In this issue

Justin McCurry

It feels almost unseemly to focus on media coverage of the war between Israel and Hamas, given the scale of the carnage unfolding in Gaza and the horror of the 7 October attack on southern Israel. But from World War II to Iraq and Afghanistan, and, more recently, in Ukraine, journalists and editors have had to wrestle with the moral and political implications of their coverage. The conflict in the Middle East is no exception, of course, so the Number 1 Shimbun has this month devoted its cover story to reporting on the conflict, and how we as journalists can navigate an increasingly polarized media landscape, made all the more treacherous by the advent of social media. Our two stories, by me and David McNeill, and Ilgin Yorulmaz, are in part a call for a return to the values of the pre-social media age, before nuance and, yes, impartiality, came up against an almost irresistible pressure to pick a side, lest our morality be called into question by the online mob. We would be happy to make space for more voices on this topic, whatever their origin, in the December issue. I encourage you to get in touch at no.1shimbun@fccj.or.jp

Artwork by Julio Shiiki