Paper short abstract:

Palestinian journalists are aware of their social role in keeping the collective memory and the national identity of the Palestinian nation. They tend to ‘speak for’, and represent their society to the world, becoming mediators between citizens and national and international institutions.

Paper long abstract:

Palestinian journalists are aware of their social role in keeping the collective memory and the national identity of the Palestinian nation. They tend to 'speak for', and represent their society to the world. "A great storyteller -whether a journalist or editor or filmmaker or curator- helps people figure out not only what matters in the world, but also why it matters." (Popova, 2014) Based on interviews conducted in the West Bank with Palestinian journalists between 2010 and 2012, I suggest in this paper that Palestinian's journalistic work is similar to 'diplomacy' because it aims to present the point of view of the 'Palestinian people' to show their "truth" to the world. "The truth itself involves a form of justice. It involves the restoration of a moral world where lies are lies, truths are truths, and the state is not unpunished." (Dresser, 2014) By doing so, Palestinian journalists shape themselves as mediators between the Palestinian people and the national and international governments, institutions and political elites. Journalism and information is a tool to fight for the respect of basic human right among minority groups. "Israeli and Mexican authorities have created a speech against the insurgency. On the other hand, the activists who defend the Palestinian struggle and neo-zapatist have developed communication strategies to oppose the official discourse and obtain foreign support." (Ferron, 2012)