العدد 4 – يوليو تموز 2024

Abstract: This study investigates the aspects of the crisis of Western, particularly French, media discourse in its treatment of the Israeli war on Gaza. It explores the dimensions of this crisis in light of the dominance of the Israeli narrative over a significant part of this media, and its alignment with its arguments. The study’s approach to the aspects of the crisis of Western media discourse and its levels is introduced by the following problematic question: Does the perspective of the media coverage of the war on Gaza in Western/ French media constitute a transient crisis due to a misunderstanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or is it the result of a structural crisis for a type of discourse that has forsaken the universal principles established by Enlightenment philosophy in the 18th century? Using a case study methodology, the study traces the facets of the crisis in Western/French media discourse through intentionally selected models of writings by certain French journalists and philosophers. Within the context of addressing the question, the study posits that the crisis of modernity itself is the structure of this type of Western/French media discourse, which was previously bound by its abandonment of the principles of freedom and the defence of human rights, irrespective of gender, colour or religion. Additionally, a number of Western journalists and intellectuals have relinquished their role as knowledge authorities overseeing political and social matters due to their proximity to power. The study concludes that a significant portion of Western/ French media has strayed from the principles of the Enlightenment and has adopted a discourse congruent with the demands of the owners of media institutions as well as the necessity to collude with powerful and influential figures in the realms of politics and economics by ardently defending Israel and overlooking the tragedies of the Palestinians. Consequently, this cynical media aligns itself with the category of "parvenu" while striving to distance itself, as much as possible, from the category of "pariah", as per the classification of philosopher Hannah Arendt. Keywords: The War on Gaza, Western Media, Modern Cynicism, Parvenu, Pariah.

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