University of Massachusetts Professor Emeritus Sut Jhally will share select clips and discuss the key findings of his 2016 documentary, “The Occupation of the American Mind,” which analyzes pro-Israel public relations efforts within the U.S. Jhally will explore whether the news media have been getting better—or worse—since the documentary was produced, and whether election-season news coverage is likely to cover—or cover up—growing challenges to standard pro-Israel narratives and politics.
“The Occupation of the American Mind,” features leading observers of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and U.S. media, and explores how the pro-Israel lobby shapes American media coverage of the conflict in Israel’s favor. The film provides a sweeping analysis of Israel’s decades-long battle for the hearts, minds, and tax dollars of the American people in the face of widening international condemnation of Israel’s human rights violations and military occupation. He’ll examine pro-Israel spin in election-season news coverage.
Sirens don’t always sound before a war—sometimes the warning is a bland memo telling diplomats to pack. We open with the U.S. pullback of non‑emergency staff from Israel and track how similar moves in Lebanon and likely elsewhere signal more than routine caution. From...
A quiet leak says the loud part: some senior voices in Washington think the politics “work better” if Israel strikes Iran first. Not because it changes the threat. Because it changes the story Americans hear. We pull that thread and walk through the actual mechanics...