When the Internet Goes Dark, the Truth Goes With It
Palestinian journalist Plestia Alaqad on bearing witness, the fragile power of social media, and why documenting lived reality matters more than ever.
Millions of people know Plestia Alaqad as a picture on a screen: a young Palestinian journalist in a press vest and helmet, standing amid the destruction of Gaza, speaking to the camera between airstrikes. It is one of many.
The burden of witnessing and reporting on events in Gaza has fallen almost exclusively on Palestinian journalists, as Israel has banned international journalists from entering the territory and reporting on the war since October 2023. In limited cases, journalists have been allowed into controlled conditions, escorted by the Israeli army.
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