The Listening Post: "El-Fasher: Siege, Starvation and a Media Blackout"

Podcast: The Listening Post | Host: Al Jazeera
Air Date: October 25, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode spotlights three interconnected crises and the media's role in covering—or failing to cover—them:

1. The underreported humanitarian catastrophe in El-Fasher, Sudan, where siege and starvation have devastated civilians amid a near-total media blackout.
2. The documentation of Israeli settler violence in the West Bank and the suppression of journalists.
3. Indian media’s toxic influence, both at home and throughout South Asia, distorting regional coverage and damaging regional relationships.

The episode calls attention to the imperative of ethical, on-the-ground journalism, the consequences of media blackouts, and the dangers of nationalistic narratives overriding facts and compassion.

I. Sudan: El-Fasher’s Catastrophe & Global Indifference

Setting the Scene: The Forgotten War (00:33–03:19)

• The civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023 has caused unimaginable suffering:
  • 13 million displaced, up to 150,000 killed.
  • The city of El-Fasher, Darfur’s last SAF stronghold, has endured over 500 days of siege.
• Media coverage is sorely lacking, often reduced to satellite images—"glimpses of the scale of the destruction, but not the suffering."
• Quote (Narrator, 01:48):

  "This is a story that, even when taking Gaza into account, is about the biggest humanitarian crisis on the planet by far... And where the coverage is frequently MIA, missing in action because of all the things that journalists are up against and the lack of attention of the international media."

Obstacles to Reporting: Blackouts and Violence (03:20–04:07)

• Media Blackout: Internet cut off, journalists systematically targeted—over 30 killed.
• Blocked Access: Foreign powers and military actors keep crisis in the dark.
• Quote (Expert/Analyst, 03:20):

  "The crisis in Al Fashir, with its terrifying numbers of deaths and crimes, amounts to a genocide. But it's not received the necessary media attention for many reasons..."

• Quote (Journalism Ethics Commentator, 03:39):

  "There are two elements that prevent this news of coming out. One of them is a blackout of the Internet. There is a campaign against information coming out."

The Dynamics of Violence and Impunity (04:07–06:18)

• RSF, born from the Janjaweed militia, violently asserts control:
  • 327 children killed by artillery in two weeks; 171 starved.
  • Atrocities broadcast online; perpetrators unmasked.
• Quote (Reporter, 05:28):

  "There was one video, a woman lynched and hung from a tree by an RSF soldier who showed his face to the camera. This really demonstrates the impunity... they can get away with murder."

• Violence as Messaging: RSF enacts performative violence to establish legitimacy.
• Quote (Journalism Ethics Commentator, 05:49):

  "Legitimacy then is derived through extreme forms of performative violence."

The Power Struggle Beyond Two Generals (06:18–07:49)

• International media’s "two generals" frame is oversimplified—foreign interests and resources (gold, ports, Red Sea access) are key drivers.
• Quote (Expert/Analyst, 07:24):

  "This is a very complex war involving gold ports, economic interests... Describing the conflict as a fight between two generals is a misleading and simplistic characterization."

• The UAE allegedly supplies RSF with Chinese drones, motivated by gold markets and future food security, though officially denies involvement.

Degradation of Sudanese Journalism, Rise of Disinformation (08:20–10:22)

• Local media destroyed, international reporters absent; news vacuum filled by propaganda and lies.
• Sudanese rely on limited, external coverage in Arabic/English, inaccessible due to internet blackouts.
• Quote (Reporter, 09:09):

  "So to get independent media right now in Sudan is very, very difficult."

• Female journalists especially at risk.
• The absence of reporting enables further atrocities.
• Quote (Expert/Analyst, 10:22):

  "The absence of Internet, electricity and professional journalism has turned Sudan's war into an arena of disinformation where false or misleading news dominate the media landscape... I wish these numbers were humanized to reflect the horror Sudanese people are facing."

II. West Bank: On-the-Ground Journalism Amid Settler Violence

Eyewitness Account of Israeli Settler Attacks (11:00–13:47)

• American journalist Jasper Nathaniel documents violent assault by Israeli settlers on Palestinian farmers and an elderly woman, as Israeli soldiers direct farmers into an ambush.
• Quote (Eyewitness/Interviewee, 11:51):

  "We saw him knock her unconscious... This is the ugly face of what the state of Israel has become. Nobody is safe from the settlers. They can steal land, they can steal homes, they can beat people, they can kill people."

