faces so as not to be detected by surveillance that is used for doxxing. Understand and be sensitive to their wishes and preferences when interviewing protesters. Remember the Society for Professional Journalists’ rule: Minimize harm.

Representing pro-Palestine political views

Complicate the narrative

• Understand and convey that the pro-Palestine movement includes a spectrum of viewpoints and strategies. Reporting should reflect this complexity, avoiding the portrayal of the movement as monolithic or inherently opposed to particular political ideologies, parties or candidates. People can support a ceasefire and Palestinian liberation while also wanting to vote for a specific candidate or party.

Contextualize motivations behind political actions

• Recognize that the diversity of viewpoints within pro-Palestine communities also applies to the intent behind their political actions. When true, make clear that the primary goal of the demonstrations is to advocate for Palestinian rights and a ceasefire and pressure those in power to reach that goal, not necessarily being a critique of specific politicians or parties. This helps in presenting a fair representation of the demonstrators’ objectives. Capture those nuances in your reporting, and be sure your coverage does not paint communities’ stances with a broad brush.

Working with your editors and newsroom leaders

Cling to facts, not emotions

• Conversations around this topic can get heated. Keep emotion out of it and stick to the facts. Show editors reports and data that back up your reporting if they cast doubt.  
• If your editors or newsroom leaders feel uncomfortable with a story being published, remind them that our journalistic duty is to represent a diversity of viewpoints, even if it makes us uncomfortable.

• Raise any concerns about proposed language, framing or editing that appears biased, such as the omission of voices or perspectives.

Protect yourself from doxxing

Ensure reporting accuracy

• Make sure your reporting is ironclad. Triple-check your facts and sources to ensure your reporting is well-supported.
• Have your colleagues read over your work to flag any potential issues with framing or language used.

Protect your online presence

• Scour your social media profiles and online interactions. Ensure they reflect a professional, fact-based stance and are free of any content that could be misconstrued or used against you.
• Consider signing up for services such as BlockParty or DeleteMe.

Come up with a game plan

• Talk to your editors and newsroom leaders ahead of publishing to come up with a response plan for any negative feedback. 
• Discuss the possibility of getting doxxed, and establish what support will be available to you in that scenario. If you or your colleagues are experiencing online harassment or abuse for your reporting, help is available via the Online Violence Response Hub. 

Resist external pressure

• People may campaign to get your newsroom to change your story after it gets published. Ensure that any changes would be solely to correct factual inaccuracies. Otherwise, stand firm in your journalistic integrity.

Get weekly updates and resources for your election coverage with the Election SOS newsletter. 

*Some reporting has cast doubt on the numbers that the Gaza Health Ministry is putting out, seeing it as an overcount, while other reporting, such as from the nonpartisan scientific journal The Lancet, is anticipating it is very much undercount (The Lancet estimates the death toll may be 186,000 or higher). It may not be until the war ends that full accounting can be made, but what is undisputed is that the death toll is already in the tens of thousands of people killed in Gaza during this conflict.