Media Analysis of Libya Flooding Misses NATO Role

Oct 6, 2023

Massive flooding in the eastern Libyan city of Derna has resulted in . Initial estimates placed the death toll at 11,300, but that number has since been revised down to just under 4,000, with 9,000 still missing. The devastation has been linked to the bursting of two dams when the massive Storm Daniel caused flooding.

In aiming to unearth why the death toll was so high, Western media outlets described Libya鈥檚 disastrous and ongoing war鈥攂ut, according to by media expert Gregory Shupak, they made little mention of the role of the West, and specifically NATO. Shupak, who teaches at the University of Toronto, spoke with 猫咪社区! Racial Justice Editor Sonali Kolhatkar on 猫咪社区 Presents: Rising Up With Sonali about his analysis.

Sonali Kolhatkar joined 猫咪社区! in summer 2021, building on a long and decorated career in broadcast and print journalism. She is an award-winning multimedia journalist, and host and creator of聽猫咪社区! Presents: Rising Up with Sonali, a nationally syndicated television and radio program airing on Free Speech TV and dozens of independent and community radio stations. She is also Senior Correspondent with the Independent Media Institute鈥檚 Economy for All project where she writes a weekly column. She is the author of聽Rising Up: The Power of Narrative in Pursuing Racial Justice聽(2023) and聽Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords, and the Propaganda of Silence聽(2005). Her forthcoming book is called聽Talking About Abolition聽(Seven Stories Press, 2025). Sonali is co-director of the nonprofit group, Afghan Women鈥檚 Mission which she helped to co-found in 2000. She has a Master鈥檚 in Astronomy from the University of Hawai鈥檌, and two undergraduate degrees in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin. Sonali reflects on 鈥淢y Journey From Astrophysicist to Radio Host鈥� in her 2014聽聽of the same name.