Facebook’s Restrictions Impact Palestinian News Outlets Amid Ongoing Conflict

Investigations reveal that social media platform Facebook has severely limited the reach of Palestinian news outlets, contributing to a stark decline in audience engagement. Despite the challenges, journalists continue to strive for the dissemination of information from Gaza.

Palestinian news outlets are facing considerable challenges in reaching their audiences due to Facebook's restrictions, a situation exacerbated by the ongoing Israel-Gaza war. Comprehensive research conducted by the BBC has shown that following the escalation of conflict on October 7, 2023, engagement metrics on the pages of Palestinian media organizations in both Gaza and the West Bank plummeted by a staggering 77%.

The situation was particularly stark for Palestine TV, which has a follower count of 5.8 million on Facebook and experienced a 60% drop in viewer interaction on their posts, highlighting the drastic impact these measures are having. Journalist Tariq Ziad remarked, “Interaction was completely restricted, and our posts stopped reaching people,” voicing the frustrations of many in the sector.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, refuted allegations of intentionally suppressing Palestinian voices, describing such claims as “unequivocally false.” They attributed the decline in engagement to strategic decisions made post-attack, intended to navigate the complexities of allowing free speech while also managing content from groups such as Hamas, which has been designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S.

In contrast, a detailed analysis of Israeli news outlets reflected a different story; engagement on their Facebook pages surged by nearly 37% during the same period. This disparity has raised serious concerns among Palestinian journalists, many of whom believe they are subject to a practice colloquially referred to as "shadow-banning."

Previous investigations have also suggested that Arabic language expertise is lacking within Meta, often leading to misinterpretations of innocuous phrases, like “Alhamdulillah,” which could be inaccurately flagged as violent content. Similar analysis of other Arabic-language news pages, such as those of Al-Jazeera, proved that their engagement had risen, which further amplifies the disparity felt by Palestinian outlets.

Recent internal communications from Meta indicate changes were made to their algorithms on Instagram after the beginning of the conflict, purposefully tightening moderation for Palestinian users. One employee, who remained anonymous, disclosed worries that these changes could foster biases against this demographic.

While Meta has reversed some of these policy measures, the timeline remains unclear, and Palestinian journalists are still grappling with the fallout. As reported, at least 137 Palestinian journalists have been confirmed dead since the hostilities began, underscoring the dangers in the field.

In spite of the hurdles they face, journalists like Omar el Qataa continue to prioritize documenting the realities of life in Gaza, emphasizing, “We must continue sharing Palestinian content,” revealing a steadfast commitment to their work amidst adversity.