Deconstructing the WOODTV8 story on the Pro-Palestine Rally held in Grand Rapids

Yesterday several hundred people turned out for a rally in solidarity with the Palestinian fight against the Israeli occupation. 

The only commercial news agency to report on the rally, was WOODTV8. Channel 8 posted the story they broadcast during the evening news yesterday, but they also included a written story, which was a more accurate reflection of the rally’s message.

There were numerous things about the WOODTV8 story that were deeply problematic. First, the graphic that channel 8 used as a backdrop to the story about the rally was inaccurate. Above is a still frame of the graphic used by WOODTV8, which frames the issue as a war between Israel and Hamas. Israel is a country and Hamas is not, even though the graphic suggests otherwise. It is true that Hamas carries out the attacks against Israel on October 6th, but the issues between Israelis and Palestinians is much older. In fact, you could say that the root causes of the problem between Israel and Palestine are the 1948 Nakba, when the Israeli military displaced thousands of Palestinian families from their homeland. In addition, the historical context is rooted in the longstanding Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and the Apartheid system that Israel imposes on Palestinians.

Second, the channel 8 newsreader begins the narrative about the rally by saying “dozens of people marched throughout downtown Grand Rapids.” By my estimate there were at least 200 people, which is a far cry from “dozens of people.” The newsreader goes on to say that many people carried Palestinian flags and signs. The newsreader quotes some of the signs, but the signs they quote were the more vague signs, as if to avoid talking about the signs that included words like End the Israeli Occupation or Stop US Military Aid to Israel. 

Third, the newsreader then talks about the number of Israelis who dies because of the Hamas attacks, then juxtaposes that number with the number of Palestinians that have died since Israel started bombing Gaza a few days ago. However, the noticeable difference in the numbers of dead that were provided is that there was no source offered in the number of Israelis killed, but they did cite the Gaza Health Ministry as a source on Palestinian deaths. 

The WOODTV8 story then shift to talking with people who attended the rally. The newsreader stated, “we questioned people who attended the rally about their thoughts on the ongoing conflict.” Framing the issue as a conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is disingenuous, since the real issue is the Israeli occupation. By calling it a conflict, you automatically frame it as two groups of equal standing, which is definitely not the case between Israelis and Palestinians. As Jeffrey St. Clair stated in a recent article on CounterPunch:

Yes, there are two sides to this war. But only “one side” has an air force. Only “one side” has a Navy. Only “one side” has guided missiles. Only “one side” has phosphorous bombs. Only “one side” has tanks. Only “one side” has an air defense system. Only “one side” has nuclear weapons. Only “one side” controls the water supply, electrical power and food supplies of the other. Only “one side” has freedom of movement. Only “one side” gets $3 billion a year from the US government and an “unwavering” pledge to refill their stockpiles of depleted munitions. 

We then get to hear from 2 people that channel 8 interviewed, someone who identifies as Irish and a white woman, both of who have important things to say. However, it would have been better the hear from the Palestinians who attended the rally, not just because they are Palestinians, but because they and their families have a direct lived experience of living under the Israeli occupation and the Israeli system of Apartheid. 

The newsreader then ends the story by saying that, “the US has pledged its support to Israel as the conflict continues.” This is a gross misrepresentation, since it again provides no historical context. The US government has always supported Israel, since it was created in 1948. More importantly, the US has provided $124 Billion in Military Aid to Israel since the early 1970s, averaging a little over $3 Billion a year in the past few decades. In addition, the US is continually passing resolutions in support of Israel, like the resolution it adopted in July, which states that Israel is a racist or apartheid state.

Lastly, it is worth noting that what WOODTV8 aired during the newscast, doesn’t even acknowledge the group that organized the rally, the  Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, which was mentioned in the print version of the story on their website. The bottom line is that this kind of news coverage is not only misleading, it perpetuates a larger narrative that is in step with US foreign policy, which GRIID believes is a propaganda narrative.