INSIGHTS: ‘When the camera rolls, the truth will follow,’ says Senior Al Jazeera Correspondent

By Jasmin Jafrizul

GOMBAK, 22 December 2023: œIt’s not about what you are saying but about what you are showing; our cameras are rolling 24/7 and our cameras are speaking because the camera cannot be distorted, it cannot be manipulated, and it cannot be disputed, said Mr. Resul Serdar Atas in a webinar that was an episode of the INSIGHTS seminar series hosted by the Communication and Media Centre (COMET) of the IIUM on 17 December 2023.

Mr. Resul Serdar Atas is Senior Correspondent at Al Jazeera English Turk’s Middle East desk. He is a prominent journalist having held influential positions across prominent news organizations, assumed directorial roles at TRT World and TRT Arabic and having contributed as an editorial board member at Euronews. He shared valuable insights on conflict reporting, the importance of credibility, and the impact the media has on disseminating news around the world.

The interview aimed to understand how journalists are changing the narrative and global public opinion by providing daily live news updates from Gaza.

He stated:

During the war in Ukraine from February 24th, every media outlet from across the globe deployed to Ukraine, including myself. Despite the fuss, you will see a variety of journalists in various locations, and you will see daily news reports on the situation. However, when it comes to Gaza, none of the international journalist outside of Gaza are able to get in. Then you need to listen to stories by correspondents or Gaza residents, as they are the only voices telling us what is going on there.

œThey are impressive ambassadors in passing the information to global audiences and they are on daily basis paying that with their lives and as of now, 90 journalist have been killed by the Israeli army, including from amongst Al Jazeera staff,” he said.

œIt is a difficult mission to share true, accurate information of what is happening to the international audience and this is the driving force for journalists in Gaza, he continued.

For him, “The media is losing their principles, and the journalists are afraid of running out of favour and being marginalised.

In addition, he focused more on how the credibility of news can be perceived by the public by repeating on how Gaza is a unique case compared to other news covered by news outlets, and how the media play a big role in showcasing the real situation to the public.

The Senior Correspondent also mentioned:

The British and American media in particular have terribly failed, those who have been able to report from Gaza have been tied to the terms and conditions of the Israeli army. Once you let any authority interfere with your cameras and focus, then it is the end of your journalism.

He continued:

Many journalists from the Western media know that if they report correctly and accurately, the genocide that is taking place, it will go against the Western mainstream media and governments. They know that the Israeli government will go after them and marginalise them. It is a deliberate choice from their side.

There will always be a gap between the mass media and public opinion, but the media must cover news credibly and have their stance on the right side of history for the sake of morality.

The INSIGHTS webinar titled, ‘Reporting the War on Gaza: The Changing Narrative and Global Public Opinion,’ was broadcasted through YouTube live, and moderated by Dr. Nerawi Sedu, an academic in the Department of Communication, AHAS KIRKHS, IIUM.***

Author
Recent Posts

Jasmin Jafrizul

If you spend your time chasing butterflies
they will fly away,
however,
if you spend your time building a beautiful garden
the butterflies will come to you
and if they don't,
at least you have a garden to be happy with.
- Katherine Young

Latest posts by Jasmin Jafrizul (see all)