We first came together to write this on the night of the 27th of October. Communication had been cut from Gaza, and Israel continued to kill civilians with impunity whilst our media effectively operated as a mouthpiece for genocide. Since then, we have continued to bear witness to murder, and – on top of all the compounding injustices of this moment –  what is heartbreaking is that Palestinians have had to rely on everything but traditional media to convey to the world what has been happening. We have been watching and listening to the news unfold with dismay – mourning at the loss of every precious life and feeling frustrated by the coverage. 

We say first and foremost: free, free Palestine and join those globally calling for a ceasefire. 

As anti-racist audio makers, we recognise the complicity of our industry in the horror that has been unfolding this last month. However, we recognise this stretches back long before October 7th. Due to our own experiences, we are unsurprised but no less disgusted by the unchecked biases framing reporting and lines of enquiry on air. We are outraged by the horrific discourse that has been running as background noise to genocide.

As committed anti-racists, we see no separation or conflict in calling for a Free Palestine at the same time as fighting Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and the fascism of Zionism. It is imperative that this frames our work. As anti-racists, it is our duty to name the ongoing legacies of colonial violence shaping this moment. We can refuse zero-sum arguments and flattening narratives.  We want to use this moment as a call to you, our colleagues in the sector, to urgently consider the place of our work in this genocide and take our cue from the calls given by the  Palestianian Journalist Syndicates, Workers for Palestine, Palestine Youth Movement and Mohammed El Kurd.

Now is the moment for a reappraisal of responsibilities and values. 

We understand this war is being fought on many fronts, including via information. We know the power of broadcast and recognise the silencing power that cultures of fear in the media create—benefiting only Western Imperialist interests. We are aware of the countless examples of individuals who have lost their jobs because of their speaking out against violence right now.

We have experienced being censored for the sake of the hypothetical sensitivities of presumed audiences. We have been asked in our work to appease the panic and political illiteracy of editors and senior figures. We have worked under the editorial violence of so-called objectivity and the sheer dishonesty of uninterrogated claims of impartiality. It is possible to be rigorous – to work with due diligence – without upholding violence. We are constantly asked to soften how we name colonial violence: the cost of that is unfolding in Gaza right now. If you have ever wondered why some of your colleagues fight hard to name and resist editorial tyranny – this is why. 

We stand in solidarity with the media workers, citizen journalists and content creators in Gaza who have been documenting the horrors of the conflict whilst fearing for their lives and grieving the dead. Many of them have died. We stand in solidarity with those in Israel fearing for their lives in hiding for daring to name fascism and the recklessness of their government. We owe them all of our solidarity at this time – think of them whilst you work. We also stand in solidarity with workers across various sectors facing suspensions, unemployment and censorship. We express our gratitude to workers who fight quiet battles in editorial rooms and who choose to work with integrity, to tell the truth. 

We recognise that the media is central in manufacturing consent, in sharing vital information, in spreading disinformation propaganda and legitimising violence of all kinds. We have heard Palestinians called ‘children of the darkness’, ‘rabid dogs’ and ‘animals’. We have heard U.S. Politicians call for the complete destruction of Gaza using the language “level the place.” – we know what this dehumanisation means, and we should be unequivocal in our challenges to it. We have heard state representatives of Israel lie. We have seen our own officials here in the UK lying about statements that they have made. In this climate, we should be unrelenting in our commitment to holding power to account.  The past month’s events should be the loudest wake-up call to the ghoulish consequences of our work. If we can bring more awareness to our broadcasts, we place ourselves in solidarity not only with Palestine but with other oppressed peoples around the world in Haiti, Tigray and Congo: we can refuse to look away, we can reject the idea that anything is “too complicated” and we can use broadcast as a tool against injustice.

We call upon our colleagues to:

• Be under no illusions about the consequences of your reporting: there are no two sides to a conflict where one state wields advanced weaponry, is internationally supported and has the power to repress in the way that Israel has. 
• Call genocide, genocide.
• Gear your reporting towards pushing state officials for a ceasefire
• Be critical of deploying passive language when describing murder and violence: ‘Israelis killed’ vs ‘Palestinians dying’. Who is killing the Palestinians?
• Stop dehumanising Palestinians.
• Name Islamophobia and be critical of the language being used to describe Palestinians.
• Stop asking Palestinians to answer for Hamas. That is the game Israel is playing. Over 11,000 people have been killed at the time of writing.
• Always, always include the historical contexts of colonial and settler violence underpinning this war – the horrendous events of Oct 7th didn’t occur in a vacuum.
• Contextualise Hamas’ history properly. Refuse the reduction of the group to being solely ‘terrorists’, and invite them on your programmes. 
• Legitimise Palestinian resistance and leadership – it needn’t be framed in opposition to anti-semitism.
• Be critical of the de-legitimising phrase ‘Hamas-led’.
• Question the information emerging from Israel.
• Hold Israeli officials to account.
• Recognise that we can tackle anti-semitism whilst naming Zionism for the fascist project that it is. 
• Respect the Jewish faith by separating it from the state of Israel: to protect Jewish people from antisemitism, to push against the lie that this is a religious war, and most importantly, to avoid legitimising fascism.  
• Question the complicity of your government in this conflict – how have they contributed to the violence through arms, military power or otherwise? If we understand correctly the international webs of complicity that frame this conflict, we should absolutely interrogate the interests of those in power in this conflict.
• Report honestly on global protests and public mood. Be honest about the numbers; be honest about the coalitions being formed in neighbourhoods across the country. Some broadcasters will be committed to lying about what people are marching for and what people are saying: you can choose to tell the truth.
• Duty of care from broadcasters/production companies: do not penalise your staff for speaking out about the violence; instead, build anti-racist practices in your editorial teams to foster sharper reporting and more solidarity.
• We call on sector unions to do their jobs in offering advice to workers who want to speak out and support those who have.

Signed,

Audiomakers for Liberation