A claim was made of the beheading of 40 children by Hamas during its attack of Israel on October 7.
It started with a reporter from Israeli-based international media i24 News, who said an Israel Defence Forces commander told her they had found the bodies of some 40 babies, some of whom had been beheaded in the Kibbutz Kfar Aza scene.
Soon thereafter, western media splashed headlines without verifying the claims, with CNN citing Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesperson Tal Heinrich having confirmed the beheadings. It is not only the media that bought the narrative but also US President Joe Biden, who said at a press conference, "I never really thought that I would see confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children".
On October 12, however, White House walked back on that statement, saying President Biden had not actually seen such photos, and the graphic description was intended to “underscore the utter depravity” of the Hamas attack.
CNN reported Biden's remarks were referring to public comments from media outlets and Israeli officials. Leading journalists such as Piers Morgan have been at pains to deny they reported the beheadings, while others such as CNN's Sarah Sidner have had to retract and apologise.
This is a clear example of how media shapes narratives, whether through truth, misinformation or disinformation.
Narratives influence all aspects of engagements, and state and non-state actors’ practices enact narratives. And in crafting and performing narratives, be they political, actors refer extensively to legal norms and international law, exploiting them as elements of narration.
The Israeli-Hamas war and the Russia invasion of Ukraine have been reported as "unprovoked", positions largely made by the leaders or the respective countries. Nothing could be further from the truth. Those who have followed the two conflicts will disagree that the escalation did not have anything to do with provocations.
I would want to believe the two conflicts are a demonstration of failed diplomacy, in its sense of "the management of relationships between countries". And media has a huge role in either de-escalation or escalation of such conflicts, going beyond the two cited conflicts.
States will use media platforms – mainstream, digital or otherwise – to advance national interests towards attaining their foreign policy goals and influence audiences domestically and at the international level.
It is important that practitioners are aware of this so as not to fall for unverified agendas that seek to push certain narratives at the expense of the sacred truth.
Acknowledging the responsibility the media ought to hold, governments must also allow the press to be independent.
During the Tigray conflict, the Ethiopian government expelled journalists who reported on atrocities in the north, some of whom sought refuge in Nairobi.
For example, Simon Marks, a journalist for the New York Times, POLITICO and other outlets, was expelled for covering atrocities allegedly committed by the Ethiopian military and its allies in Tigray.
Further, a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists in August 2022 said at least 63 journalists and media workers had been arrested in Ethiopia since the war broke out in November 2020.
In the eastern DRC, CPJ in November last year reported that some 23 Congolese journalists were forced to flee the cities of Kiwanja and Rutshuru and seek refuge at the Monusco headquarters out of fear for their lives. The threats from M23 were due to reports the rebel group viewed as favourable to the DRC military,
It is against this backdrop that the International Relations Society of Kenya will discuss 'Shaping diplomacy through media narratives', among other key emerging issues, in its inaugural annual international conference on October 25-27 in Nairobi.
The meeting brings together various stakeholders, among them government officials, diplomats, scholars, policymakers, business leaders, media and members of civil society under the theme 'International Relations and Diplomacy in the Era of Polycrisis and Geostrategic Competition in the Comesa region'.
Coming at a time when the world faces multiple crises and unprecedented geopolitical changes that have far-reaching implications on future growth and development for the region, the continent and indeed the globe, it is important to pause and evaluate the role of the media in the situation we find ourselves in.
Within the Comesa region, security challenges persist, with the ongoing war in Sudan, the insurgency in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which has put the DRC and Rwanda at loggerheads, the terror threat in Somalia, while Ethiopia is dealing with the aftermath of the Tigray war.
The continent has suffered an increase in coups, and outside Africa, there are the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Palestine.
The outbreak of wars, a global surge in inflation, security fragility and climate shocks have added significant pressure, exacerbated uncertainty and forced geopolitical changes that will redefine the role of state and non-state actors in the region.
In such a situation, the media has a huge responsibility of remaining true to its cause and avoid being sucked into the prevailing politics for it to remain objective.
