VIDEO
Peace, Propaganda & The Promised Land (2003)
U.S. Media & the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
"Painstakingly stripping away the myths and inaccuracies regularly passed off as truth by the US media,
this film not only reveals the motivations and methods of those responsible for skewing the picture, but also manages to present
the most concise and accurate account of the history and implications of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the role that
the US has played in the continuation of that conflict that I have seen. . . This is a very important piece of work that challenges
the viewer to think twice before accepting a version of the world that owes more to the special interests of a powerful elite
than to any notion of freedom of the press."
- Donna Baillie | Director, "Women in Black" and "Secret Hebron: The School
Run"
Stream video (1:19:14)
click play to start the video
Summary
Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land provides a striking comparison of U.S. and international media
coverage of the crisis in the Middle East, zeroing in on how structural distortions in U.S. coverage have reinforced false
perceptions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This pivotal documentary exposes how the foreign policy interests of American
political elites--oil, and a need to have a secure military base in the region, among others--work in combination with Israeli
public relations strategies to exercise a powerful influence over how news from the region is reported.
Through the voices of scholars, media critics, peace activists, religious figures, and Middle East experts,
Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land carefully analyzes and explains how--through the use of language, framing
and context--the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza remains hidden in the news media, and Israeli colonization of
the occupied terrorities appears to be a defensive move rather than an offensive one. The documentary also explores the ways
that U.S. journalists, for reasons ranging from intimidation to a lack of thorough investigation, have become complicit in
carrying out Israel's PR campaign. At its core, the documentary raises questions about the ethics and role of journalism,
and the relationship between media and politics.
Interviewees include Seth Ackerman, Mjr. Stav Adivi, Rabbi Arik Ascherman, Hanan Ashrawi, Noam Chomsky, Robert
Fisk, Neve Gordon, Toufic Haddad, Sam Husseini, Hussein Ibish, Robert Jensen, Rabbi Michael Lerner, Karen Pfeifer, Alisa Solomon,
and Gila Svirsky.
Source:
www.mediaed.org
