‘If you’re an Arab journalist, you’re political’: Hind Hassan on western media & Gaza | Real Talk

“If you’re an Arab, specifically a Palestinian journalist…you are political. Your identity is political.”

We recently sat down with award-winning journalist and filmmaker Hind Hassan for a reflective conversation that delves into Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Lebanon and Russia-Ukraine.

We also discussed Western media’s coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza, with Hind reflecting on the challenges faced by many journalists in the field, including those of Arab heritage: “Many of us looked at our places in the industry.”

The British-Iraqi journalist also shared insights from some of her acclaimed work in the field, which included reporting from Gaza in 2021, the last English-language interview with Yahya Sinwar (the former Hamas leader who was killed in 2024), as well as her reports on Sheikh Jarrah, the Russia-Ukraine war and an upcoming MEE documentary on Lebanon.

Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview programme hosted by Mohamed Hashem.

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:51 Hind’s background & identity
06:26 Reflecting on Gaza war
20:28 Importance of reporting by Palestinian journalists
31:22 Coverage of Israel-Palestine vs Russia-Ukraine
36:45 Starving Gaza documentary
44:13 On the ground in Gaza
50:44 Interviewing Yahya Sinwar (Behind the Scenes)
58:28 Story of Israeli settler & el-Kurd family home
01:06:06 Speaking to Israeli settlers
01:10:04 Upcoming MEE documentary
01:20:10 What’s next?

[aidykathleen]

I love Hind Hassan, incredible journalist, so great to hear from her here.

[joelbitton]

I am a 73 year old man and I have spent the better part of my life trying to understand why I seem to always feel a certain sadness in my heart. Then I thought, maybe this had something to do with it. Hopefully this story brings out others like me. In 1963 Zionists came to my home in Casablanca Morocco, to convince my parents to send me and my little sister to Israel without them. I was 12 and my sister 9 when we started our miserable journey to the "Promised land". It destroyed our family and left me and my sister with long lasting scars neither one of us has been able to heal. Being from Morocco made it even more difficult to live in a more racist country than Morocco ever was. We had a very peaceful life as Jews living amongst Muslims in Morocco. We understood each other and helped each other. To this day, the principal advisor to King Mohamed is a Jew. But the Zionists needed boddies to fill Israel and slowly claim more and more land from the Palestinians they kept displacing. The people running Israel are not Jews. True Jews would have helped the Palestinians evolve and share in their fortunes, like we did for centuries in the Arab world. Israel claims it is defending itself? Against whom? The people they have been displacing and opressing for 80 years? Israel, my advice to you, if you want to survive, get rid of the religious zealots who run your government and join the 21st century.

[AbdSmamajej]

J'ai eu le plaisir de regarder un documentaire signé par cette brillante journaliste, tourné en territoures occupés, sur bbc si je ne me trompe.
Admirable pour son courage et sa détermination.
Bon courage ma fille, mon fils continuons à dénonder et condamner le génocide commis par israél, qui compte sur l'usure du temps pour faire oublier ses monstrueux crimes
Toute ma gratitude

[LifeIsForEmosD]

Please continue your amazing work. The voices coming out of Palestine can be hard to hear above the noise mixed-in by mainstream media. You amplify it greatly and it is greatly appreciated!
God bless you!

[Abraham-ukxy]

I have seen her reports on Vice news and Al Jazeera. She is a brave lady with honest accurate reporting.

[IggyAzaleaProMax]

From the River to the Sea, Palestine 🇵🇸 will be free.

[PrincessMargaretJoacquim]

Then what is the solution ❤ can we find a solution. We have to solve this huge problem which needs a loud ECHOOOO.... Can we do We all can., because we are inthe battle of truth, justice and righteousness 🙏we cannot give up 😎✊

[mischevious]

I don’t think it’s that Palestinian journalists are “political” as Hind says. Rather the underlying point appears to be full spectrum erasure. It’s glaringly obvious particularly in US media for example, no one utters the word Palestinian if they can help it. People will twist themselves inside out in order to not say their name. Or if they do the wording used is always slanted against them. Jews were “murdered”, Palestinians “died”.
And any opportunity to refer to them as Arabs, as Isrlis see them, is always seized upon. In Isrl, their citizen registry labels all Palestinians as Arabs.

[joaobaptista]

Hind and Isobel are prehaps the greatest Female journalists from VICE.

[cleanyourmind]

A miserable situation is everywhere not good for human beings, so why are leadership needed conflict more than peace ?

[AR-kewg]

Where can we see the interview with yacoub?

[abdullahidahiru]

Allahumma akfiynihim bimaa shiy'ita

[tempacc]

Western journalists call supporting the empire apolitical.

[senadmarovic]

What is happening in gaza is beyond words but one thing im going to say is arabs have them selfs to blame they have been shitting on one another for centuries over tribalism and other things like who is right Sunni or shia instead of tolorainting each other and agreeing to disagree from time to time and that's why you have Israel thriving because they are united and your not

[ashishuparwat]

But why these journalists don't show their powerful journalism in muslim countries ? Why don't they raise question on Democracy in the muslim countries?