OPINION: The impact of information warfare

I suppose it shouldn’t be a surprise that participating in an overnight ROTC training exercise as a participatory reporter would lead me to reflect on the role journalism plays in war.  

As I lay on my stomach in the sagebrush, barely breathing as the “enemy” searched for us mere feet away, I couldn’t help but imagine the terror one would feel in this training simulation. Adrenaline pumping through your veins, knowing you could be discovered and killed in a matter of seconds. It made me consider the risks that not only face the people willing to fight for our country, but those who risk their lives to document the stories of war in all it’s danger and brutality.  

War journalists are indispensable in today’s cultural climate. Misinformation runs rampant online, and many governments are unafraid to censor things they deem unsightly or damaging to their image. War only exacerbates these problems, and according to the Geneva Academy, there are over 110 ongoing armed conflicts worldwide.  

Professional journalists are some of the best-equipped people to report on war. They’re trained to contribute facts to public understanding, hold governments accountable and document the good, bad and the ugly. Their importance can’t be overstated — they provide a necessary check on power, illuminate the realities of war and contribute to global awareness and peace. 

The Vietnam War and My Lai Massacre is a prime example. On March 16, 1968, American soldiers were instructed by  Lieutenant William Calley to “search and destroy” the Vietnamese village of My Lai. The mission quickly dissolved into the massacre of over 300 unarmed civilians. 

An article from PBS painted a horrible picture of the massacre: “According to eyewitness reports offered after the event, several old men were bayoneted, praying women and children were shot in the back of the head, and at least one girl was raped and then killed.” 

The horror of My Lai remained completely unknown to the public until November 1969, when journalist Seymour Hersh published a story detailing the massacre. He wrote the story based on his conversations with a Vietnam veteran Ron Ridenhour who had learned of the events from some of the men who had been there. 

Ridenhour learned of the events at My Lai from members of Charlie Company who had been there. Before speaking with Hersh, he had appealed to Congress, the White House and the Pentagon to investigate the matter. The military investigation resulted in Calley’s being charged with murder in September 1969 — a full two months before the Hersh story hit the streets. 

Many other journalists worked to expose war crimes committed by U.S. forces in Vietnam, and their reporting played a crucial role in shifting public opinion on the war and influencing U.S. policy.  

In more recent times, the work of journalists in Syria and Afghanistan has similarly exposed war crimes and human rights abuses, challenging the narratives presented by warring parties. 

Accountability and transparency are paramount to the success of democracy. The public must be able to make informed decisions, and to do so, they have to know how their leaders are conducting themselves in times of war. 

By documenting the actions of governments, military forces and other actors in conflict zones, journalists hold them accountable for their actions.  

During the U.S. occupation of Iraq, journalists like Robert Fisk and Patrick Cockburn reported on the devastating effects of the war on Iraqi civilians and the mismanagement of the occupation. Their work provided a counter-narrative to the official rhetoric, contributing to a broader understanding of the war’s consequences. 

Most poignant to me is war journalism’s documentation of the human cost of conflict. War is not just a geopolitical event, it is a human tragedy that affects millions of lives.  

Photographs, videos and written accounts from conflict zones offer a window into the lives of those most affected by war. Images of bombed-out cities, refugee camps and grieving families humanize the statistics and remind the world of the real impact of war.  

Unfolding in real-time, human suffering has been the subject of focus for a lot of independent coverage of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. 

At the beginning of the conflict, Israel imposed strict controls on international journalists, requiring military escorts and pre-broadcast reviews of their footage.  

According to an update written by Ali Harb for Al Jazeera, “Critics of the policy argue that the restrictions against the entry of journalists into Gaza are an attempt by Israel to prevent coverage of its attacks, which have killed more than 23,000 Palestinians.”  

Because of these restrictions and concerns over mainstream media bias, social media has been the main tool for sharing information.  

In Gaza, local content creators such as Hind Khoudary, Plestia Alaqad, Motaz Azaiza and Bisan Owda, document their experiences. They share photos and videos of decimated cities, dead and injured civilians and tell stories of brutality. 

In Israel, social media has been used to rally public support for military actions, and Israeli influencers and content creators such as Ella Kenan and Eve Cohen have spread pro-Israel content and satire. 

The digital landscape has certainly transformed war reporting, making it more immediate but ethically gray. It requires the navigation of information warfare, where misinformation and disinformation are rampant.  

Still, the importance of uncovering truth and highlighting the human condition in times of conflict remains at an all-time high.