Palestinian news engagement plummets while Israel thrives on social media

In the wake of the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict, news organizations in the Palestinian territories, including Gaza and the West Bank, have experienced significant declines in audience engagement on social media platforms, particularly Facebook. A detailed analysis of Facebook data revealed a startling 77% drop in engagement for these Palestinian news outlets, despite the expected increase in engagement that typically accompanies wartime coverage. Simultaneously, Israeli news organizations enjoyed a 37% boost in engagement during the same period. These findings raise critical questions about the visibility and accessibility of Palestinian voices in the media landscape. Moreover, an internal investigation into the practices of Meta, Facebook’s parent company, has shown that changes made to its moderation policies have specifically affected Palestinian content. Reports indicate that shortly after the onset of heightened conflict in October 2023, Instagram intensified its moderation of comments made by Palestinian users. This escalation in moderation was allegedly a response to an increase in what Meta described as "hateful content" emerging from the Palestinian territories. This trend has sparked deep concern amongst journalists and media analysts who emphasize the importance of social media as a crucial platform for disseminating information from conflict zones, especially in areas like Gaza where traditional media coverage has been severely limited. Palestinian news outlets, which have relied on social media to connect with their audiences in the absence of extensive ground reporting, have found their content increasingly suppressed. Journalists from Palestinian organizations have reported restricted interactions, with some claiming that their posts have stopped reaching audiences entirely. For example, Palestine TV, a prominent news channel with 5.8 million followers on Facebook, has seen a drastic 60% drop in viewership for its posts. This phenomenon raises substantial issues regarding freedom of press and the ethical responsibilities of social media platforms in maintaining transparency and fairness in their content moderation practices. Despite these allegations, Meta has publicly denied any intentional suppression of Palestinian voices, asserting that any claims to that effect are "unequivocally false." However, leaked documents have indicated that the algorithm adjustments made within the platform were directed at enhancing control over the content that could potentially be seen by users in the Palestinian territories. While the broader implications of these practices continue to unfold, the effects on Palestinian media are clear, underscoring the need for ongoing scrutiny of how social media shapes narratives and access to information in times of conflict.