How the media manufactured consent for genocide

Historian Assal Rad has published a book analyzing the relationship between media coverage and public perception during the recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Rad, who gained prominence online for identifying and critiquing journalistic language in major outlets, explores how specific editorial choices and headline construction shaped audience understanding of events in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

The book argues that mainstream news organizations played a role in normalizing dehumanizing language and framings regarding Palestinians. Rather than examining isolated incidents, Rad traces patterns across major outlets to demonstrate how cumulative editorial decisions influenced broader narrative construction around the conflict.

The analysis comes amid ongoing tensions in the occupied West Bank, where journalist Ameed Shehade reports on escalating confrontations between settlers and Palestinians. Shehade, a correspondent for Al Araby TV, has documented the intensification of attacks and seizures affecting civilian life in the region. His work highlights the challenges journalists face in reporting from conflict zones while maintaining safety and journalistic independence.

Rad's book contributes to growing academic and journalistic scrutiny of media practices during major conflicts. The work examines how language choices, story selection, and narrative framing collectively shape public discourse around complex geopolitical situations, raising questions about journalistic responsibility and editorial decision-making processes.