What does the Western media get wrong about the Middle East?

In striving for balance and neutrality, does the Western mainstream media end up spreading misconceptions, myths and mistruths about the wars and conflicts in the Middle East? What are news consumers in the West missing about the war in Gaza, the turmoil in Lebanon, Syria, Afghanistan and elsewhere? How can we ensure better coverage of the raging conflicts that are shaping our world today? 

Panelists: Hadeel Al-Shalchi (Editor, NPR’s Weekend Edition), Mohamad Bazzi (Director, Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at New York University), Martin Lukacs (Managing Editor, The Breach), Ari Paul (Journalist, FAIR.org)

Moderator: Julian Sher (Journalist, author & CFE Senior Fellow)

This conversation occurred on October 16, 2025 and was co-sponsored by Canadian Association of Journalists and PEN Canada.