Saturday 25 June 2011

FRAMING THE IMAGE.


PUBLIC OPINION IS FORMED, INFORMED, MISINFORMED BY THE IMAGES THEY RECEIVE ON THEIR TV SCREENS OR IN THEIR NEWSPAPERS.   USUALLY, TV AUDIENCES AND NEWSPAPER READERS ARE PASSIVE MINDS ABSORBING WHATEVER SIGNALS THEY ARE RECEIVING, NOT REALLY ANALYSING THE DATA THEY ARE BEING FED. THEY SIMPLY ACCEPT IT AND ABSORB IT. THEY RARELY CHALLENGE OR QUESTION THE ‘FACTS’ THEY ARE BEING FED.

WHEN YOU GET AN IMAGE THAT IS PERSISTENTLY ECHOED AND REPEATED IT HAS THE EFFECT OF SOLIDIFYING THE PERCEIVED NOTION THAT THAT PRODUCT IS RELIABLE, THAT THE NEWS ANGLE IS CORRECT, THAT THE  IMAGE IS THE REAL THING. 
NOBODY QUESTIONS THAT THE IMAGE HAS BEEN TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT, THAT THERE IS ANOTHER SIDE TO THE STORY, THAT, IN FACT, THE IMAGE IS MISLEADING AND ITS EFFECT ON PUBLIC OPINION IS A FORM OF MANIPULATION BY THE MEDIA.
THIS HAS BEEN THE FATE OF ISRAEL’S IMAGE ON THE WORLD.

ISRAEL HAS HAD TO FIGHT SEVERAL WARS AND DEFEND ITSELF FROM THE MOST HORRENDOUS ACTS OF PALESTINIAN TERROR FOR DECADES. IT HAS BEEN ASSAULTED BY TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ROCKETS FIRED BY AN ISLAMIC TERROR ORGANISATION IN LEBANON CAUSING MILLIONS OF ISRAELIS CITIZENS TO FLEE THEIR HOMES IN NORTHERN ISRAEL.  IT HAS BEEN VICTIM TO THE SAME FATE IN THE SOUTH AS ANOTHER ISLAMIC TERROR REGIME ALSO FIRED TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ROCKETS INTO ISRAEL’S SOUTHERN TOWNS AND VILLAGES.
BUT THE CONSISTENT MEDIA MESSAGE IS NOT OF ISRAELI SUFFERING, OR ISRAELI JUSTIFICATION IN DEFENDING ITS CITIZENS FROM THIS ONGOING ASSAULT.  INSTEAD, THE MEDIA IMAGE HAS BEEN DOCTORED TO PRESENT A BRUTAL REGIME DELIBERATELY OPPRESSING INNOCENT CIVILIANS.

FROM IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN YOU GET IMAGES OF AMERICAN AND BRITISH TROOPS ON PATROL SMILING AT LOCAL KIDS AND HANDING OUT CANDY.  YOU NEVER SEE THOSE IMAGES WITH REFERENCE TO ISRAELI SOLDIERS THOUGH IT HAPPENS ON A DAILY BASIS.  AMERICAN AND BRITISH TROOPS IN FAR OFF AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ ARE PERCEIVED TO BE KEEPING THE PEACE. ISRAELI SOLDIERS ON PATROL ARE THE CAUSE OF THE TENSION. IT’S ALL ABOUT IMAGE AND INTERPRETATION. AND SO, WHEN ISRAELI SOLDIERS FIRE TEAR GAS AND WARNING SHOTS AT THOUSANDS OF VIOLENT AND PROVOCATIVE ARABS WHO HAVE BEEN PAID TO CREATE A MASSIVE BORDER INCURSION INTO ISRAEL THE IMAGE IS ONE OF ISRAELI SOLDIERS OPENING FIRE ON UNARMED DEMONSTRATORS. THE DESIRED EDITORIAL EFFECT IS TO EQUATE I.D.F. SOLDIERS WITH THE FORCES OF REGIONAL DICTATORS WHO ARE SLAUGHTERING THEIR OWN PEOPLE.  IN OTHER WORD NO DIFFERENCE AT ALL.

