Mainstream Media and You
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Inspired by dissident journalists such as Noam Chomsky and George Galloway, Harry has chosen to focus his work on building awareness around social injustice.
Documentary filmmaker, activist and journalist, Harry Fear first traveled to Gaza in May 2012, where he’s now based. He is also co-direct of the Welcome to Gaza Convoy – a project that takes convoys of journalists, media students and mental health professionals to Gaza to raise awareness for Palestinians in the West.
Inspired by journalists such as John Pilger and Chris Hedges, and dissidents like Noam Chomsky and George Galloway, Harry has chosen to focus his work on building awareness around social injustice. Still in his early 20’s, he has already appeared on RT and Al-Jazeera English, covering live from Gaza or debating with high-profile commentators from Washington DC and Israel.
In an age when anyone can become a citizen journalist, with little more than their smartphone, we should have higher expectations of the discipline’s work. In the West particularly, the dominant media outlets often fail to challenge prevailing world views. So often journalism fails us, reducing tragedy to statistics. Something needs to change, in the minds of journalists, their editors, and their consumers.
Harry challenges one of the underlying concepts of modern journalism — the need for objectivity and impartiality in reporting. We should start to expect and demand better critical reporting from journalists and news outlets.
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