Arabs in Media explores the controversy surrounding acclaimed author Ta-Nehisi Coates and his interview on CBS This Morning to discuss his new book The Messenger.

The episode exposes the bias of institutional media outlets, which, in the past, often went unchallenged for their narratives, style, and side swipes on figures like Coates.

Coates, known for his thought-provoking books like Between the World and Me and The Water Dancer, has often challenged the narratives around race, history, and identity in America. We discuss the roots of the controversy of the interview with CBS based on Coates experience witnessing apartheid in the occupied territories of Palestine and Israel, and we unpack the internal fallout at CBS, and the political and racial factors a part of that interview.

Thanks for supporting independent media, join the conversation at the Arabs in Media Substack.

Special thanks to co-host on this episode to Najwa Jamal

Remember, habibi, genocide is always wrong.

Hazem Jamal

Send a text message with any feedback. I won't see your number, and I can't reply, but it is a way to leave a comment. Or, you can send a message on Substack or IG @ ArabsinMedia

Hazem Jamal is a first-generation Iraqi-American who worked in as a programming exec in American radio for many years. After witnessing limited voices and shrinking consumption in linear media, Hazem founded Arabs in Media to offer a platform for fresh stories, information, and entertainment.

To join the Arabs in Media community, sign up at the free Arabs in Media Substack for more multi-media content, and email notifications for new episodes dropping.

https://arabsinmedia.substack.com/

Instagram @arabsinmedia

Featured media and social links here:

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Support Operation Olive Branch, providing humanitarian assistance to families devastated by g-cide:

https://linktr.ee/opolivebranch

"How can our electorate be informed if we are blocking - intentionally blocking access to information about such a crucial issue?" - Lesley Williams

Just north of Chicago, in Evanston Illinois, 20-year veteran librarian Lesley Williams became the center of a controversy that involved an invitation to Palestinian author and scholar Ali Abunimeh to speak at a series at the Evanston Public Library. Lesley was then told to "postpone" the reading by her boss. What ensued was a series of public-facing PR gaffes and political maneuvers that eventually brought the author to the library for an engagement, but not before the damage had been done.

In the current world of censorship and job separations based on the genocide in Gaza and suppression of Palestinian voices, this might come across your feed as something as a sad "new normal," but the Evanston library incident happened in 2014, and culminated with Lesley's departure from the library three years later.

Ten years later, Lesley joins Arabs in Media to share not only the personal side and timeline of what happened at the Evanston Public Library, but exposes in a fascinating talk how the "innocent ol' library" - the original medium for accessing knowledge intellectual freedom - are not just hotspots for book banning the ways we may or may not understand it, but are places where open discussions and knowledge exchanges are also being essentially doxxed.

If you followed the story when it first happened, you'll get more depth and perspective on the details surrounding the controversy from that time.

As an active member of Jewish Voices for Peace and champion for justice, Leslie shares great insights on everything from the library ethos and Bill of Rights, to why it's so hard to find books about Palestine by Palestinian authors, to how big chain bookstores do a disservice on how they hide the few Palestinian stories they do carry.

How are your books placed? How are your community programs programmed? How does this relate to library censorship, the one place you expect information to be accessible? How can you re-think what free-thinking is in this world where people get fired for standing up against genocide?

Finally, if you are a book lover and/or someone interested in reading some recommended works, you can't miss this episode.

Here are some links from the podcast, as promised in the recording:

We Refuse : A Forceful History of Black Resistance, by Kellie Carter Jackson

https://www.kelliecarterjackson.com/we-refuse

A radical reframing of the past and present of Black resistance—both nonviolent and vi

Send a text message with any feedback. I won't see your number, and I can't reply, but it is a way to leave a comment. Or, you can send a message on Substack or IG @ ArabsinMedia

Hazem Jamal is a first-generation Iraqi-American who worked in as a programming exec in American radio for many years. After witnessing limited voices and shrinking consumption in linear media, Hazem founded Arabs in Media to offer a platform for fresh stories, information, and entertainment.

To join the Arabs in Media community, sign up at the free Arabs in Media Substack for more multi-media content, and email notifications for new episodes dropping.

https://arabsinmedia.substack.com/

Instagram @arabsinmedia

Featured media and social links here:

https://linktr.ee/arabsinmedia

Support Operation Olive Branch, providing humanitarian assistance to families devastated by g-cide:

https://linktr.ee/opolivebranch

In this episode of Arabs in Media, we connect with Palestinian activist Salah Said from Germany to shed light on the chaotic scenes unfolding on the ground. From media narratives to police brutality against protesters, to arms shipments and the rise of far-right extremism, we explore the political environment in Germany.

Even if you're not deeply engaged with the Palestine issue, it's crucial to understand the broader political implications in Germany, including censorship, government bans on protest, and the suppression of free expression.

Salah Said also delves into how media coverage in Germany, often not accessible to non-German speakers, shapes public opinion. What are the connections between the Palestinian struggle and global liberation movements, including those in Congo and Sudan, and that for climate justice? All discussed in this episode.

