Monetized media silence pushes genocide into shadows

After two years of prolonged hesitation, mainstream news sources have finally become somewhat more comfortable reporting on the genocide occuring in Gaza. It has taken months upon months of public pressure to encourage these media conglomerates to acknowledge and report on the alarming number of civilian deaths and displacements, the blockade of food and medical aid (and subsequent famine), and acts of cruelty by the Israeli military in treating Palestinians. However, it took thousands of Palestinians meeting their deaths by missile strikes and sniper bullets before most news sources chose to report on it as a serious humanitarian issue; many still hesitate to suggest that this situation is a genocide. A similar reluctance has been shown to cover humanitarian crises in Sudan, Congo, Yemen, and other areas of the world, though unlike in Gaza, coverage of these crises has been quiet at best. In the face of corrupt leaders hungry for power or wealth, these media conglomerates cower, neglecting to use their platform to spread awareness about these horrific tragedies. 

While comparing and valuing the importance of these crises by their death tolls is a horrifically dehumanizing way of thinking, it’s incredibly curious to look at the lack of popular media coverage of these crises that tower above others in terms of casualty rates. For example, since 2023, Sudan has undergone a civil war between two rival military factions: the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that has destroyed the livelihoods of over half its citizens. This conflict has been characterized by weaponized rape and sexual violence, and an internally displaced person, or IDP, count slightly greater than Swtizerland’s entire population, as well as systemic ethnic attacks and alleged genocide on non-Arab ethnic groups in the Darfur region of Sudan. In spite of the blatant severity of this crisis, western media has notoriously ignored it, leaving the Sudanese people to suffer in silence. One possible explanation for the overwhelming underreporting of this is the fact that the RSF’s role in this crisis is largely propagated and funded by the UAE, an ally of western governments. Ultimately, it’s hard not to assume that at least some of the many richest shareholders of these media conglomerates could have an interest in having the back of the wealthy Emirati investors in the RSF’s ethnic cleansing. Numerous reports have come from UN experts of secret, illicit trade occurring between the RSF and the UAE, in which the former supplies the latter with massive amounts of gold in exchange for weapons to fund its ongoing military campaign in Sudan. Gold, harvested from countries like Sudan, is in incredible high demand in the UAE due to its excessively large luxury industry. This is eerily echoing historical patterns of colonial exploitation that have notoriously destroyed the countries they’re attempted in. Ultimately, the blame for this war and the subsequent humanitarian crisis can be placed upon certain monied interests, and unfortunately, the wealthy shareholders of these media conglomerates would rather let millions of people suffer silently than draw attention to the abuse and exploitation of innocent people at the hands of the wealthy class.

A similar sort of exploitation has occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and has had a similarly severe humanitarian crisis develop as a result. Like Sudan, over 6.2 million internally displaced people within Congo have received diminutive coverage by mainstream media compared to other crises. Power struggles between pro-Congo and pro-Rwanda groups have led to widespread civilian deaths, massacres, and extrajudiciary executions. Additionally, expansion of industrial cobalt and copper mining operations in Congo has led to mass forced evictions, causing many to lose access to housing, healthcare, clean water, and other essential services. The greed of jewelers and other companies who use rare elements for production has resulted in mass loss that has been, simply put, devastating. Just like the people of Sudan, the Congolese people are suffering to serve the interests of wealthy and powerful people.

In the absence of coverage by popular media, it is the duty of the people to report on and raise awareness of these horrific crises. It’s in the interest of the wealthy class to keep their wrongdoings hidden from the people, to make sure they ignore others’ suffering and stay complacent and satisfied with their comfortable lives. For the sake of humanity, the people need to advocate further for the liberation of all oppressed and colonized people.

by Veronica Holladay

Published December 1, 2025

Oshkosh West Index Volume 122 Issue III