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cover of episode A Reporter’s View From Beirut, and a New Film Plumbs the Depths of Netanyahu’s Corruption

A Reporter’s View From Beirut, and a New Film Plumbs the Depths of Netanyahu’s Corruption

2024/10/4
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Nada Homsi, a Beirut-based correspondent, discusses the challenges of reporting during wartime, including security concerns, displacement of civilians, and the influence of Hezbollah. She contrasts the media landscape in Lebanon with that of Gaza, highlighting the difficulties in accessing information and the impact on the narrative. Homsi also touches on her own experience of being detained and the importance of protecting journalists working in conflict zones.
  • Journalists in Lebanon face security risks and restrictions from both the Lebanese army and Hezbollah.
  • Bombardment and displacement make it difficult to gather firsthand information, increasing reliance on official reports and phone interviews.
  • Hezbollah exerts influence over the media narrative, and civilians are often wary of speaking to journalists.
  • Western media coverage often lacks nuance and overlooks the complexities of the conflict.
  • Homsi emphasizes the importance of balanced reporting that includes perspectives from all sides.

Shownotes Transcript

Israel has launched a ground invasion into Lebanon. On this week’s On the Media, hear from a reporter in Beirut on the state of the press as the country braces for more violence. Plus, the state of book censorship in America.

[01:00] Host Brooke Gladstone speaks with Nada Homsi), correspondent at The National’s Beirut bureau, on what the press looks like in Lebanon as Israel launches a ground invasion into the country.

[14:23] Host Brooke Gladstone sits down with Raviv Drucker), an Israeli journalist, to hear about his role in the unreleased documentary, The Bibi Files, directed by Alexis Bloom. The film uses never-before-seen leaked interrogation footage of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his inner circle to lay out his corruption case.

[31:05] Host Brooke Gladstone talks with Kelly Jensen), an editor at the online publication Book Riot, about how book censorship has shifted over the past year to a government affair – with new laws and regulations passed in Idaho, Utah, and South Carolina among other states. 

[39:36] Host Brooke Gladstone interviews Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, whose children’s picture book, And Tango Makes Three,) is among the long list of banned titles across the country. Hear why they’re suing in Florida to make their book — and others — accessible again.

 

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