Plestia became the world's eyes in Gaza. How do we cover the war from the outside?

During the first months of Israel’s war against Hamas, 22-year-old media intern Plestia Alaqad went from sharing posts about everyday life in Gaza to reporting on the brutal consequences of the war. Soon, more than 4.5 million people followed her video diaries on Instagram, where she showed severe destruction, chaos, and people fleeing - but also her own despair.

While international media outlets were given extremely limited access to the Gaza Strip, local journalists and influencers took on showing the world what was happening on the ground. According to Reporters Without Borders, at least 105 journalists have been killed by Israeli attacks since October 7th, 22 while doing their job.

Like their international counterparts, Norwegian media has been forced to cover the war from outside. What challenges does this pose in terms of verifying material, maintaining editorial balance, and responsibility for local journalists contributing from within? And what does this do to the overall trust in the coverage?

Plestia Alaqad will join us via link from Australia, where she now lives after fleeing Gaza. NRK's foreign affairs editor Sigurd Falkenberg Mikkelsen and international correspondent for TV 2, Bent Skjærstad, will be on stage at the Nordic Media Days to discuss the challenges Norwegian media face covering the war without being present in Gaza.

The conversation will be led by Sun Heidi Sæbø, editor-in-chief of Morgenbladet.