Good News in Media Analysis: Nelli Saarinen at the ABC
"Who is Hezbollah" is considered among that being produced and published by government and independent news media during the "Israel-Gaza war"
[The front of the article at the ABC which is considered in this post.]
Published: 2023-10-14
Introduction
This newsletter’s recent 'Hamas v Israel: A Media Narrative' article expressed frustration with editors who publish articles which misrepresent sources, start the clock of history at convenient times and use other standard propaganda tactics. A recent update to the article noted that Justin Stevens is the news editor of the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) which published it. Two “Interesting Articles” articles have since been published highlighting what independent editors can do, focusing on articles published at Consortium News and Scheerpost.
This article examines another piece published at the ABC under Justin Stevens’ editorship. Within this analysis we see a staff reporter working with 'wires' (AP, Reuters, AFP) informing the readership while complying with the policies of the news section of the ABC. The relevant legislation which instructs the ABC to produce "'fair' and 'balanced'" reporting is the 2017 amendment to the 1938 Act (see sources). The "Iran wins" article analysed in this newsletter’s “Hamas vs Israel” piece seemed to fall afoul of the intention of this law. Nelli Saarinen’s “Who is Hezbollah” stands in stark contrast.
The “Who is Hezbollah” article is analyzed in sections. For each:
an image is provided
the link texts and endpoints are provided, often with commentary
the article text is discussed.
This can be a little difficult to follow, so sorry about that.
The source article’s headlines are repeated so that this analysis follows the structure of the source article.
Analysis
What is Hezbollah and what happens if it gets involved in the Israel-Hamas conflict?
(The article headlines with a 1 minute 08 second video which is excluded from this analysis. See the final NB: as to why archive.org links are used throughout this article.)
Links
'launched a multi-front terror attack on Israel': Israel kills infiltrators from Lebanon as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to 'change Middle East', ABC/wires, ABC, 2023-10-08
This represents the ABC lead (main) article for the current conflict.
Note the headline has changed over time, this is the 'first substantial grab' from archive.org
'firing a barrage of rockets into a disputed area': Israel retaliates with Gaza strikes after Palestinian militants kill hundreds and take hostages, ABC/wires, ABC, 2023-10-07
The rocket attack by Hezbollah into the 'disputed territory' are mentioned in the later part of this article
Saarinen’s introduction links to other publications by the ABC to place the article in the context of the current conflict as described in those articles. She introduces the small entry of Hezbollah into the conflict, the subject matter of her article, and that of the ‘war spreading wider’ risk, the article’s primary consideration.
What is Hezbollah?
Links
‘including Australia' : Hizballah, Australian National Security (an Australian government publication), last updated 2021-12-10
This headline and section begins to distinguish Hezbollah and Hamas.
The formatting into a series of one sentence paragraphs is a little odd, and one could quibble about a few things, but I hope you can agree that this is a good effort at factual, minimal bias reporting. An interesting observation is made in the final sentence-paragraph. Whereas the EU has distinguished between the political and armed wings of Hezbollah and only labeled the armed wing a 'terrorist' organisation, Australia has joined the US and others in also labeling the political arm as a terrorist organisation by not distinguishing between them.
One can follow the provided link to see the official Australia declaration and the reason why Hezbollah has been designated. It amounts to the usual 'plans to, has, wishes to, makes cakes in support of' terrorist acts, list.
Two curiosities arise. Firstly, why is Saudi Arabia mentioned in this rather than, say, Canada or the UK (assuming they've joined the bulk terrorist categorization)? Recall the US led 'normalization' deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel which sits behind the current violence, though Hamas declares the recent incursions into and disrespect of the Al-Aqsa mosque as the proximate cause. Secondly, given the usual list of motivations for ‘terrorist organisation’ classification, why for example is the Israeli Defence Force not listed by the Australian government? They use violence against civilians to achieve political ends, that of suppressing the political voice of Palestinians. I do not believe that this preceding sentence is in any way controversial. Obviously, the designation of the IDF as a terrorist organisation would be.
Interestingly enough, the page at the Australian government’s designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation provides far more background on Hezbollah than the short amount provided for in the ABC article. It includes statements such as:
Hizballah holds seats in Lebanon’s parliament and, as at 10 September 2021, holds two cabinet positions in the Lebanese government. Within Lebanon, Hizballah traditionally represents the Lebanese Shia community, the country’s largest religious sect, and maintains a social welfare network that encompasses education and health services. Hizballah was founded in 1982 with Iranian assistance during the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon.
Hizballah is organised under a consultative council, the Majlis al-Shura, led by Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. Under the Majlis al-Shura sit five functional councils: the political; parliamentary; executive; judicial; and military—or ‘Jihad’. Hizballah promotes itself as a protector of the Lebanese state. Its various functional councils, including the Military Council, work together in a holistic manner in pursuit of a unified Hizballah mission.
