In class this week we watched the documentary Peace, Propaganda and The Promise land directed by Sut Jhally and Bathsheba Ratzkoff. The film and some discussion can be found here: http://www.pppl.org/index.html. This documentary was really interesting because it was a revelation on the truth of American journalism towards the Israeli Palestinian conflict. It was a great film to start the class off because it was a reminder that in history there are several sides to a story and often not include ALL of the details of what really happened are discussed in history books. I found the control over the news to be shocking and frankly scary, especially what Dr. Metcalf said about the news about one third being real, one third being completely false and one third being lies put out. What is annoying is that we have NO idea which one third is reality. Also, since watching this film I have found myself watching the BBC and American news and looking out for discrepancies in reporting as well as the different use of language. It is amazing what a difference using one word instead of another makes. For example in the film calling the illegal areas of Israeli homes “neighborhoods” really does make it sound like a perfectly respectful place and not at all the illegal settlements that they are. I was very glad to have had the opportunity to see this film because I never really understood just how awful the situation in the Gaza strip really is. I think it was an excellent introduction to the class and am looking forward to see what else we will learn about.
