Unveiling the Truth:
Al Jazeera’s Social Media Coverage of Shireen Abu Akleh
Al Jazeera has always been committed to going beyond just presenting the facts and delving deeper into stories that have a global impact. On May 11, 2022, our veteran journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was tragically shot and killed by Israeli forces while covering an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank. Recognising the gravity of the situation, we made a vow to provide daily, in-depth coverage of the incident while upholding the freedom of the press and the public’s right to accurate information.
Our social media team sprang into action as soon as the incident was reported, breaking the news swiftly on all our platforms and providing real-time updates. We provided a diverse range of information, including live field reporting, up-to-the-second updates, and original native content. Through this coverage, we highlighted Shireen’s significance not only to the Palestinian people and the MENA region but also to the global community. Our top priority was to keep our audience informed of the latest developments as the world mourned her passing.
We also aimed to raise awareness about the fight for justice for Shirleen Abu Akleh by taking the incident to the ICC, and we ensured that our audience followed every progress we made, ensuring inclusivity and relevance throughout.
Our mission was to do justice to Shirleen Abu Akleh’s story by highlighting information that other media outlets may have missed. Our coverage across Twitter garnered the largest share of voice in reporting on this story, setting us apart from our competitors.
Main Report
Al Jazeera’s social media platforms served as the go-to source for accurate and timely coverage of the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. Our innovative storytelling techniques and distinct features of each platform allowed us to effectively break down the complexity of the story and deliver detailed updates to our audience.
At the heart of our storytelling was original native content that other media organisations failed to cover. We delved deeper into the role Shireen Abu Akleh played in her community, what she represented as a Palestinian journalist, and the impact of her death on press freedom. Our coverage included a thorough investigation of the incident by Al Jazeera, which challenged Israel’s initial account that Palestinian gunfire could have killed journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. As soon as Israeli forces attacked mourners carrying the coffin of Shireen Abu Akleh at the funeral, we captured the event live and shared it instantly with our audience across the platforms to raise awareness. We also shared the raw and heartfelt moments of Shireen Abu Akleh’s family, as well as the overwhelming support from both the Palestinian community and people around the world who came together to honor her memory. In addition, we sought out expert opinions on the matter, calling out the double standard in US media coverage of the tragic killing of Shireen Abu Akleh.
Our mission was to uphold the principles of journalistic integrity that have been compromised and to honouring our veteran journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. Most importantly to inspire change by starting a conversation about the issue. To achieve this, we used a multi-platform approach across Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, making sure that our coverage was easily accessible and impactful for all of our different audiences.
We utilised Twitter to its full potential, providing real-time updates through daily live threads and staying at the forefront of breaking news. Our live threads featured a variety of content, such as breaking TV news broadcasts, in-depth articles, simplified infographics, native explainer videos, and live updates — all threaded together to maintain momentum and connect with audiences worldwide. Our approach made it easy for users to gain access to important news and stay informed.
Additionally, we used Twitter Spaces to bring in experts and host insightful live audio discussions, providing our audience with a deeper understanding of the issue. Our coverage not only delivered real-time information but also emphasised the significance of Shireen Abu Akleh as a journalist and the impact of her death on press freedom.
Instagram was used as a platform to share the most significant moments of our coverage, using visual content such as videos, picture galleries, and bite-sized infographics. Instead of flooding our audience with every second update, we carefully curated a series of posts that highlighted the most important updates about the incident and the events that followed. Our simplified and easily digestible approach allowed our followers to stay informed without feeling overwhelmed. These posts were designed to be easily shareable and accessible to our audience, ensuring that people would stay informed on the go. We also used relevant trending hashtags to increase the reach of our content and encourage engagement beyond our followers.
As a video-based platform, YouTube was a crucial component of our social media strategy. We utilised our YouTube channel to prioritise live broadcasts, delivering news quickly through our TV reporting. Additionally, we published native explainer videos that provided context and background information about the incident, enabling our audience to gain a complete understanding of the situation. As a result, our YouTube channel became the go-to source for detailed and reliable information, and we made sure that our content was discoverable by using the platform’s search functionality.
Similar to Instagram, we used Facebook to share the most significant moments of our coverage, but we also made use of Facebook live to provide stream-breaking events. For example, we covered Shireen’s funeral and the reaction of people on the ground through live video. For instance, during Shireen Abu Akleh’s funeral, Al Jazeera’s Facebook went live and captured the moment Israeli forces attacked mourners carrying her coffin and tore down a Palestinian flag. This incident highlights the crucial role of unbiased journalism and the protection of press freedom, ensuring that such events are never forgotten and that the truth is always recorded.
As events unfolded, we demanded justice for Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, and by leveraging our platform, we raised awareness of initiating changes by submitting a formal request to the ICC to investigate and prosecute those responsible for killing her killing.
Outcome
Our hard work and dedication to telling Shireen’s story were clear across all of our social media platforms. We saw remarkable outcomes on Twitter with a staggering gain of 92.6k new followers in just one month. Al Jazeera and #shireenabuakleh were trending terms in May, with a total of 7.1k mentions of Al Jazeera on May 11 alone. We had the largest share of voice for the coverage of Shireen Abu Akleh compared to our competitors, including CNN, BBC, and Skynews.
Our coverage of Shireen’s story received the highest engagement on Instagram in 2022, with an astounding 258k interactions on our posts in a single day. We gained 11k new followers on the same day. Meanwhile, our Youtube channel experienced exponential growth, with a total of 1.8 million interactions and 208 million video views on May 11. These outcomes only reinforce the Al Jazeera English Social Media Team’s emphasis on sharing Shireen’s story to as many readers as possible without compromising the dignity of her work and what she stood for.
Our approach to creating easily digestible, high-quality content has proven to be well-received by our audiences. Our strategy recognised the importance of using different social media platforms to engage with different audiences and provide information in different formats. This experience reinforced our dedication to making an impact on the world stage by sharing stories that matter, and we will continue to do so in honour of Shireen Abu Akleh’s legacy.
