Media often gets a bad rap—and for valid reasons. Journalists are in a position to create discourses and to challenge, or reaffirm, existing ones. Journalism can stand against power structures or bolster them. It can help or hurt institutions, but ultimately, it is an institution of its own.
We at The Gaudie are not members of the mass-media, nor are we professional journalists. Our primary focus is on delivering news for students by students in Aberdeen.
Yet, our public voices matter and what students care about is not restricted to campus issues. The ongoing conflict has impacted numerous students, with members of our team personally affected.
The Gaudie has previously, and will continue, to stand against all forms of oppression, including antisemitism and Islamophobia, on our campus, and reiterate our commitment to platform a range of inclusive and diverse voices. This is the standpoint from which we are compelled to make our position on the conflict evident.
We believe that truthful journalism does not shy away from what is controversial or uncomfortable, but instead faces the facts head on. And this is what they are:
As The Associated Press stated, “The ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, provided the breakdown at the request of the AP. Israel claims to have killed about 10,000 Hamas fighters but has not provided evidence.”
Those are the facts, now here is the reality. This is genocide. Thousands of innocent Palestinians have been killed during the Israeli assault on Gaza. Many believed that they were residing in “safe zones” free from airstrikes.
Each of these 29,000 lives, a number that feels too large to actualise and is sure to rise, were people who had hopes, plans, dreams, frustrations, fears, and loved ones. They were people who deserved to live. They were children who deserved to reach adulthood.
The journalists who risked everything to bring light to the conflict deserved to return home.
The events of October 7th, including the killing of civilians and taking of hostages by Hamas should, and continues to be, condemned.
The loss of any innocent life is wholly inadmissible.
This is the irrefutable truth.
We understand that, by standing in solidarity with Palestine, our reporting on the conflict will be considered not. To respond to this, we would agree. Attempting to be neutral in a situation that has seen thousands of innocent civilians killed by the IDF is a betrayal of our commitment to the truth.
As such, the only viable solution is an immediate and effective ceasefire, and when our own governments fail to represent us on the global stage it is only more important that our position is loud and clear.
In line with this, we will be supporting AUSA’s “Israel-Palestine Ceasefire Motion” which clarifies their position on the conflict. It calls for the University to reexamine its role as a global institution and its considerable silence since October..
Below is a number of local and global charities that are sending aid to Palestine. We would encourage you to support these groups however you can:
Resources in Aberdeen:
We thank our readers for their support of The Gaudie, time and time again.
