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'Humanising Palestinian cause will get it noticed'

May 19, 2016 at 4:36 pm

It is vital to humanise the Palestinian cause, statistics alone are insufficient to benefit it, speakers at the final day of the Palestine Media Forum said.

Speaking in Istanbul, Turkey, participants reiterated the importance of the international media working together for the benefit of Palestine.

“Palestinian media are sat in a room together screaming at each other. It’s become disruptive. The world knows nothing about the cause except what Israel publishes,” media Professor at Birzeit a university Nashaat Al-Aqtash said.

Journalist Ramzy Baroud however highlighted the successes of the media and how events such as these (Palestine Media Forum) help raise awareness. “Zionists says American universities are Palestinian settlements,” he explained, highlighting how social media is helping educate younger generations.

Palestine through the lens of the media

A two-day conference hosted by the Palestine Media Forum in partnership with MEMO pulls together activists from over 50 countries to look at how we can unite organisations to provide a true image of the Palestinian struggle and their sarifices.

Click to see the opening ceremony

“My fear is that the social media is having an impact on sources. Through social media you can get the information out quickly. We as foreign journalists have an advantage because we are not under the same restrictions as Palestinians,” senior correspondent at the Spanish newspaper El Pais, Angeles Espinosa, said.

Event organisers announced that in the 47 hours since the events hashtag, #PalestineInTheMedia was launched it received in excess of 80,000 tweets and 25.6 million engagements.

Some 620 participants from 52 countries took part in the two day event which aimed to increase awareness of the plight of Palestinians and help media organisations work together for the betterment of the Palestinian cause.