The role of the media in violent conflicts in the digital age: Israeli and Palestinian leaders’ perceptions

The role of the news media in violent conflicts is a topic that has received a great deal of scholarly attention especially in the field of political communication. A major issue that has emerged in recent years asks about whether the advent of the digital age has led to any significant changes in the role the media play in such confrontations. In this article, the author focuses on two research questions that seem especially important. The first asks: Has the advent of the digital age had any impact on how political leaders view the ability of weaker antagonists to compete politically with the more powerful side in asymmetrical conflicts? The second asks: To what extent do political leaders involved in violent conflicts think that the changes associated with the digital age have led to the media playing a more positive or negative role in attempts at peace and reconciliation. The author tries to provide some initial answers to these questions based on 30 interviews with Israeli and Palestinian political leaders. In answer to the first research question, he did find some convincing evidence that the digital age has improved the ability of weaker challengers to compete with their more powerful antagonists. The spread of camera phones and the inability of the authorities to keep secrets help explain this change. The answer to the second research question is also fairly clear. If the political leaders interviewed are to be believed, the advent of the digital age represents a tremendous boon for spreading hatred and intolerance. Revealingly, this is an area where almost total agreement among both Israeli and Palestinian leaders was found.