Through Salah's personal journey as well, we confront the emotional toll of witnessing daily atrocities while remaining committed to the fight for Palestine and global justice.

For more images and discussion, check out our Substack @ArabsinMedia

This week's links:

Salah's IG https://www.instagram.com/salah_said90/
Threads: salah_said90

Support Salah and Manar's fight against misinformation: https://donorbox.org/support-salah-and-manar

The article you'll want to share forever and ever:
https://lithub.com/making-space-for-palestinian-happiness/

Thanks for listening, habibi, and remember, gen0cide is always wrong.

-Hazem Jamal

Send a text message with any feedback. I won't see your number, and I can't reply, but it is a way to leave a comment. Or, you can send a message on Substack or IG @ ArabsinMedia

Hazem Jamal is a first-generation Iraqi-American who worked in as a programming exec in American radio for many years. After witnessing limited voices and shrinking consumption in linear media, Hazem founded Arabs in Media to offer a platform for fresh stories, information, and entertainment.

To join the Arabs in Media community, sign up at the free Arabs in Media Substack for more multi-media content, and email notifications for new episodes dropping.

https://arabsinmedia.substack.com/

Instagram @arabsinmedia

Featured media and social links here:

https://linktr.ee/arabsinmedia

Support Operation Olive Branch, providing humanitarian assistance to families devastated by g-cide:

https://linktr.ee/opolivebranch

Arabs in Media talks to Yasmin Elhady - an exceptionally funny human being! How Yasmin arrived to the US as a refugee, and now does stand-up comedy in a badass hijab is a story with lots of plot twists you won't expect. Yasmin has the gift of storytelling, but has some crazy family stories that you didn't see coming.

We met up with Yasmin before her set at a comedy tour benefit for the Palestine Children's Relief Fund in Brea, California on August 24th, 2024. We talk about everything from "traumedy" to what are the best Arabic appetizers are to how to emotionally navigate yourself in a genocide and being a force for good. I don't know who got the better deal the day of this recording - me recording the podcast - or the full house who came for laughter and relief. Not only did Yasmin kill her set, she then went on to help raise record-breaking money for the children of Palestine with the heart of a mom, taking us from laughter to tears and back.

Catch Yasmin on the new series "Muslim Matchmaker" September 12th, 2024 on Hulu!

Links this week!

Yasmin's socials:
https://www.instagram.com/yasminelhahahady/
https://www.tiktok.com/@yasmin_elhady

A book Yasmine recommends:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/226848/the-return-pulitzer-prize-winner-by-hisham-matar/

Palestinian Children's Relief Fund
https://www.instagram.com/thepcrf/ (The PCRF)
https://www.instagram.com/pcrf_laocie/ (PCRF SoCal chapter)

Thanks for listening, habibi.

Send a text message with any feedback. I won't see your number, and I can't reply, but it is a way to leave a comment. Or, you can send a message on Substack or IG @ ArabsinMedia

Hazem Jamal is a first-generation Iraqi-American who worked in as a programming exec in American radio for many years. After witnessing limited voices and shrinking consumption in linear media, Hazem founded Arabs in Media to offer a platform for fresh stories, information, and entertainment.

To join the Arabs in Media community, sign up at the free Arabs in Media Substack for more multi-media content, and email notifications for new episodes dropping.

https://arabsinmedia.substack.com/

Instagram @arabsinmedia

Featured media and social links here:

https://linktr.ee/arabsinmedia

Support Operation Olive Branch, providing humanitarian assistance to families devastated by g-cide:

https://linktr.ee/opolivebranch

Nima Akram, co-founder of NewsCord.org, discusses media bias and the role of AI in revealing it.

As a data nerd, I have been fascinated by the unchallenged headlines that have minimized the atrocities in Gaza, perpetuated by Western media. Newscord has clearly and simply used AI to aggregate coverage on a topic. At minimum you have a more comprehensive understanding of the news.

While the impetus started with Gaza, the applications may completely change how you understand news coverage about anything. This is truly an important tool in an era of misinformation, bias, disinformation, or erasure.

Consider this a consumer training!

Fun fact: Just as we sat down to record our chat, a 4.4 earthquake hit LA just a few miles from here. That’s the first minute of the podcast. Good times.

I hope you get some good information from our chat. Nima breaks down several current stories with Gaza, and we also delve into the world of the UK’s recent summer riots and how they were framed in media and politics. The UK press has always tripped me out; we all know about the tabloids, but there’s plenty of problematic BBC coverage we discuss.

Links for this week:

https://newscord.start.page/

https://www.instagram.com/newscord_org/ (Open on Chrome)

https://linktr.ee/unmutehumanity

Asaal Rad on X.com - the headline fixer

Arabs in Media on Instagram

Send a text message with any feedback. I won't see your number, and I can't reply, but it is a way to leave a comment. Or, you can send a message on Substack or IG @ ArabsinMedia

Hazem Jamal is a first-generation Iraqi-American who worked in as a programming exec in American radio for many years. After witnessing limited voices and shrinking consumption in linear media, Hazem founded Arabs in Media to offer a platform for fresh stories, information, and entertainment.

