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Just Journalism Newsletter 25 June 2010 Violence resumes between Turkey and the PKK The past month has seen sporadic media coverage of the increasing violence between Turkey and the militant Kurdish separatist group, the PKK. The single biggest story has been the detonation of a roadside bomb on the outskirts of Istanbul, killing 5 occupants of a bus carrying both soldiers and their family members. This came as both sides of the conflict have publicly denounced the possibility of a peaceful resolution. The recent increase in terrorist attacks against Turkey has coincided with the PKK's announcement that it was cancelling a unilateral cease-fire, following military actions by the Turkish army. While all of the broadsheets except The Daily Telegraph have covered the most recent violence, other sources suggest that the conflict between the two sides has been raging for several months, unreported. For example, the only coverage of fighting between the two sides in May were three articles that appeared on the BBC News website. These articles covered two attacks by Kurdish rebels (one on a naval base, the other on an army outpost, both in Turkey near the Iraqi border), as well as of a Turkish bombing campaign against Kurdish targets in Iraq. To continue reading, click here. BBC downplays Israeli security concerns This week, the Israeli government announced that, as expected, it would 'liberalise' the Gaza blockade, effectively allowing in all civilian goods into the territory. This followed international pressure, and the prospect of growing numbers of protest ships trying to break the naval blockade. Media coverage has concentrated on the role that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair played in brokering the deal as Middle East envoy for The Quartet. The broadsheets also gave varying levels of prominence to the criticisms of local NGOs. The Daily Telegraph, for example, simply stated that 'There will still be complaints that the easing has not gone far enough' and that 'There is no mention of any change to the ban on exports, which has severely damaged what remains of the Gaza economy.' The Guardian, on the other hand, cited quotations from Chris Gunness of UNRWA, and Gisha, an Israeli human-rights organisation. An article on the BBC News website took a slightly different approach, concentrating on the reaction from those living in Gaza itself. 'No Gaza optimism over easing blockade' by Jon Donnison, featured interviews with those most affected by Israel's policies. Unsurprisingly, the Gazans quoted were highly critical of any kind of restrictions on the free movement of people and goods into the area. For example, Omar Shabban of the Gaza-based think tank PalThink stated that the current situation was akin to 'One-and-a-half million people...trapped in a prison unable to leave.' To continue reading, click here. The Free Gaza Flotilla - A digest of our analysis In the week following the raid of a flotilla bound for Gaza, Just Journalism monitored media coverage, analysing emerging trends in the reporting of the story and its repercussions. Below is a chronological digest of all the analysis we produced: 31 May 2010 - Peace activists or violent agitators: How the media narrative on flotilla incident is shaping up With the Israeli government standing firm on their claim that IDF soldiers were met with severe violence from Gaza aid convoy participants, Just Journalism will be following developments closely and publishing new information on a rolling basis. Before the incident had occurred, MEMRI had published this footage, with Arabic to English translation, showing participants on board one of the ships chanting violent anti-Jewish slogans before setting sail. The activists shout: 'Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews, the army of Muhammed will return' - a reference to a seventh century attack in Khayber, Arabia, by Muhammed and his followers against Jews. To continue reading the digest, click here. For more information about Just Journalism, or to contact us, please visit www.justjournalism.com