Greg Bouwer
IINZ
When Stuff issued a public call on July 31 for New Zealanders to “have their say” on the Israel-Gaza war, it framed the initiative as a bold act of journalistic inclusivity. “We’ll publish what we can,” it promised, “as a way to show a range of perspectives.” But the result – across two days of publishing (so far) and six carefully selected opinion pieces – reveals not diversity but a deliberate editorial shaping of New Zealand’s public conversation. In short: curated condemnation.
The pattern is striking. Of the six voices published so far:
- Five explicitly accuse Israel of genocide, war crimes, or ethnic cleansing.
- Four refer to the Holocaust, either directly or by analogy – with Israel cast as the new Nazi.
- Three are Jewish contributors – whose inclusion serves to shield Stuff from charges of bias, while weaponising Jewish identity against Jewish nationhood.
Not a single published submission affirms Israel’s right to self-defence, articulates the necessity of dismantling Hamas, or contextualises the war within the unprecedented atrocities of October 7 and the taking of hostages.
This is not journalism. It is editorial theatre.
“Diverse Views” – But Only in Degree of Outrage
Mojo Mathers’ piece mourns the suffering of disabled Gazans and ends with a declaration of her intent to keep fighting for international justice. But “justice”, as framed in this context, is not impartial. It assumes a villain – Israel – and a passive victim population with no agency or internal political reality. There is not one mention of Hamas. Not one reference to hostages, to weaponised aid, or to deliberate placement of military assets in schools and hospitals.
Naashon Zalk – a former journalist and cybersecurity professional – provides perhaps the most extreme submission. In it, he:
- Asserts that “what’s happening in Gaza is not a war” but a “systematic destruction” of a people.
- Claims Jews have been “indoctrinated” into supporting Zionism.
- Equates Israel’s refugee resettlement plans to a “concentration camp”.
- Demands sanctions, isolation, and recognition of a Palestinian state – while excusing Hamas as a “reaction to despair”.
It is difficult to imagine Stuff publishing any equally emotive piece in defence of Israel’s actions, let alone one that might use such language about Palestinian terrorism, incitement, or religious extremism.
The Illusion of Jewish Dissent
A notable tactic Stuff employs is the platforming of Jewish voices who condemn Israel. It’s a powerful emotional device: if even Jews think Israel is committing genocide, the logic goes, then who are the rest of us to object?
But Jewish identity is not a moral credential to outsource geopolitical analysis. There is no Jewish consensus on Israel’s policies – and indeed, those who argue Israel’s founding was illegitimate or genocidal are in a vanishingly small minority. Elevating these voices while excluding mainstream Zionist Jewish perspectives – such as those of the New Zealand Jewish Council, IINZ, or Israeli academics and legal scholars – is not “balance”. It is tokenism.
Where Is the Context? Where Is October 7?
Among the six submissions, only one gives more than a passing mention to the Hamas-led massacre of October 7. There is no description of the atrocities: the torture, mutilation, rape, burning of families alive, or abduction of children. Instead, the attacks are treated as a regrettable event now overshadowed by Israel’s response – as if the slaughter of 1,200 people and kidnapping of 252 were a footnote to the ‘real’ story.
Even worse, Stuff’s accompanying editorial notes fail to clarify basic facts:
- That Hamas has embezzled international aid for weapons for nearly two decades.
- That Hamas embeds itself among civilians as a deliberate tactic.
- That Israel, despite enormous military capacity, regularly warns civilians to evacuate before targeting terror sites.
- That Gaza’s reported casualty numbers come from Hamas-run sources with no independent verification.
- That Israel is the only army in history to supply aid to its opponents, even while Hamas steals aid to finance its operations, while actively hindering and weaponising the process.
These facts are not “pro-Israel propaganda” – they are basic journalistic due diligence. Stuff omits them entirely.
A Chilling Picture of Media Decline
This pattern is not new. Since October 7, Stuff’s reporting has mirrored a wider trend across New Zealand media:
- Framing every action by Israel as excessive, punitive, or cruel.
- Ignoring or minimising the ideology, war crimes, and genocidal intent of Hamas.
- Platforming ‘experts’ who label Israel an apartheid state or settler-colonial entity – without ever interviewing actual legal or historical authorities on those terms.
Now, with its “public opinions on Gaza” series, Stuff has taken a further step: it is not just publishing anti-Israel sentiment, but curating and amplifying it under the guise of “listening to readers”.
A Call for Balance – and for Accountability
There is no doubt Gaza is suffering. War is ugly. But context matters. And moral clarity demands more than heart-wrenching anecdotes and one-sided blame.
Where are the voices explaining why Hamas must be dismantled for any peace to be possible?
Where is the outrage that more than 50 hostages remain in Gaza, invisible and unvisited by the Red Cross?
Where are the Jewish and Israeli voices who support coexistence, defend Israel’s right to exist, and still mourn every innocent death?
Where is the reporting that explains why Israel’s war is not genocide – but a tragic, dangerous, and necessary response to a genocidal enemy?
Stuff claims social media fosters echo chambers. But it seems they are building their own – one emotionally charged submission at a time.
If you would like to submit your own voice to Stuff, you can email editor-in-chief Keith Lynch (keith.lynch@stuff.co.nz), cc newstips@stuff.co.nz. We encourage balanced, fact-based, and clear-eyed commentary. And we encourage Stuff to live up to its own stated values of diversity, accountability, and journalistic rigour.
This article was originally published by the Israel Institute of New Zealand.
