Tragedy, Twitter, truth
Just as we were about to publish our article on EU leader's reactions to the explosion at the Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist hospital in Gaza, conflicting accounts started emerging on the source of the blast.
For some media, these accounts came too late. The New York Times published the headline "Israeli Strike Kills Hundreds in Hospital, Palestinians Say". A Dutch newspaper went to print with a similar headline.
Where we originally also had "Israeli strike" in the headline, the emerging doubts –?mainly published on the platform previously known as Twitter –?had our coverage change to the passive voice – "Gaza hospital bombed ".
As I write this, the source of the blast is still highly contested. Hamas officials blame Israel. Israeli officials have denied the explosion was part of their offensive, while also releasing conflicting evidence (as put together in this excellent Channel 4 report ) and blaming a misfired Islamic Jihad missile, and Islamic Jihad denies all responsibility.
The complications were further compounded this week by clearer footage of the blast site, with professional and amateur analysts rushing in to share their conclusions. Some outlets are also reporting that there might have been substantially less casualties than put forward by Palestinian authorities.
The evidence underpinning many of these conflicting accounts seems to be coming overwhelmingly from social media, where governments, citizens and journalists alike are posting images and footage – sometimes of completely different incidents.
Conflicts are hard to report, as the NYT also noted reflecting on their coverage of the blast . Not only because you're dealing with human suffering, but also because every party involved in creating information has their own agenda.
For the hospital blast, it's too early to share any real conclusions, but a hard fact is that hard facts are getting harder to come by.
This has been compounded by recent changes over at X (Twitter), which my former colleague Joseph Cox reported on over at independent news outlet 404 Media .
Last June, X made it possible for people who purchased a blue check mark on the platform to take part in a kind of revenue sharing programme, that rewards highly engaged accounts with money.
Anyone can buy such a blue check mark, and many who did, started 'covering' the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Isreal as a way to generate engagement with their posts and make money.
These accounts masquerade as so-called OSINT accounts (Open Source Intelligence) –?you'll know the best legit example of this type of investigator, Bellingcat –?but are in fact just engagement farmers with no expertise or interest in the truth.
Joseph Cox: "What exists now is a profit and engagement driven ecosystem of non-experts who in some cases may be spreading videos for the clout and cash, rather than to inform readers about what is actually true. One respected OSINT expert, known as Obretix, told 404 Media that Twitter now is 'self promoting aggregators, posting thousands of tweets to get some revenue share from Elon [Musk].'"
"Everyone stands to lose when the quality of information on Twitter makes it harder for ordinary readers, or even some experts, to understand what is true and what is not. Pawe? Wójcik, who has been an analyst on Twitter for years with a particular focus on terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, told 404 Media in an online chat that 'there has always been misinformation and fakes, however for people who have been observing wars on this platform for over a decade, today's problem is unprecedented.'"
It's a great article and well worth signing up to the website for.
In any case, these accounts on X make our jobs as journalists harder, but I can't even begin to imagine what this intentional and subversive spreading of misinformation does for casual visitors.
As the spat between Thierry Breton and X's owner Elon Musk on the platform already shows, the EU is taking this threat to truth seriously.
But realistically speaking, even regulating the spread of misinformation is unlikely to make a dent in the mistrust created in people. Misinformation caters to bias, and bias, unfortunately, seems to be a human trait.
People will actively seek out information that confirms their point of view –?a tendency that online platforms know and use to their advantage. The advantage not being the spreading of the most accurate information, but keeping people on their platforms to show more ads and make more money – while leaving the real-life consequences and division created by this intentional choice for society to deal with.
In other (better) news, Poland has shown that "Autocracy is not unavoidable", as Anne Applebaum writes in the Atlantic . In what has been labeled as the most important election since the fall of the Soviet empire, Poles voted for change.
Krzysztof Bobinski wrote for us that "Poland has sailed into a period of political turbulence after Sunday's parliamentary election (15 October) with final polls giving Law and Justice (PiS) the greatest share of the vote — but opposition parties, taken together, winning a popular majority which will enable them to form the next government.
The result marks a major shift in Europe as it sees one of the largest EU member states bucking trends favouring populist-nationalist regimes and opens the way to the establishment in Warsaw of a democratic, rule-of-law-respecting government."
Onwards to the stories you should not have missed this week.
Israel and Gaza
No evidence EU aid went to Hamas, says Israel ambassador
There is no evidence Hamas received EU aid, says Haim Regev, Israel's ambassador to the EU and Nato.
Arab diplomats voice anger at EU inaction on Gaza war
Palestine's EU envoy and 15 other Arab diplomats have voiced outrage at Europe's inaction on Israel's killing in Gaza. The Palestinian ambassador also hit out at "Israeli lies" over the Al-Ahli hospital bombing on Tuesday night.
Diplomatic spat between Israel and Spain over Gaza
Comments by a Spanish cabinet minister this week have sparked tensions between Israel and Madrid, prompting a harsh exchange and complicating the two countries' diplomatic relationship.
Labour
UN poverty expert proposes penalising pay of 'harmful' jobs
Wages should be based on social contribution, rewarding low-paid posts in care, charity work or the health sector, says a new global report on in-work poverty by the UN's poverty expert. And capping salaries in fossil-fuels, pesticides and tobacco.
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EU
Jina Amini and Iranian women win 2023 Sakharov Prize?
The European Parliament announced Jina Mahsa Amini and the women's movement in Iran won this year's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
EU states spending development aid on themselves, report finds
Almost €14bn of European official development assistance ends up in a handful of rich member states — instead of going towards low-income nations in need around the globe, a new report uncovers.
Green Economy
EU power reform expands role of the state
The reform was meant as a quick intervention —?but after months of bickering, EU countries finally agreed on a series of short-term reforms this week that could drastically change how the power market operates in the coming years.
Power grid spending needs to double to €600bn, IEA warns
In a new report, the International Energy Agency urges governments to start planning now, because by 2040, the world needs 80m km of power grid to meet climate targets. "Plan early and do it right," said IEA director Fatih Birol.
Chemicals
Beyond REACH? EU Commission dumps its chemical reform
The EU Commission has backtracked on its pledges regarding chemicals, animal welfare, and food systems — none of the much-awaited proposals featured in its 2024 work programme, unveiled on Tuesday.
Elections
Q&A: EU regions' champions lay out vision
The European Free Alliance (EFA) chose Raül Romeva, 52, and Maylis Ro?berg, 23, as its leading candidates for the 2024 EU elections. EUobserver sat down with both to discuss the Europe they envision for the next mandate.
Migration
Questions mount over security failures in Brussels terror attack
Questions are mounting on how a Tunisian ordered to leave Belgium after having his asylum request rejected was able to stay, before killing two Swedes in the streets of Brussels on Monday night.
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See you next week,