French media under fire for biased coverage of Gaza war

In his 1986 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Elie Wiesel said: “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.” For an Algerian who lived through the independence war and later researched French press coverage of that conflict, the current treatment of the Gaza war by the French media is deeply troubling. It raises the question: Are we in the same country?

In my research on the May 8, 1945, massacres in Guelma, I analyzed contemporary newspapers such as Le Monde, L’Aurore, La Croix, Le Parisien Libere, L’Humanite, Liberation and Temoignage Chretien. Surprisingly, these publications exhibited less bias and greater adherence to journalistic ethics compared to today’s coverage of Gaza.

I have previously criticized the French media for its lack of ethical standards, suggesting that 24-hour news channel journalists could learn from the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

La Chaine Info has been particularly egregious, frequently hosting the Israeli army spokesperson or former intelligence officials, with journalists casually addressing them by their first names on live broadcasts. Indeed, it bears repeating: never before, not even during the Algerian War, has the media fraternity displayed such blatant complicity with an army at war — and a foreign army, no less.

Never before, not even during the Algerian War, has the media fraternity displayed such blatant complicity

Salah Guemriche

This shift from complacency to outright complicity became evident on Nov. 10, 2023. Just over a month after Hamas’ deadly assault, the Israeli army spokesperson revealed on air that a “decisive” attack on Gaza was imminent. The journalist’s response? A heartfelt: “Good luck for what is to come.” The devastating aftermath is now widely known.

This reflects a troubling journalistic ethos in the land of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is more fitting for a nation at war or one under occupation. Given the scale of civilian fatalities in Gaza — now nearly 40,000 — neutrality is not an option. Wiesel’s 1986 vow to never remain silent in the face of human suffering resonates deeply: “I swear never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim; silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

Eight years after his death, one wonders if Wiesel would have maintained this stance during Israel’s 2014 Gaza invasion or Operation Cast Lead in 2008-2009.

While state neutrality, as demonstrated by France and Germany, can be understood through the lens of diplomatic relations and historical context, media coverage appears to have crossed a line and transcended simple neutrality. How can journalists, whose profession is a supposed calling to report the facts — all the facts and nothing but the facts — maintain neutrality in the face of massacres of women and children? The facts presented to the public have been largely filtered through an Israeli lens, with the suffering of Gaza’s population often overlooked. The martyrdom of the people of Gaza has been a case of out of sight, out of mind.

How can journalists maintain neutrality in the face of massacres of women and children?

Salah Guemriche

Certainly, the Israeli military, often lauded as “the most moral in the world,” has enforced strict bans on international press access to massacre sites. Despite this, nongovernmental organizations have managed to capture footage and the Palestinian journalists who survived deliberate targeting have also documented events. However, major French news channels like CNews, BFM and LCI have exclusively aired Israeli-provided footage, sidelining other perspectives and images.

The Israeli military operates freely, unchecked by European pressure, allowing it to commit war crimes with impunity. Over the last nine months, it has wielded a tit-for-tat doctrine that has paved the way for acts of barbarism. As the eminent thinker Claude Levi-Strauss once observed about progress: “The more it increases, the less feasible it becomes.” Regrettably, in today’s media environment, the trend appears reversed: as atrocities escalate, the condemnation and public awareness seem to diminish.

• Salah Guemriche, an Algerian essayist and novelist, is the author of 14 books, including “Algeria 2019, the Reconquest” (Orients Editions, 2019), “Israel and its Neighbor, According to the Bible” (L’Aube, 2018) and “Christ Stopped at Tizi-Ouzou: An Investigation into Conversions in Islamic Lands” (Denoel, 2011). X: @SGuemriche