The Hebrew online media's treatment of Arab citizens in the Negev

Abstract

This article investigates the online Hebrew media's representation of the Arab population of the Negev. It analyzes the content of articles relating to this population and the online responses of those who read these reports. I argue that the Arab population of the Negev suffers from double discrimination in the media due, on the one hand, to their exclusion from media coverage in general and, on the other hand, to the inflammatory stereotypes presented to Israeli media consumers when they are covered in the media. Furthermore, I show how positive, or even neutral, media attention is rarely given the Arab population of the Negev; instead, the media coverage of this group is characterized primarily by prejudice, stigmas and generalizations. This distracts the debate from the essence of the problem (the issue of lands) between the Negev Arabs and the government and adds new layers to the crisis by exaggerating the threat posed by this population.