THIS REINFORCEMENT OF A FALSE IMAGE CAN BE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE AS MAJOR MEDIA CHANNELS HAVE EMBEDDED THEIR REPORTERS WITH THE ACTIVISTS WHO ARE INTENDING TO FORCE ISRAEL TO RESPOND TO THEIR ILLEGAL ACT OF BREAKING A LEGAL BLOCKADE OF GAZA ON THEIR FLOTILLA. THIS TRUTH WILL HAVE LITTLE PLACE IN THEIR REPORTING. IT IS THE IMAGE THEY ARE AFTER, THE IMAGE OF ISRAELI TROOPS STORMING THE SHIPS. THE GREATER THE RESISTANCE AND VIOLENCE THE MORE SENSATIONAL AND NEWSWORTHY THE VIDEO AND PICTURES.  ONE PICTURE, THEY SAY, IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS AND ISRAEL WILL HAVE TO EXPEND A THOUSAND WORD TO EXPLAIN THAT ISRAELI SOLDIERS WERE SIMPLY  APPLYING THE LAW IN DEFENSE OF ISRAEL, BUT THAT MESSAGE IS IRRELEVANT TO THE IMAGE. WHO WANTS TO HEAR THAT ISRAEL IS CONSTANTLY UNDER ATTACK. IT IS THE IMAGE  THAT FORMS PUBLIC OPINION. HENCE THE VICIOUS CIRCLE.

THE IMAGE GOES BEYOND FORMING PUBLIC OPINION. IT EXPRESSES ITSELF IN CONCRETE ACTION THAT IMPACTS ON ISRAEL. ONE MICROCOSM CAN ILLUSTRATE THE KNOCK ON EFFECT. 
A LITTLE KNOWN, INSIGNIFICANT, LOCAL COUNCIL IN SCOTLAND HAS IMPOSED A BOYCOTT ON ISRAEL. IT HAS ALSO BANNED ISRAEL BOOKS FROM THEIR LIBRARY. WEST DUNBARTON COUNCIL, YOU SEE, HAS BEEN HIJACKED BY A LEFT WING ACTIVIST COUNCILLOR WHO DECIDED TO CHAMPION THE PALESTINIAN CAUSE (THE PALESTINIANS BEING THE POSTER CHILD OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIALISTS AND RADICAL ISLAMISTS) BY CALLING FOR THE BOYCOTT. HE QUOTED THE "DELIBERATE TARGETING OF CIVILIANS" AND THE "DISPROPORTIONATE USE OF FORCE". THESE ARE OFT REPEATED  AND UNFOUNDED ACCUSATIONS  OF THE TV AND PRINT MEDIA IN BRITAIN. BASED ON HIS RESOLUTION, AND THEIR RESPONSE TO THE REPETITIVE IMAGES THAT FORMED THEIR OPINION, THE COUNCIL VOTED AND APPROVED THE BOYCOTT. 
NO ONE IN THAT COUNCIL CHAMBER THOUGHT TO INVITE ANY OFFICIAL ISRAELI RESPONSE TO BALANCE THE PROPOSAL.  THEIR DECISION WAS TAKEN BASED ON A ONE SIDED RECOMMENDATION. THE COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE NO FEAR OF BEING THROWN OUT OF OFFICE AS THIS ISOLATED PART OF THE WORLD HAS NO ISRAELI AND  ONLY A HANDFUL OF JEWS, IF ANY,  AMONG IT CONSTITUENTS TO RAISE A LOCAL PROTEST.  THEIR RESOLUTION NOT TO BUY BOOKS PRODUCED IN ISRAEL SAYS THAT WEST DUNBARTON COUNCIL WILL IMPOSE ON THEIR CITIZENS WHAT THEY CAN AND CANNOT READ. THEY HAVE CLOSED THE DOOR ON OPEN MINDED RESEARCH, DEBATE,  OR EXAMINATION INTO WHETHER THEIR DECISION IS FAIR OR RIGHT OR EVEN JUST.

