Synopsis

In this week’s second installment, former foreign correspondent Joris Luyendijk examines the mechanisms underlying television coverage of the Middle East. The cycle of dramatic bombings, suicide videos, stone-throwing Palestinians, and squabbling world leaders induces a profound weariness in the viewer. Prolonged conflict has, by now, rendered us numb to the horrific imagery emanating from that region. For many, the Middle East on television has become the ultimate trigger for channel surfing.