Social media algorithms are absolutely not neutral in the dissemination of information; they are even pillars of media visibility of global conflicts. We saw this last October with X, where disinformation flooded news feeds concerning the clashes between Israel and Palestine.
This time, it is the Meta group which is singled out by the BBC in a survey published yesterday. Palestinian media find themselves in the shadows and their visibility is plummeting. On the other hand, Israeli and Arabic-speaking media are seeing their audiences grow. So, is Meta trying to fight disinformation or muzzling journalistic freedom of expression?
Palestinians deprived of their story
BBC News Arabic analysis of engagement data from twenty major Palestinian media outlets leaves little room for doubt. “ Paradoxically, while one might expect increased public enthusiasm in times of war, the data reveals a dramatic 77% drop in engagement on Palestine TV’s social media channels following the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023 » note the journalists from BBC News Arabic.
Palestine TV, despite its 5.8 million subscribers, recorded a 60% drop in the number of people affected by his publications. “ Our publications were completely invisible, cut off from any public », Testifies Tariq Ziad, journalist for the channel.
On the other side, the Facebook pages of twenty Israeli newsrooms, including Yediot Ahronot, Israel Hayom and Channel 13, benefited from a 37% audience increase. At the same time, the thirty non-Palestinian Arabic-speaking media outlets analyzed, such as Sky News Arabia and Al-Jazeera, saw their engagement double.
Meta assumes this new “moderation”
A former Meta employee, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed internal documents exposing a change to the Instagram algorithm in the week following the Hamas attack. This change specifically tightened the moderation of comments from Palestinian users. An engineer from the platform had also expressed his concerns about the introduction of a “ new systemic bias against Palestinian users “.
Meta acknowledges having taken these measures, justifying them by the need to respond to what she describes as “ spike in hateful content » emanating from the Palestinian territories. The company says that policy changes put in place at the start of the conflict have been reversed, without specifying the date of this return to normal.
The consequences of these restrictions are being felt on the ground. Omar el Qataa, one of the few photojournalists remaining in northern Gaza, already sees the effects on his work. “ A lot of information cannot be published because it is too shocking – for example, if the (Israeli) army commits a massacre and we film it, the video will not be broadcast “. Despite these obstacles, he persists: “ Despite challenges, risks and content bans, we must continue to share Palestinian content “.
Let’s not kid ourselves, it is increasingly difficult to argue that Meta, or other dominant platforms, remain neutral in their management of information. The company does play an active role in amplifying or erasing certain stories. It’s not a question of a technical accident or an algorithm bug – it’s a conscious, oriented interventionand heavily politically charged. There ” fight against hateful content » that the group brandishes here looks more like a smokescreen that has a valid justification.
- A BBC investigation reveals that Meta drastically reduced the visibility of Palestinian media after October 7, 2023.
- At the same time, the audience of Israeli and Arabic-speaking media has significantly increased on the group’s platforms.
- Meta justified these changes by explaining that it was fighting against hateful content.
