As Israel-Hamas war worsens, journalism instructors and students are analyzing their roles

As the Israel-Hamas conflict continues and harrowing details emerge, journalism professors in London, Ont., are teaching their students what to look for when analyzing news reports and how to provide balanced coverage in the future.

It's a kind of analysis that is useful beyond the classroom, said Jeremy Copeland, a lecturer at Western University who teaches graduate and undergraduate journalism classes. 

"I'd say it's important for everybody to think about balance," he said. "Whose voices are you hearing from? Whose voices are being left out?"

It's important for reporters to avoid taking sides during a conflict and instead focus on providing accurate coverage, Copeland said, while at the same time trying to consider how the news is affecting those covering the news and watching it from far away. 

Language plays a role in reporting

"I sort of checked in with the students, asked them if they feel comfortable talking about [the Israel-Hamas war] and all their heads nodded 'Yes,'" he said. 

On Oct. 7, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an surprise attack on Israel, igniting a war. Thousands of innocent civilians have been killed on both sides, which has affected Israelis and Palestinians in Canada who have relatives and friends back home.

Copeland has been providing his students with tips on how to filter through news coverage to get the most accurate picture of what is happening on the ground. 

It's vital to get news from a variety of sources to understand the bigger picture, he has told his students. 

"I did a scan of different news sources…after class and there's a lot of different views being taken, lots of different sides to the story," said Copeland. 

Where reporters are based in the Middle East, whether Tel Aviv or Gaza, plays a role in the way stories are written, he said.

"One example of language [that] one of my students pointed out last week — the news was reporting a lot about Israelis being 'killed' and about Palestinians 'dying,'" said Copeland. "And of course, the question around 'Do you call Hamas 'terrorists?'"

(CBC News Editor-In-Chief Brodie Fenlon has written this editor's note about how this news organization uses the word 'terrorist.')

Focusing on the local impact

There is a way to cover the war in Israel and Gaza without taking sides, but in stead to focus on how Londoners are impacted by what is happening in the Middle East, said Lisa Green, the coordinator of the television news program and professor broadcast journalism program at Fanshawe College.

"We are covering the war in every single newscast," she said. "So if somebody locally is impacted or there is a local activity or event or protest, then we come out and cover that."

The previous day's events — and the coverage — are analyzed at morning meetings with students, Green said. It's a chance for her to make sure the students are getting their information from reputable sources, she added. 

"There's a lot of fog of war, there's a lot of misinformation…out of the Middle East right now," said Green. "We double- and triple-check that our students are using proper sourcing and are offering balanced reporting." 

While emotions are running high both inside and outside the classroom, Copeland said he wants his students to be aware of the duty of journalists.

"I made it clear we were not going to be talking about who's to blame for this conflict. As journalism students, (we will) analyze and critique the media coverage and talk about the role of communication and conflict."