HOW THE MEDIA WHITEWASHED A GENOCIDE
Posted: 26th February 2026
The Complicit Lens by Robin Andersen examines the way US establishment media ran interference for Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, aligning its coverage with Israeli military narratives whilst downplaying, and even condoning, the wholesale massacre of Palestinians.
The Times’ headline was a redux of the passive voice and the verbal gymnastics used to obscure what happened during the Flour Massacre in March 2024, it read, “Deadly Aid Deliveries in Gaza” and said the IDF had shot, “near” food distribution sites.
Assal Rad, author and research director at the Iranian American Council, called the piece “a haiku to avoid saying Israel massacres Palestinians that they’re deliberately starving in Gaza.”
On X, MacLeod referred to media treatment this way, “Virtually the entire Western media pretend they don’t know who just carried out a massacre of 100+ starving civilians.” In addition to the manipulated headlines already mentioned, Johnstone added the term “chaotic incident” used by CNN and “chaotic aid delivery turns deadly” from the Washington Post.
THE COMPLICIT LENS
US Media Coverage of Israel’s Genocide in Gaza
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