• Following global exposure of the attack, short-lived Israeli efforts to limit PR damage ensue, only for the suppression of journalists and documentation to resume.
• Quote (Eyewitness/Interviewee, 12:53):

  "After I caught that incident on camera... the next day they had a peaceful harvest and the soldiers were there protecting the farmers. ...the next day they were kicking journalists and activists out of the olive fields, getting rid of people who can document it just like they have done in Gaza..."

III. India and South Asia: Toxic Media and Regional Fallout

Media as Political Actor & Source of Distrust (15:10–17:10)

• In Nepal and Bangladesh, Indian journalists viewed as vehicles for government propaganda—"mouthpieces of a political agenda from a larger, more powerful neighbour."
• Indian media:
  • Sensationalizes and distorts,
  • Overly nationalistic,
  • Lacks sensitivity or depth.
• Quote (Indian Media Critic, 15:41):

  "Television in India today is suffering a large scale credibility crisis... really trying to sound patriotic and hyper nationalist and you lose objectivity of coverage."

The Modi Effect: Credibility Crisis and Propaganda Overflow (17:10–24:00)

• Viral video: Indian anchors push "Nepal wants Modi" narrative, disregarding complex realities.
• Quote (Regional Media Analyst, 17:52):

  "This narrative that's being created, that Nepal wants Modi or a leader like Modi, ...is so completely off the mark...it doesn't take a genius to see through the games the Indian media is trying to play."

• In Bangladesh, coverage of protests after Sheikh Hasina’s ousting was alarmist, communalizing, and patronizing.
  • Indian channels viewed as “political Big Brother,” unwelcome and distrusted.
  • Quote (Indian Media Critic, 20:17):

    "There was a large exaggeration also in the initial reporting...they thought that there was a political Big Brother attitude seeping in through the media."

• At home:
  • Media increasingly controlled by political and corporate allies.
  • India's press freedom ranking slides: 140 (2014) ➡️ 151 (2025).
  • TV news prioritizes “Nationalism, noise and endless debate.”
  • Quote (Indian Media Critic, 21:37):

    "Most of them today...have fallen into the trap of more noise and less information."

  • Quote (South Asia Political Commentator, 22:18):

    "Indian media is so skewed in favor of the Hindutva ideology and consistently abuses the access and influence it has in Bangladesh...they did everything to destroy that trust."

• Regional Analyst’s closing warning:

  "If these channels are meant to act as a propaganda arm...Indian media actually hinders Indian interests in the region. ...it’s actually a liability." (23:25)

IV. Gaza Ceasefire – Satire and US–Israel Relations (24:00–End)

• The US “BB-sitting” (Bibi-sitting) operation: American officials act as Netanyahu’s chaperones, ensuring adherence to a fragile ceasefire in Gaza.
• Wry observation about a cartoon in Haaretz depicting US officials “babysitting” Netanyahu and allowing him to “play with his toy tanks and bombers, quote, unquote, a little bit more. But then it's straight to bed.”
• Quote (Narrator, 24:00):

  "...when you boil it down, satirize, it says so much about the relationship between Washington and Tel Aviv. With such a precarious ceasefire hanging over the people of Gaza, their fate is being decided by outsiders and a White House that has to strong-arm Netanyahu not to blow up this deal and go back to his genocidal ways."

Memorable Quotes

• "This is a story that even when taking Gaza into account, is about the biggest humanitarian crisis on the planet by far." (Narrator, 01:48)
• "There is a campaign against information coming out. There are scores of journalists that have been killed, not only in Al Fasher, but throughout the country." (Journalism Ethics Commentator, 03:39)
• "Legitimacy then is derived through extreme forms of performative violence." (Journalism Ethics Commentator, 05:49)
• "Most...have fallen into the trap of more noise and less information." (Indian Media Critic, 21:37)
• "Indian media actually hinders Indian interests in the region...this media is actually a liability." (Regional Media Analyst, 23:25)

Key Takeaways

• Sudan’s suffering is monumental yet largely ignored due to a combination of blackout, violence against journalists, and complex international interests.
• Journalists on the ground face extinction—by bullets, bombings, and systematic repression—leaving space for propaganda and atrocities to go unchecked.
• Victims become statistics; rarely are their stories, names, or suffering humanized— a failure not just of reporting, but of conscience.
• India's media is in deep crisis, both domestically and abroad, amplifying toxic nationalism and distorting neighbors' realities in ways that undermine regional trust and stability.
• In the West Bank and Gaza, even when evidence is overwhelming, initial PR damage control is fleeting—suppression and abuse of journalists soon resume.
• Geopolitical strategies, propaganda, and corporate interests often overshadow the basic tenets of journalism—truth, accountability, and compassion.

This episode is a compelling, urgent call to not look away: to demand, support, and defend courageous journalism—especially when those in power want these stories never to be told.