Red lines and military strikes: Media coverage of the Syrian war
We map the politics and aesthetics of the Syria news coverage. Plus, what’s behind enduring sexism in the Italian media?
On The Listening Post this week: We map the politics and the aesthetics of news coverage on Syria. Plus, the enduring sexism in Italian media?
Red lines and military strikes: Covering the Syrian war
When footage of an alleged chemical weapons attack was beamed out of Douma, the narrative from many in the Western mainstream media echoed their own governments’ – a red line had been crossed – it was a transgression that could not go unpunished.
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A big part of the geopolitical showdown that has ensued is being fought out over the airwaves – and when it comes to state propaganda, you’ve got to hand it to the Russians. If only their media could bring the same scrutiny to the Kremlin that they do with the White House.
Contributors:
Omar al-Ghazzi, professor of media and communications, LSE
Tara McCormack, academic, University of Leicester
Adam Johnson, contributing analyst, FAIR.org
Marianna Belenkaya, journalist, Kommersant newspaper
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Victim-blaming and objectification: Sexism in Italy’s media
It’s been more than six months since Harvey Weinstein‘s sexual harassment story gave birth to the hashtag #MeToo.
The Italian version of that hashtag – #QuellaVoltaChe – translates to “That time when …” But that’s where the similarities end.
In the US, prominent figures in the news media were pushed from their televised pedestals.
In Italy, there have been very few names named, and much of the scrutiny has been directed at the accusers rather than the accused.
And by bringing out some of the worst tendencies in Italy’s male-dominated media, the story and the way it’s been covered have enabled activists and certain journalists to draw attention to the deeper, institutional issue: systemic sexism.
Contributors:
Elisa Giomi, professor of sociology, Universita Roma Tre
Pietro Senaldi, director, Libero newspaper
Gianmaria Tammaro, columnist, La Stampa newspaper
Claudia Torrisi, columnist, Valigia Blu
Solen de Luca, presenter, TV2000
Published On 21 Apr 2018