Saturday, May 31, 2008

Australian national radio discusses Palestine coverage in the media

Interview, ABC Radio Australia, 30 May 2008

Palestinian-American journalist Ali Abunimah is our first guest as we examine visibility in the media and the preconceptions and stereotyping that tag some people as less than desirable and see others ignored altogether.

Antony Funnell: Today's program deals with presence and visibility in the media, and the way in which people are portrayed. Not all people of course. Those with power and money can actively craft or influence their media persona. But those with neither, well It's a different story altogether.......

Our first guest today is a journalist and commentator who's written articles for such publications as The Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times and The Christian Science Monitor. And he has a degree from Princeton University.

Before I introduce him, I'd like you to try and get a picture of him in your head.

Got that?

Right.

OK, what if I were to tell you that he's a Palestinian journalist and that he's the co-founder of a website called The Electronic Intifada?

Now, did that change the picture? Without knowing any more about him, or his work, is he suddenly a different person?

Well Ali Abunimah is his name. He's a proponent of a peaceful solution to the troubles in Israel and the occupied territories, and he's in Australia at the moment speaking about the media and the Palestinian cause. I caught up with him earlier this week........"

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