AFP (Agence France Presse) has an interesting website. They claim a value system of Truth, impartiality and plurality, and these values guarantee rigorous, verified news, free from political or commercial influence (sic).
News24 publishes their images and has done so in the past. One assumes the captions below these images are from AFP as well. It is also supposed that N24 is neutral and does all to ensure an unbiased website and that any inaccuracies would be an oversight. The economical welfare of a news agency is after all also related to news material credibility and customer support. Allowing “foreign” news agency material to detract from this would be a shame. It is in these times with the info bill at hand that a news agency wishes to live close to it readers. And vice versa.
Accessing from N24 the series of 21 photographs (ex AFP), available on Multimedia > World > Gaza: Escalating conflict, warrants closer inspection and some comments.
If one has to believe the scenario of utter deprivation, poverty and even images of Nazi concentration camps (as one poster wrote), of the living circumstances of inhabitants of Gaza that some commenters wish to evoke, one has to be challenged with something that comes close to the truth.
It is difficult to equate these “oppression and squatter camp” messages when confronted with images of swimming pools, big well built apartment blocks, obviously excellent medical facilities and images of bystanders with cellphones and video cameras in hand.
It is also with difficulty that one can believe the impartiality of the originator of the images, (or should one search for an agenda?), when the captions want the reader to believe that a defensive rocket with destruction capabilities to destroy other rockets only, would be fired into a neighbouring area with the intent of destruction of people or property.
Whilst no death in any conflict can be condoned, it is also difficult to understand the often close on rabid, (usually insulting), comments posted when defending either side of the current situation in Gaza. A more moderate tone could perhaps be expected, with the odd sharp retort. Which would not be unreasonable as the most voluble posters seem to ignore the reality in South Africa.
The poverty (and associated woes), here at home surely trumps any perceived political, housing or economical situation in Gaza, yet the same vitriol about this is seldom voiced.
Which does put perspective on how cheap life has become in South Africa....
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