This film provides a scathing examination of the American and international news media, which millions of people rely on for information about events occurring around the world. News, especially television news, exerts a powerful influence on our perceptions, telling us which events are important and shaping our understanding of the issues. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict currently dominates American news coverage of international issues. Given the central role played by the United Sates in the Middle East conflict, and thus the vital role played by American voters, it becomes important to examine the stories the news media are telling and to ask the question: Does the news coverage reflect the reality on the ground?
Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land provides a striking comparison on US and international media coverage of the crisis in the Middle East, zeroing in on how structural distortions in US coverage have reinforced false perceptions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This pivotal documentary exposes how the foreign policy interests of American political elites-oil, and a need to have a secure military base in the region, among others-work in combination with Israeli public relations strategies to exercise a powerful influence over how news from the region is reported.
Through voices of scholars, media critics, peace activists, religious figures, and Middle East experts, Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land carefully analyzes and explains how-through the use of language, framing and context-the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza remains hidden in the news media, and Israeli colonization of the occupied territories appears to be a defensive move rather than an offensive one. The documentary also explores the ways that US journalists, for reasons ranging from intimidation to a lack of thorough investigation, have become complicit in carrying out Israel's PR campaign. At its core, the documentary raises questions about the ethics and role of journalism, and the relationship between media and politics.
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