So, the Australian government acknowledges that Hezbollah has a top level 'consultative council' under which sit its political, military, judicial, executive etc. 'functional councils'. So, Australia could, as the EU has, separate the designation of 'terrorist' to the military wing. Instead they include the whole thing, including its executive which one presumes perform the 'social welfare' activities which are about as far as one can get from 'terrorist'.
I am suspicious that Saarinen is playing a very careful game here. The link sits beside [emphasis mine] “deem the entirety of … terrorist organisation”. Through the link Saarinen has provided the reader with access to the above quoted paragraphs which provide a wider, balanced background to Hezbollah.
Consider the concentration camps of the German Nazi regime during WWII. Not the death camps, just the regular concentration camps where they housed people they considered Untermenschen: gypsies, unionists, homosexuals, Jews, poles, the infirm etc.. If one considers these camps as terrorist activities, what are the difference between these and how Israel 'manages' Gaza? The executive branch of the Israeli state controls movement, food, water, medicinal and power supply. These controls led the U.N. to declare that Gaza would become 'unlivable' by 2020, as Bennis reminded us in her piece re-published by Consortium News. The differences seem to be scale (size of Gaza and the incarcerated population) and that the overt guards are on the outside of the walls, with covert 'guards' (informants) on the inside.
But, back to the article analysis ...
What is the difference between Hamas and Hezbollah?
Links
'both receive funds and weapons from Iran' : The Israel-Hamas war: No matter who loses, Iran wins, Aaron Pilkington, ABC News, 2023-10-10
We've been here before. The “Iran wins” piece does provide good references to justify that Iran has funded both Hamas and Hezbollah. The source that Pilkington uses to justify his claim of Iran's support for Hezbollah is from the US Council on Foreign Relations (What Is Hezbollah?, Kali Robinson, Council on Foreign Relations, last updated 2022-05-25). Pilkington has not used an impartial source. CFR is a major policy adviser to the US government. It could be considered the most influential foreign policy "think tank".
‘Hamas is a mainly Sunni Muslim group.’ : What is Hamas, how does it control the Gaza Strip and why has Israel declared war?, Andrew Thorpe, ABC, 2023-10-08
This is essentially a sister ABC piece to this article providing background on Hamas. For a counter to what the sister piece by Thorpe has to say, see that by Max Jones at Scheerpost, namely that Hamas was supported heavily by Israel. Jones’ article is very well researched and detailed in its attributed quotes.
‘military capabilities far outweigh those of Hamas : Hamas' unprecedented attack throws Israel into crisis, and Hezbollah is now a central player, John Lyons (global affairs editor), ABC, 2023-10-09
John Lyons frames the conflict as between the US and Israel and Iran and Hezbollah, which is to say, another proxy war.
Saarinen's type is plain and factual. It could, perhaps, be criticized for its brevity, though there are likely to be length constraints.
From here, the article asks "How has Hezbollah been involved in this conflict?" and returns to the introduction, the spot conflict between Hezbollah and Israel in the ‘disputed area’ of Lebanon.
On Sunday, Hezbollah fired several rockets and shells at three Israeli positions in a disputed area on the border between Lebanon and Israel.
The militant group said the rockets were fired "in solidarity" with the Palestinian people, Reuters reported.
"Our history, our guns and our rockets are with you," senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine said at an event in Beirut.
On Monday, Palestinian militants slipped from Lebanon into Israel, sparking Israeli shelling into southern Lebanon.
The militants said they had wounded seven Israeli soldiers and Israel said its own forces shot and killed several of the gunmen who crossed into the country, according to The Associated Press.
An anonymous Lebanese security official told The Associated Press six rockets were fired from southern Lebanon into northern Israel on Tuesday evening, but it was not immediately clear who fired them.
Some quotes are attributed, though links are not provided to the referenced AP article.
On a recent The Duran program, Alastair Crooke informed Mercouris and Diesen that he understands that the targets of the Hezbollah rockets were three Israeli radar installations. He also commented that the Israeli response was more than gun fire, minimally involving artillery. (See sources)
Saarinen reaches the crux of her article with:
The cross-border violence marked a significant expansion in the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza to the Israeli-Lebanese border further north.
Senior Hamas official Ali Barakeh said the group's allies, Iran and Hezbollah, did not know of the attack on Israel beforehand.
But, they "will join the battle if Gaza is subjected to a war of annihilation", he told The Associated Press in his office in Lebanon's capital, Beirut.
Initial US intelligence suggests senior Iranian government officials were surprised by Saturday's attack by Hamas, but a full conclusion is yet to be reached, CNN reported quoting "multiple sources familiar with the intelligence".
"Iran likely knew Hamas was planning operations against Israel, but without the precise timing or scope of what occurred," one US official told CNN.
The risk which Saarinen is referring to is that the proxy war which was described by Lyon threatens to widen onto multiple fronts, with Hezbollah and Israel fighting in the disputed area between Lebanon and Israel to the north of Gaza being one frighteningly likely possibility.
The 'disputed territory' is called Shebbah Farms. It is part of the northernmost section of the Golan Heights which were claimed by Israel after its 6 Day War in 1967.
