Blog #5

 The most relevant news story running through the hearts of the American people is still most likely Taylor swift and Travis Kelce related. With the recent actions in Israel though, and the ongoing conflict that will and has already accompanied these actions, the media has shifted part of its focus onto that particular crisis. There are few topics in international politics that are more divisive than those related to Israeli and Palestinian conflicts, not only is there a deep history rooted in war and hate, but religion finds its way into the debate as well.  Ben Goggin is a veteran writer from NBC, he was recently tasked with writing an article on the recent retaliation by Israeli forces after the unforeseen attack of Israeli land. Goggin’s does a fantastic job of telling both sides of the story and sticking to a more objective lens on an issue that people seem to love to pick sides on. He also mentions NBC did not have reporters present in Gaza, so all reports can not be verified by them specifically either, if they end up being false claims put forward. When you read articles on this issue you realize it’s very difficult for platforms to remain neutral, a lot of what you read ends up having a very strong bias one way or the other because people have strong preconceived notions related to the issue. This specific article though, both condemns Israel for their response if reports of its nature are true and acknowledges that equal number of sources say that it is not true. 

     The main focus for the introduction to this story was whether or not Israel is using a substance known as white phosphorus as retaliation on Gaza and Lebanon. This substance is not explicitly banned by international law, but it does state all potential actions much be taken before one resorts to it and it should not be used in large public spaces with civilians. This would make the use of such a substance very difficult to justify by Israel given the effects it will have on the populations of people who have nothing to do with the given conflict. As the article states though, the reports of the use of this substance are from largely anonymous watchdogs; while the Israeli government still vehemently denies its use at all, leaving a big ? as to who is telling the truth of the matter. The article does a great job establishing this idea rather than trying to lead us to believe it is one way or the other. The author also does a great job explaining the implications and effects of the specific substance and why it could be so detrimental to masses if put into use, rather than just assuming people would understand/ know the effects because it is dangerous. Of the sources who are public and have stated Israel is using white phosphorus, the article does a great job mentioning who those sources are and how they came about so the reader can make their own generalization as to which side is more believable, Israeli defense or weapons investigator from amnesty international ? 

      The use of photos and elements from the actual scene is very helpful in painting a picture and truly allowing people to try and comprehend the damages of the given situation. People are so desensitized that we often read headlines and just skim past them, but there are some photos that you can depict that will grab people’s attention and help to display the magnitude of the given situation. The article opens with an image of a demolished structure that use to be full of residential apartments, it is the type of scene that people are generally only used to seeing in TVs or movies and even in those it grabs our attention. It is a constant reminder that this conflict is about more than right or wrong and justifying who is what, it’s about actual human lives and damage. The article does a great job of not droning on about the facts of the damages or attempting to describe the scene themselves, they relied on the old adage “a picture = 1,000 words” and saved the reader a lot of time and kept them much more engaged. There are only so many words you can use to adequately describe something of that magnitude that it almost takes away from an article like it if you weren’t to include photos. The two photos at the end of the article were absolutely chilling as well and the biggest hint to Israel possibly being at fault in this particular case. In America most of us haven’t experienced thick clouds of smoke and gas enveloping out every sense, in no way could we ever imagine what it would be like, but seeing a picture of just how devastating it looks is as close as we can get to sympathizing. These are normal buildings and towns with giant clouds of smoke around them, even if it is not white phosphorus and is just smoke from the many air strikes, you can see just how detrimental it could be to how many people and how many lives. Saying smoke covers blah blah is one thing, but showing it is a total different reality that the reader is allowed to get a peak into, even if it is a wildly depressing one.