Issue 122 - Volume 11 Issued by Media Development Center, Birzeit University Since 2005 We are used to mourning and breast-beating Elderly Haja Zareefa commonly told her grandchildren: “I spit on your weak generation. Are you the ones who will liberate Palestine!” This scolding would usually conclude with the phrase “In my… dreams you will”; you know what is the missing word is. Believing that we have run out of people to break across the firing lines, she used to say: “Where are the gunmen? Where are they?” She saw the youth of 2015 with their various accessories as people who value life, who would not sacrifice the luxuries to which they are so strongly attached, and who would never throw a stone or respond to a call for help. But it seems that Zareefa was mistaken and the elixir of love for Palestine is proving more powerful than anything else for us, apart from one thing that is even stronger: our hatred of the occupation and our desire to drive it out. With this in mind, here in what was called and will remain Palestine, the love potion for the homeland and the hatred for the occupiers will be enmeshed until the day of resurrection, or until we are restored to a homeland where we can be ourselves, and just ourselves. AL HAL - Saturday 31/10/2015 4 PAGES “He sacrificed accuracy for a press scoop” When the Palestinian press faltered Muntaser Hamdan communicating with Israeli journalists and assuming that they have a press scoop. As The rapid development of events in a result, Palestinian journalists and society the Palestinian Territories has laid bare assume that what is published in the Israeli structural imbalances in the workings of media is factual and can be transmitted the editorial boards of many local media without verification”. outlets. The media have found themselves Journalist Fadi Arouri agrees and stresses dragged into exchanging and disseminating the need to improve the performance of news without any scrutiny of the credibility local media in view of what he describes of what they publish or broadcast. This has as “catastrophic faults” that can have served the Israeli narrative by enabling negative and direct effects on individuals the transmission of misleading information or their families in many ways, including about events, and several Palestinian psychological damage. Freedom of Journalism media outlets have fallen victim to the He said: “The problem is aggravated when speedy release of news at the expense of it comes to matters like publishing news accuracy and scrutiny of information. relevant to the names of the wounded or Many journalists and observers consider martyrs with no consideration of the rules that the responsibility lies with journalists and ethics of the profession, or even of in the field to examine and ensure the humanitarian requirements. It requires credibility of the information they supply to strenuous efforts to monitor and address their media outlet. Other media specialists this aspect”. believe that editorial boards are primarily Khaldoun Barghouti, the website Journalists are of different kinds responsible for the publication of the administrator of al-Hayat al-Jadeeda information received and should examine newspaper, acknowledges that there is a and check the credibility of this information real dilemma when it comes to handling prior to public transmission. breaking news such as an ongoing incursion Palestine TV reporter Christine Rinawi or news about martyrs or wounded inside believes that the rapid pace and number [the Green Line]. “Our work depends on of events have led to confusion for both speedy publication, but in such events we journalists and the local media, especially should use “brakes” because facts need to with the widespread use of social media and be scrutinized and verified”. smart phones that disseminate information, “In the absence of a Palestinian source Either they are with us, or god images and videos without any checks on of information inside [the Green Line], we have mercy on them! their credibility. follow up on more than one source from the Rinawi refers to an event she was covering Israeli media before we accept any piece of in which the death of a local martyr was information”. announced from the speakers of the On another note, Said Abu Muala, media mosque in al-Tour. Several news stations lecturer at the American University of transmitted the news. The man himself Jenin, commented: “Today the term that heard the news of his death while sharing a is emerging in this field is that of ‘media cup of mint tea with his wife on the balcony society’. This is a concept related to of their house. Rinawi explained that attributes that influence the work of the this story was the result of an erroneous media and what is associated with it: statement by the Israeli police about the intangibility (the digitalization of the press death of that resident, prompting media language and forms of transmission); outlets to transmit the news, although the knowledge (undermining the principle Israeli police later corrected their statement. of monopolization and hegemony of Another