[Image from the Shebbah Farms page at Wikipedia showing its location as a part of the Golan (Heights).]
The Golan Heights were Syrian territory before the 6 Day War which Syria still claims as its own citing the illegality (lack of U.N. Security Council approval) of the Israel inititated war. This author is unfamiliar if there are rival claims over Shebbah Farms between Syria and Lebanon. It seems almost certain that they would agree that the area is not a part of Israel.
To quote the Wikipedia article on the Golan:
the territory has been occupied by the latter [Israel] since then [the 6 Day War] and was subject to a de facto Israeli annexation in 1981.
Wikipedia links 'annexation' to their article "Golan Heights Law".
To return to Saarinen’s ABC article, this important section concludes by quoting "multiple sources familiar with the intelligence":
"Iran likely knew Hamas was planning operations against Israel, but without the precise timing or scope of what occurred," one US official told CNN.
Saarinen is making two points. The conflict could spiral out of control and despite all of the narrative noise pointing at Iran, US intelligence do not believe that Iran knew of the precise nature or timing of the attack which Hamas launched. This is the reason I see this as the crux of the article. It warns of risks of escalation and carefully downplays the geopolitical fear mongering which is sweeping the western MSM.
Saarinen’s article continues with an exploration of the history of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. Saarinen proceeds in the same manner calmly providing historically accurate facts with minimal bias. The article ties up by asking the question "What happens now?"
The concern of escalation spreading the conflict to also involve Hezbollah is supported with reference to a thoughtful Washington Post article.
Saarinen concludes by referring to Reuters reporting (without a reference) which describes US president Biden and other 'administration officials' trying to prevent the spread or the conflict in and around Gaza to other fronts involving other armed factions such as Hezbollah.
This article by Saarinen is exemplary. I assume that the author is under space limitations and that either they are under instruction to link to other ABC news articles for context or that Saarinen’s sub-editor, should she have one, will advise this.
There are 5 links to ABC articles, one of which is to the “Iran wins” Pilkington spin, and 2 external links, one to the Australian government listing of Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation and the other to the Washington Post article. That article adds considerable weight to the two points raised in the 'crux', the risk of the conflict widening and that efforts to prevent that are under way. Both of the non-ABC links serve very specific and important purposes in Saarinen’s article.
Saarinen not only does not add to the more biased reporting which can be found in other MSM reports but quietens the alarm raised with the calm tone she uses. What is Hezbollah and what happens if it gets involved in the Israel-Hamas conflict? is a clever and impressive piece.
A score for Mr Stevens, the News (and more), editor will need to be based on further analysis. For now, its one thumbs down for republishing the Pilkington piece and a thumbs up for Saarinen’s.
Stevens, the rest of their newsroom and Australian readers can be pleased with Saarinen's professional work in the public interest.
Nota Bene:
Links to articles are the first substantial 'grab' taken by Archive.org. Because this US west Coast located organisation is 18 hours behind (US/Pacific Time) the east coast of Australia during Australia's summer time (AEDT - Australian Eastern Daylight-savings Time) publication dates for ABC articles often appear a day ahead of that reported by Archive.org. Such are the challenges of reporting time from the surface of a rotating gravity well. The reason for using the archive.org links is that news articles change, and change rapidly. When the headline changes one can easily be confused about whether one is reading the article which was intended to be linked.
A downside is that errors later corrected still appear in the copy used for analysis.
However, this analysis would have no foundation unless the article it is analysing and the references it links to are all fixed. For this service I thank archive.org.
Sources
What is Hezbollah and what happens if it gets involved in the Israel-Hamas conflict?, Nelli Saarinen with wires, ABC (i.e Justin Stevens), 2023-10-12
Australian broadcasting corporation amendment (fair and balanced) bill 2017, EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM, Federal Register of Legislation, 2017
Key text:
The amendment to the ABC Act set out in Schedule 1 to the Bill would modify and expand the existing statutory duty of the Board relating to ensuring the gathering and presentation by the ABC of news and information is accurate and impartial according to the recognised standards of objective journalism.
The amendment would extend this existing duty to also require the gathering and presentation of news and information to be ‘fair’ and ‘balanced’ according to the recognised standards of objective journalism.
Bloody assault on Israel has sparked fears of a wider Mideast conflict, Liz Sly, Washington Post, 2023-10-10
Hizballah, Australian National Security (an Australian government publication), last updated 2021-12-10
Hamas v Israel: A Media Narrative, YesXorNo, 2023-10-12
Extremist Politics in Israel and Ukraine - Alastair Crooke, Alexander Mercouris and Glenn Diesen, Mercouris and Diesen interview Crooke, The Duran, 2023-10-11
Shebaa Farms, Wikipedia
Golan Heights, Wikipedia
Culture
oni Mitchell feat. Neil Young & The Stray Gators - You Turn Me On I'm A Radio (Official Audio), Joni Mitchell, uploaded 2023-09-28
Copyleft: CC0
