The war on Iran has entered a much more damaging phase with more assassinations of the leadership in Tehran, the continued blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and major strikes on energy infrastructure across the region.

As the war has escalated, pressure on news organisations in the United States, Israel and Iran is increasing.

Contributors: 
Branko Marcetic – Writer, Jacobin
Arta Moeini – Institute for Peace and Diplomacy
Mouin Rabbani – Co-editor, Jadaliyya
Mairav Zonszein – Senior Analyst, International Crisis Group

On our radar

This week, three more senior Iranian political leaders were killed by Israel. Coverage followed a familiar pattern - awe at the Israeli intelligence operation’s "sophistication", and little scrutiny of the legality of the actions. Meenakshi Ravi reports on how these killings have been reported in Israeli and Western media.

War in Lebanon: Interview with Jean Kassir

Millions of people in Lebanon are enduring the consequences of the Iran war with little media attention. Israel has now begun ground operations there and is openly boasting it will turn the country into a new Gaza.

The cofounder and managing editor of Lebanese news website Megaphone spoke to us about the toll this war is having on his country.

Featuring:
Jean Kassir – Managing Editor, Megaphone

A weekly programme that examines and dissects the world's media, how they operate and the stories they cover.

The Listening Post

War spirals as information control tightens | The Listening Post

One week into the United States and Israel’s war on Iran, and the messaging coming from the White House is consistently chaotic and contradictory. From regime change and nuclear threat to preemptive attack - the Trump administration is struggling to juggle its narrative. And while the mainstream media is working overtime to legitimise the Trump-Netanyahu war at home, Americans remain unconvinced.

Contributors: 

Negar Mortazavi – Host, The Iran Podcast
Samira Mohyeddin – Host, On the Line Media
Antony Loewenstein – Author, The Palestine Laboratory
Borzou Daragahi – Writer, badlands, Substack

On our radar

Voices within the Iranian diaspora that support the US-Israeli bombing campaign are being given a disproportionate amount of airtime across Western mainstream media.

One of the most prominent figures is Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s former shah, who has presented himself as someone who could “lead the transition” to a new government in Tehran.

Meenakshi Ravi looks at how the one-sided coverage lends credibility to the war.

Reporting under fire in the West Bank

With the eyes of the world focused on Gaza and now Iran, far too little attention has been paid to another territory where Israel exercises near-total control: the occupied West Bank. Israel has intensified its policy of fragmenting the territory, carving it up and expanding control over the land.

Journalists in the occupied West Bank have seen their movement severely restricted by hundreds of new checkpoints and barriers. And they face the constant threat of soldiers who are more aggressive and settlers who - protected by the army - are more emboldened and violent than ever.

One of those journalists is Ameed Shehade, a correspondent for Al Araby TV, whose unflinching reporting frequently places him directly in harm’s way.

Featuring:
Ameed Shehade – West Bank correspondent, Al Araby TV

“A war in search of a strategy” - Trump-Netanyahu's war with Iran  | The Listening Post

As Washington escalates threats of military action against Iran, negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme continue behind the scenes. But while the Trump administration insists that the standoff is about security, Iran’s state media are pushing a very different narrative: that the crisis is a deliberate distraction from the Epstein scandal that continues to implicate the US president.

Contributors:
Dina Esfandiary – Middle East Lead, Bloomberg Economics
Fereshteh Sadeghi – Iranian journalist
Jamal Abdi – President, National Iranian American Council
Sina Toossi – Senior Fellow, Centre for International Policy

On our radar:

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Israel this past week in a carefully choreographed display of solidarity. While Modi’s trip was celebrated in the Israeli media, criticism by Indian journalists was blocked back home. Leaving the two leaders to sign arms deals that will boost an already significant military partnership.

The Rise of Digital Micro-Bolsonaros

Nearly two years after Jair Bolsonaro’s fall from power in Brazil, the movement he built is searching for a new figurehead. A rising generation of young, evangelical, and hyper-online politicians is stepping in.

They are leveraging a sophisticated, decades-old religious media machine that evolved from radio and television into a powerful force on social media. Brazil’s political right is being reshaped for the digital age.

Featuring:
Anna Virginia Balloussier – Journalist, Folha de Sao Paulo
Caro Evangelista – Executive Director, ISER
Magali Cunha – Editor-in-Chief, Berreia Project

Trump, Iran and geopolitical mind games | The Listening Post

A series of warnings from artificial intelligence (AI) industry insiders shows how the debate around AI drives extreme news cycles, swinging between hype and alarm.

The result is media coverage that overlooks the intricacies of this technology and its impact on everyday life. We examine the real risks, what’s being overstated, and what major tech companies stand to gain from all the fearmongering.

Contributors:
Rumman Chowdhury – Founder, Humane Intelligence
Mutale Nkonde – Founder, AI for the People
Chris Stokel-Walker – Author of the book How AI Ate the World

On our radar

Francesca Albanese, the United Nations' special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, has found herself in the middle of a political firestorm, all because of comments she never actually made.

After a manipulated video of Albanese calling Israel the “enemy of humanity” went viral,  there were calls for her resignation across Europe. The UN has labelled these allegations part of a wider smear campaign to discredit Albanese and the UN itself.

A curated view of Israel for African journalists

For decades, the Israeli government and pro-Israel organisations have sponsored trips for politicians, celebrities and journalists, inviting them to visit and, as they put it, tell the “real story” about Israel. In the past, those invitations largely targeted figures from Western countries. But since October 7th, there has been a noticeable shift towards African journalists and social media influencers.

The objective is clear: to shape coverage in African media and influence audiences across the continent.

The Listening Post’s Nic Muirhead reports on the African journalists taking part in these fully funded, tightly managed visits to Israel.

Featuring:
Hassen Lorgat – Media critic and activist
Makhudu Sefara – Editor, Sunday Times
Timnit Gebru – Founder, the Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR)
Njahira Gitahi – Reporter, The Standard

War spirals as information control tightens | The Listening Post

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