By Chloe Baker, Senior Opinions Editor
For the first time in over 68 weeks, I opened my phone after Shabbat to complete happiness. January 25 was without a doubt the hardest Shabbat of my life to observe. I can’t tell you how many times I was flooded with temptation to open my phone so that I could view the footage of four of our hostages, girls my age, coming home after almost 500 days in the most brutal conditions.
As I opened Instagram to see these more-than-heartwarming videos, tears of happiness flooded my eyes. Finally, some of them are back in their parents’ arms on Israeli soil. However, as I spent more time glued to my screen, I began to think about the broader role the media plays in the hostage crisis.
Is it right that after being held hostage for close to 500 days, upon returning to their families, the captivity survivors are greeted with cameras? Around the world, Jews watched with joy and relief, but it begs the question” Do we have the right to witness these intimate moments?
Since the day that this war broke out, the media has played a crucial role in shaping public perception, documenting the atrocities committed against the Israeli people and ensuring that the stories of victims and survivors are heard. Whether that be through traditional journalism in newsrooms, interviewing the families of the murdered and kidnapped or young influencers posting content and footage on social media to educate and inform the public. All of these efforts were done to preserve history, document the terrible events since Oct. 7, show the cruel and destructive footage that Hamas proudly filmed and tell the stories of those who are unable to share them themselves.
The media’s role in raising awareness and uniting people amidst this difficult time has been critical, but it also risks exploiting vulnerable moments for the sake of storytelling or virality. While the images and videos that have surfaced as a result of the latest hostage deal have been extremely uplifting for viewers, I question whether they have been potentially invasive for the hostages.
Popular Jewish influencer Golda Daphna posted in an Instagram story that in a lot of photos of released hostage Naama Levy, she is “trying to cover her face, either with her hair or her mother’s hands.” Daphna emphasized the importance of remembering that at the end of the day, “these are just girls.” They may not want to be in front of cameras.
We can’t even imagine what these girls have been through. We have seen the footage of them on that dreadful day in October when they were taken from their base in the early morning in their pajamas. We have seen them in their most vulnerable moments. Does this give us the right to spread these images of them, covered in blood with looks of despair in their eyes, all over the world? Seeing these images splashed across social media and news outlets makes it easy to forget that behind every photo is a person – a daughter, a friend, a soldier – trying to process an unimaginable trauma. While we view these moments as symbols of hope and resilience, and see these girls as heroic, for them, these images capture the most vulnerable and terrorizing chapter of their lives.
In a study on the relationship between trauma victims and the media, former Toronto Star journalist Tamara Cherry surveyed and interviewed 71 people suffering from various traumas (most as a result of homicides and traffic fatalities), and examined their relationship with the media as a result. She writes that one individual who had family members or friends who were victims of homicide was interviewed and said that the intense media coverage made her feel “horrible,” and as though the “story would never end.” Cherry also noted that 38 out of the 71 homicide and traffic fatality survivors described the media as “contributing to their trauma.” Many survivors or family members also recounted the trauma that resurfaced as a result of the media showing graphic photos, images of the weapons used to kill their loved ones or an image of a totaled car from a car accident that left multiple people dead. One woman, the mother of a boy killed in a car crash, said that the image of the scene was “a source of PTSD” for her.
The hostages already have to deal with unpacking and healing from heaps of trauma from their time in captivity. On top of that, some of their worst moments have been spread online for the world to see. Even though the distribution of these images was done with the best intent – of bringing them home – it still doesn’t take away the fact that graphic images and videos of them have been broadcast all over, from local newsrooms in Israel to large billboards in Times Square. They will have to deal with seeing these images of themselves for the rest of their lives, and risk possibly being transported back through the trauma time after time.
An NBCU Academy article described an emerging phenomenon called trauma-informed journalism. This type of reporting is a way for journalists to be more aware of the trauma that interviewees may experience, and it gives them the proper tools to conduct a successful and sensitive interview. Research done by Columbia University’s Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma found that 80-100 percent of journalists have been exposed to traumatic events while on the job. The center’s executive director, Bruce Shapiro, advises that journalists should “familiarize themselves with how trauma works.” This concept raises important questions about the responsibility of journalists and media outlets to balance the public’s right to know with the humanity and dignity of those they report on. How can journalism fulfill its mission of informing the public while also respecting the deep pain and trauma of its subjects?
Clues to answers to this complex question lie in the Global Charter of Ethics for Journalists. The charter states that “the journalist’s responsibility towards the public takes precedence over any other responsibility.” I interpret “the public” as not only those who are watching the news, but also those who the news is about. We as journalists are responsible for the reporting we do and the information we circulate. In the case of the hostages or those murdered on Oct. 7, we must make an effort to give them back the dignity that was stolen from them on that abominable day.
Through reporting, the public has been let into the lives of those they do not know personally. We cannot take this lightly. Whether the photos that are being shared were taken 15 months ago, or they are the more recent images of a mother’s first hug with her child who was stolen from her, it is crucial to be aware that we are witnessing very intimate moments, and to be sensitive to the feelings of those who have experienced a life-altering trauma.
Photo Caption: Hostage posters of the five IDF observers who were taken captive by Hamas on Oct. 7
Photo Credit: Emily Goldberg / the YU Observer