How Western media shapes public understanding of Gaza, Palestine, and conflict through language, political narratives, and global power structures.

In this Nordic Asia Podcast episode, Khaled Ezzelarab, Director of the Middle East Institute Program at the American University in Cairo and a former journalist, discusses how Western media narratives shape public understanding of the Gaza war and the broader Israeli–Palestinian conflict. He argues that mainstream Western outlets such as the BBC, CNN, and The New York Times have gradually changed their coverage over time, although dominant narratives still frame the conflict primarily as a cycle of “mutual violence” rather than addressing the deeper realities of occupation and structural inequality faced by Palestinians.

Ezzelarab explains that media language plays a crucial role in shaping public perception. Terms such as “genocide,” despite being used by international experts and human rights organisations, are often avoided by major Western media outlets. At the same time, emotionally charged language is more frequently used when describing Israeli suffering than Palestinian suffering. According to Ezzelarab, these editorial choices significantly influence how audiences interpret violence and responsibility in the conflict.

The discussion also explores the relationship between journalism, audience expectations, and political power. Media organisations tend to follow dominant political narratives, especially in foreign affairs, while also responding to pressure from audiences and social movements. Ezzelarab notes that pro-Palestinian activism, especially among younger generations and on social media platforms such as TikTok, has increasingly challenged traditional media framing and forced mainstream outlets to adapt.

Finally, the episode highlights how global power structures shape media attention and representation, not only in Gaza but also in conflicts such as Sudan and Iraq. Ezzelarab concludes that younger generations of journalists and audiences may gradually reshape media narratives through more diverse perspectives and alternative digital platforms.

Elo Süld, Head of the University of Tartu Asia Centre and Associate Professor of Islamic Studies She is one of the leading scholars of Islam in Estonia, focusing on Islam and Islamic pluralism, and more broadly on the Middle East within the wider Asian context.

Khaled Ezzelarab, Director of the Middle East Studies Program at the American University in Cairo (AUC) and Associate Professor of Practice in Journalism and Mass Communication. He has spent seventeen years as a journalist with international and pan-Arab media, including the BBC World Service, covering major regional events such as the Gaza wars, the Egyptian uprising, and the Syrian conflict. Ezzelarab presented his research at the University of Tartu Asia Centre annual Asia Update conference in April 2026. His session was titled “Beyond Bias: Structural and Cultural Determinants of Western Media Coverage of Gaza”.

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