AND SO, WHEN LOCAL COUNCILS, TRADES UNIONS, THE ACADEMIC WORLD, EVEN CHURCH GROUPS ARE PERVERTED TO SLAM THE DOOR IN THE FACE OF A JUST ISRAEL ACTING IN ITS SELF DEFENSE IS IT ANY WONDER THAT THE MEDIA CONTINUES TO MANIPULATE PUBLIC OPINION WITHOUT TOO MUCH OPPOSITION.
THIS IS WHY OUTLANDISH ALLEGATIONS EQUATING ISRAEL TO A RACIST, NAZI, APARTHEID STATE GUILTY OF WAR CRIMES USING A DISPROPORTIONATE SHOW OF FORCE IN THEIR ETHNIC CLEANING AND GENOCIDE AGAINST THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE GAINS SUCH FOOLISH ACCEPTANCE IN PEOPLE WHO SHOULD, AND MUST, KNOW BETTER.

THEY DO NOT SEE THAT THE PALESTINIAN POPULATION HAS NOT BEEN ETHNICALLY CLEANSED BUT HAVE, IN FACT, GROWN AND IT IS THE JEWS OF ISRAEL THAT FACE GENOCIDE AND ETHNIC CLEANSING AND THE HANDS OF THE PALESTINIANS AND ARAB ISLAMIC STATES INCLUDING IRAN.

THEY DO NOT SEE THAT PALESTINIANS HAVE PROSPERED IN RECENT YEARS MAINLY THANKS TO THE COOPERATION OF AN ISRAEL THAT HAS REPEATEDLY AGREED TO A TWO STATE SOLUTION AND IS ASSISTING THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY WITH ITS NATION BUILDING.
THEY DO NOT READ THAT BOTH FATAH AND HAMAS MAINTAIN AN ANTI-SEMITIC CHARTER THAT CALLS FOR THE KILLING OF JEWS AND THE ELIMINATION OF THE JEWISH STATE.

THEY DO NOT LEARN ABOUT THE HATE EDUCATION AND INCITEMENT AGAINST JEWS AND ISRAEL THAT IS BEING TAUGHT IN PALESTINIAN SCHOOLS AND IN THE CHILDREN’S SUMMER CAMPS.

THEY ARE NOT INFORMED BY THEIR MEDIA AND LEADERS THAT THE PALESTINIANS HAVE REFUSED TO NEGOTIATE WITH ISRAEL DIRECTLY, REJECT THE NOTION OF THE JEWISH STATE OF ISRAEL, AND CLAIM ALL OF ISRAEL AS THEIR PALESTINE.

NONE OF THE WESTERN MEDIA HAVE CONDUCTED ANY INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING ABOUT THE TERORRIST NATURE OF PALESTINIAN SOCIETY. THIS HAS NOT BEEN DONE BECAUSE OF TWO REASONS. THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF MOST OF THE WESTERN MEDIA HAVE NO INTEREST OR POLITICAL BENT TO CONDUCT SUCH HONEST REPORTING. EVEN IF THEY CHOSE TO DO SO THEY KNOW THEY WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED INTO PALESTINIAN TERRITORY TO CONDUCT SUCH INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING AS THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE PRESS THERE, AS THERE IS IN ISRAEL. REPORTERS AND JOURNALISTS HAVE BEEN KILLED AND KIDNAPPED BY PALESTINIANS. IT IS A RISKY BUSINESS TO TELL THE TRUTH IN PALESTINIAN HELD AREAS.

THESE ARE THE IMAGES THEY DON’T WANT TO SHAPE PUBLIC OPINION. TO RELEASE SUCH IMAGES WOULD RAISE THE QUESTION WHY THE PUBLIC WAS KEPT IGNORANT OF THE TRUTH, WHY THEY HAVE BEEN DECEIVED, FOR SO LONG.

BARRY SHAW
THE VIEW FROM ISRAEL
25.6.11.

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