To join the Arabs in Media community, sign up at the free Arabs in Media Substack for more multi-media content, and email notifications for new episodes dropping.

https://arabsinmedia.substack.com/

Instagram @arabsinmedia

Featured media and social links here:

https://linktr.ee/arabsinmedia

Support Operation Olive Branch, providing humanitarian assistance to families devastated by g-cide:

https://linktr.ee/opolivebranch

Arabs in Media interviews Najwa, born in the US to parents who emigrated from Iraq, and who shares her experiences of growing during those wars and 9/11 being in the background of her development and adulthood.

Surprise, Najwa is my sister, and also just got back from a trip to the Arab world, and shares the joy and warmth that came from a full-circle experience of going from one extreme of xenophobia to cultural welcoming, and the surprising comments she got from non-Arabs who joined her on the trip about the nature of Arabs compared to their impressions from the media.

Najwa and I had some overlap with our experiences growing up. Listen in on how some of our experiences shaped us then, and now.

Plus some of the latest news with Palestine and Gaza, and a new Shout Out segment that calls attention to some positive people or things going on that you should hear about.

Send a text message with any feedback. I won't see your number, and I can't reply, but it is a way to leave a comment. Or, you can send a message on Substack or IG @ ArabsinMedia

Hazem Jamal is a first-generation Iraqi-American who worked in as a programming exec in American radio for many years. After witnessing limited voices and shrinking consumption in linear media, Hazem founded Arabs in Media to offer a platform for fresh stories, information, and entertainment.

To join the Arabs in Media community, sign up at the free Arabs in Media Substack for more multi-media content, and email notifications for new episodes dropping.

https://arabsinmedia.substack.com/

Instagram @arabsinmedia

Featured media and social links here:

https://linktr.ee/arabsinmedia

Support Operation Olive Branch, providing humanitarian assistance to families devastated by g-cide:

https://linktr.ee/opolivebranch

So much news has happened such a short period of time, that we've got a short and sweet Arabs in Media, with a Soap Opera-style recap of the news starting from the Biden Trump debate to today's foreign war criminal addressing the US Congress. Special surprise appearances from Nikki Haley, God and George Clooney.

The Arabs in Media Substack also had something to say about Biden dropping out of the race.

https://arabsinmedia.substack.com/p/joe-biden-accessory-to-palestinian

We end the super-short podcast with a helpful tip to the new Democratic nominee on how to NOT ring the BS Buzzer among the people who left the party in the last 9 months, if the DNC is actually listening.

Send a text message with any feedback. I won't see your number, and I can't reply, but it is a way to leave a comment. Or, you can send a message on Substack or IG @ ArabsinMedia

Hazem Jamal is a first-generation Iraqi-American who worked in as a programming exec in American radio for many years. After witnessing limited voices and shrinking consumption in linear media, Hazem founded Arabs in Media to offer a platform for fresh stories, information, and entertainment.

To join the Arabs in Media community, sign up at the free Arabs in Media Substack for more multi-media content, and email notifications for new episodes dropping.

https://arabsinmedia.substack.com/

Instagram @arabsinmedia

Featured media and social links here:

https://linktr.ee/arabsinmedia

Support Operation Olive Branch, providing humanitarian assistance to families devastated by g-cide:

https://linktr.ee/opolivebranch

I was working on another episode when tonight's debate between Biden and Trump was set to air. I wasn't going to watch it, but then the texts started. "Just horrible." "We are doomed." "It hurts." "What an embarrassment."

So I tuned in, and, yup. So we're going to break down some of the media headlines post-debate, and some analysis of the two or so minutes that Biden and Trump incoherently talked about Israel, Gaza and Hamas, including Trump calling Biden "a Palestinian, but a very weak one." Huh?

So as a total departure from the regular Arabs in Media podcast, don't mind my hysterical laughter. It was a relief-valve from months of horror. But at the end - a few words and a prediction about Biden.

Send a text message with any feedback. I won't see your number, and I can't reply, but it is a way to leave a comment. Or, you can send a message on Substack or IG @ ArabsinMedia

Hazem Jamal is a first-generation Iraqi-American who worked in as a programming exec in American radio for many years. After witnessing limited voices and shrinking consumption in linear media, Hazem founded Arabs in Media to offer a platform for fresh stories, information, and entertainment.

To join the Arabs in Media community, sign up at the free Arabs in Media Substack for more multi-media content, and email notifications for new episodes dropping.

https://arabsinmedia.substack.com/

Instagram @arabsinmedia

Featured media and social links here:

https://linktr.ee/arabsinmedia

Support Operation Olive Branch, providing humanitarian assistance to families devastated by g-cide:

https://linktr.ee/opolivebranch