(In)Visible Journalists. Confronting Epistemic Injustices in Conflict Reporting 

Traditional ‘neutral’ and ‘objective’ journalism has long been regarded as the gold standard of reliable reporting within conflict settings. But who gets to be perceived as neutral and objective? Who holds the power to tell the stories? And which stories get told? During this programme, SPUI25 in Spe explores the politics of journalistic visibility. Whose voices are centred, and whose are sidelined?  

In recent years, the rise of alternative forms of journalism, from Instagram posts to TikTok videos, has elevated new voices that did not have access to big audiences before, especially in the Western world. This shift has revealed the deep inequalities in whose voices are heard, amplified, and trusted. Nowhere has this been more evident than in the coverage of the war on Gaza.  

Many of us are familiar with the words “It’s Bisan from Gaza and I’m Still Alive”, followed by video footage of destroyed buildings and families. Palestinian journalists like Bisan have played an incredible role in the reporting of the ongoing atrocities in Gaza and the rest of Palestine. While mainstream outlets often shape narratives from a distance, local journalists and civilians on the ground have risked their lives to document the reality of the war and destruction in real time. But despite their firsthand accounts, these voices are often sidelined, questioned, or outright dismissed, especially in Western traditional media.   

How can we challenge the deep inequalities and epistemic injustices embedded in conflict reporting? Join us as Renée Meershoek and Luna Duran van Tijn explore these topics together with Palestinian journalist Taghreed El-Khodary and Dr. Johana Kotišová.

About the speakers  

Taghreed El-Khodary

Before moving to The Netherlands, El-Khodary was the New York Times correspondent in Gaza from 2001 to 2009, an analyst for the International Crisis Group, and a TV reporter for Al-Hayat-LBC. She covered the second Intifada, Israel‘s unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian civil war in 2007, and the war on Gaza in 2008-2009. Elkhodary also trained journalists in Palestine and Sudan. She was a senior editor for Fanack.com, a chronicle on the Middle East and North Africa for eight years in The Hague. Currently, Taghreed is a commentator on Gaza and Palestine.

Johana Kotišová is Assistant Professor in Documentary and Journalism at the University of Amsterdam. She has a background in journalism, social anthropology, and sociology. Johana’s research interests include crisis and conflict reporting, media professionals’ safety, emotional labour, and mental well-being. She authored Crisis Reporters, Emotions, and Technology: An Ethnography (Palgrave Macmillan), a monograph on European crisis reporters’ emotions, professional ideology, and cynicism; her work has also been published in journals such as Journalism, Digital Journalism, International Journal of Press/Politics, Journalism Studies, and European Journal of Communication. She is also the reviews editor of Media, War and Conflict. Besides her academic work, Johana occasionally writes journalistic stories and pursues training in nature therapy.

Renée Meershoek (moderator) is the chair and a member of SPUI25 in Spe. Renée graduated in Political Science with a specialisation in International Relations and Gender and Sexuality Studies. She is currently pursuing a master’s in Conflict Resolution and Governance at the University of Amsterdam. Topics she is particularly involved with include systemic inequalities, sexual and gender-based violence, and everyday resistance.  

Luna Duran van Tijn (moderator) is a member of SPUI25 in Spe. Luna graduated in Political Science and is currently pursuing a master’s in International Relations. She is deeply interested in the political and social dimensions of global issues, with a particular focus on the decline of democracy, gender studies, and intersectionality. 

nb. Speaker Amal Helles unfortunately cannot take part in the event due to unforeseen circumstances.