Mainstream media plays a decisive role in shaping public understanding of war, violence, and state power. In moments of mass atrocity, silence, distortion, and selective empathy are not neutral — they are political acts.

This online webinar, hosted by Greens for Palestine, will examine the role of media — particularly public service broadcasters — in manufacturing consent for genocide, normalising mass violence, and marginalising resistance and dissent.

The event takes place against an urgent backdrop:

• An ongoing hunger strike by remand prisoners linked to Palestine solidarity actions

• Prolonged pre-trial detention, denial of bail, and medical neglect

• Near-total mainstream media silence as prisoners’ health reaches critical levels

• The broader erasure of Palestinian suffering and resistance from dominant media narratives
  

The discussion will be chaired by Greens For Palestine Activist Tariq Khawaja.

Speakers

Karishma Patel

Former BBC journalist who resigned over the broadcaster’s Gaza coverage.

Matt Kennard

Investigative Journalist and Author of he Racket: A Rogue Reporter vs. the Masters of the Universe & Irregular Army: How the US Military Recruited Neo-Nazis, Gang Members, and Criminals to Fight the War on Terror. Matt Kennard was a former Investigative Journalist for, and Co-Founder of Declassified UK.

Harriet Williamson
Harriet Williamson is the Commissioning Editor and Reporter at Novara Media, her journalism has covered the media complicity in the Genocide extensively as well documenting the stories of the Hunger Strikers.

What we’ll explore

• How mainstream media frames (and obscures) genocide, apartheid, and state violence

• The political consequences of selective empathy and strategic silence

• The normalisation of starvation, repression, and collective punishment

• Media treatment of protest, dissent, and “terrorism” narratives

• The power of independent journalism, solidarity media, and grassroots communication

• How activists and political movements can challenge misinformation and media complicity

Why this matters

This is not simply a question of bias — it is about accountability, power, and truth. When media institutions fail to report honestly on mass harm, they become complicit in it.

At a time when people are risking their lives to expose injustice, we must ask:

• Who gets visibility?

• Whose suffering is made “grievable”?

• And who benefits from silence?

Format

• Online webinar

• Panel discussion followed by audience Q&A

• Open to Green Party members, activists, journalists, and the wider public

Accessibility

Live captions will be enabled. If you have additional access needs, please let us know when registering.

This is a moment to listen, learn, and organise — together.

✊ Greens for Palestine