The Semiotics of Press Images for the Targeting of Journalists during the Israeli Aggression on Gaza Following “Tufan Al Aqsa” Operation in Arab and Foreign Journalism Sites (A Semiotic Study)

The Semiotics of Press Images for the Targeting of Journalists during the Israeli Aggression on Gaza Following “Tufan Al Aqsa” Operation in Arab and Foreign Journalism Sites (A Semiotic Study)
 
Doaa Hatem Mohammad Adam
Department of Journalism, Faculty of Mass Communication, Cairo for Women, Al-Azhar university, Cairo,Egypt.
E-mail:  Dr.Doaa.adam@azhar.edu.eg
 
Abstract:
    This study aims to shed light on the targeting of journalists during their coverage of the "Tufan Al-Aqsa" events and how they were targeted through airstrikes and Israeli shelling, either during or due to their coverage. The study also highlights the importance of press images in documenting these events. The primary objective of the study is to analyze the images that reflect the targeting of journalists and to understand how the news websites—used as study samples—utilized these images to convey hidden meanings. The study also aims to explore the significance of symbols, body language, colors, and the types and angles of shots used in these images. The study adopts a qualitative approach, employing semiological analysis as its primary tool, and has reached several conclusions. The conclusions reveal that the analyzed images demonstrate a systematic targeting of journalists and convey various meanings, such as solidarity with the journalists and their families and the community's response to the martyrdom of these journalists. Moreover, the images prominently reflect the sadness felt by journalists over the loss of their colleagues. Different shot angles and visual symbols were employed to express emotions of sorrow over the targeting of journalists, with black and dark colors dominating these images. Other conclusions show that the hand movements, such as patting on the shoulders or the bodies of the martyrs, emerged as prominent forms of body language depicted in the images. The semiotics of objects, such as the journalists' helmets and vests, featured prominently as visual symbols, whether placed on the bodies of the martyrs or worn by the journalists during the funerals.
Keywords: Tufan Al-Aqsa, Aggression on Gaza - Roland Barth Approach, Semiotics of Image.