Media report Iran war's inconvenient (and ugly) truths
The Iran war news carousel seems to be twirling around endlessly, spinning the same stale tales of Trump's threats, peace proposals bearing fruit "very soon," and death and destruction. However, if one looks close enough, there are examples of coverage that is more consistent with the principles of peace journalism. 

Iran News Carousel (AI generated image)

This counternarrative coverage eschews elite, military dominated, blow-by-blow storytelling about tactical military strikes, and instead looks to spotlight victims and the marginalized with reporting that moves beyond mere statistics to provide context and a glimpse into the humanitarian crisis fueled by this war.

For example, Democracy Now has broken out of the military-dominated narrative and instead reported extensively on Iranian civilian deaths while exposing the military's claims that civilians aren't being harmed. The New York Times has done the same, famously breaking down US culpability in the case of the destroyed girls school and the recent US bombing of a residential area.

PBS has provided exemplary coverage on the destruction of cultural sites, as well as the war’s impact on the daily lives of Iranians. The Guardian has also written a moving profile of daily life in Tehran amidst the war. 

Both the Guardian and BBC have highlighted the war’s devastating impact on medical care and medical facilities in Iran. 

The AP has gone one step further, and spotlighted how the Iran war has disrupted daily life around the globe (the Philippines, US, Nigeria, Nepal, Chile, Turkey, and Italy). These disruptions include high gas prices squeezing family budgets New York and how a print shop in Nigeria can’t operate because the fuel to run their generator is now too expensive.

It's encouraging to see this kind of exemplary reporting that shatters bogus administration claims about the war, its justification, and its terrible consequences. Peace journalism has always been predicated on the notion that journalism impacts citizens and societies, either positively or negatively. I think it’s clear that fact based coverage about the Iran war has naturally led to an informed public that, understandably, disapprove of the war (only 35% approve, according to Reuters). If the US is ever to extricate itself from this quagmire, the media need to keep reporting the war’s inconvenient truths, which in turn will maintain the political pressure to bring this debacle to a swift conclusion.