Partisan media coverage portrays Al Jazeera ban from different angles

Israel shut down Al Jazeera, a major news outlet in the country, even seizing some of its communication equipment on Sunday, May 5. The story is being told in different ways depending on whether a news outlet has a left- or right-leaning political bias.

Some right-leaning news outlets are spotlighting what Israel said about Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, some left-leaning outlets are spotlighting what free press advocates have to say about Al Jazeera being ordered out.

The Epoch Times, a right-leaning source, published a headline highlighting Al Jazeera being “deemed an agent of Hamas” by Israel.

Similarly, Fox News — another right-leaning outlet — refers to Al Jazeera as “Hamas’ mouthpiece” in its headline, citing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

On the other side, headlines from left-leaning news outlets such as CNN and The Guardian featured a different angle.

In its headline, CNN cited the Foreign Press Association (FPA) in Israel, who described Israel’s decision to remove the news outlet as “a dark day for democracy.”

The Guardian also cited the FPA in its headline, using a quote that calls the decision to close Al Jazeera offices a “dark day for the media.”

Excerpts within the articles also read differently depending on the outlets’ political lean.

Half of CNN’s news story falls under the subheading, “Assault on freedom of the press.”

The section cites a U.N. secretary general spokesperson, the Foreign Press Association, the Committee to Protect Journalists and Human Rights Watch. All of the sources condemned Israel for shutting down Al Jazeera and seizing its equipment.

Fox News’ article does not cite any of the aforementioned people and groups. The piece does include Al Jazeera’s statement condemning Israel’s actions against the outlet.

The Fox News’ coverage includes background information about Al Jazeera’s past ties with Hamas.

“In 2021, Al Jazeera was honored by Hamas for its coverage of hostilities between the terrorist group and Israel,” the article reads, linking to its previous coverage.

The article Fox linked features a photo of Al Jazeera’s Gaza Bureau chief receiving an award from the deputy head of Hamas in Gaza. The photo was also posted to X, formerly Twitter, in 2021 by Avi Mayer, former editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post.

That information was not included in CNN’s coverage, however, CNN did cite Israeli officials who called Al Jazeera “a mouthpiece for Hamas.”

CNN and Fox News’ contrasting coverage of the same story shows how left- and right-leaning news outlets can change what readers learn. This means a reader could walk away with only one perspective, potentially swaying political opinions over a major world event.

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