journalist, Naela Khalil, believes knowledge); flexibility (ongoing education that this popular uprising has revealed that and improving proficiency); and change A journalist’s reputation will be threatened accuracy, Hussam Ezzidin, head of local Palestinian media do not have in place (work is not centralized or confined to a if he ignores this principle and prioritizes the ethics committee of the Palestinian proper methods for handling events and the location)”. speed at the expense of accuracy”. Journalists’ Syndicate (PJS) said: “Our exchange and transmission of information. Farid Abu Thuheir, media professor at Ashraf Ajrami, a journalist and former press has committed catastrophic errors, She believes that this is an accumulative Al-Najah National University, finds that minister, believes that local media in the very sense of the word, by opening result of neglect and dependency over alongside the many advantages of social are unfortunately influenced by social the door to information published by Israeli many years. These popular events have networking, the door has been opened wide networking that publish vast amounts of satellite stations and news websites as simply served to expose structural defects for ordinary citizens to receive a rapid flow inaccurate news and information, often incontrovertible facts”. in the performance of journalists and media of information in an unprecedented manner. based on the personal experiences of He added: “A professional framework outlets. It must be admitted that journalists feel the individual witnesses. is required, including the publication of “Journalists are not 100% excused from impact and are pulled into this reality. It is Ajrami said: “The solution lies in reiterating information only if it has been verified the responsibility of examining and difficult for journalists when the news is that the local media must abide by the rules by at least two sources and taking news verifying the information they publish, published first by ordinary people and not of the profession and take action against about deaths only from medical sources. and neither are media outlets, including a journalist. those who publish false information that A specialist Palestinian security source is chief editors or editorial boards, exempted “A journalist is not an ordinary person who causes harm to individual or public rights or needed to provide accurate information on from the responsibility of publishing false conveys information he hears about. A leads to problems on a national level”. the situation”. He pointed to a circular issued information”. journalist is a professional who deals with Commenting on the problem of rapid by the PJS on guaranteeing the accuracy Naela Khalil added: “The other problem information on a technical basis without publication of news by the local Palestinian of information and protecting the principles we face is that officials are used to emotion and with no calculated outcome. press at the expense of credibility and and rules of professional journalism. Issue 122 - Volume 11 AL HAL - Saturday 31/10/2015 02 The occupation turns a blind eye and the PA is not allowed to act Legal drugs widespread among Jerusalem youth Mahmoud Adama At a time when the Israeli police and municipality officials are conducting daily prosecutions of Palestinian women selling vegetables at the square outside Damascus Gate in occupied Jerusalem, these same forces turn a blind eye to the destructive effects on young people in Jerusalem of the flood of drugs that are even sold openly. Palestinian security forces are unable to take any action to counter this phenomenon that threatens the lives of thousands of young Jerusalemites. The head of the social department at the Al-Maqdesee organization for Society Tempting wrapping to promote poison Issam Jweihan Omar Himmo Development (MSD), Issam Jweihan, said that he has become aware of a drug that Smart propaganda Locally manufactured and the number of abusers is rising. Kharoub is spreading among specific age groups, According to Jweihan, the branding of these Alaa Kharoub, a coordinator for the prevention says: “These drugs are available in the market for especially school students, and causing drugs as legal gives young people the of drug and alcohol abuse in Jerusalem, said very low prices compared with other drugs. They serious psychological and mental diseases impression that they are not harmful. He that this type of drug has become widespread come primarily from Israeli sources and may also in some cases. He realized that these were explains that the blend is changed each year in Jerusalem and the West Bank since 2010. be manufactured locally in illegal laboratories”. not traditional drugs and prepared a report and named as a “new version”. The mix is These materials are manufactured locally for submission to the relevant Palestinian not blended under medical supervision or to circumvent legal restrictions and lists of Death is one of the consequences authorities in the Ministries of Health, Interior, at medical laboratories; it is prepared from hazardous substances.