The Fall of the Fourth Estate

‘Truth is the first casualty of war,’ according to Aeschylus, the father of Greek tragedy. The classical literary tragedy is a drama the follows someone who falls from a high place in society to a terrible fate through their own character flaw.

In a world beset with multiple, overwhelming tragedies, it’s worth returning to this original definition to show the dire consequences of the fall of the Fourth Estate. The noble principle of this estate is for journalists to report facts without fear or failure, to be undaunted and non-partisan in that duty. The erosion of this Estate is a true tragedy.

At a time where evidence of the ongoing genocide in Gaza is manifest beyond all doubt, the failure of mainstream media to report verifiable facts about such significant matters makes us all complicit.

#MilesTweediePhotography

In such a time, the ancient tradition of bearing witness becomes an urgent moral duty. Into this space step the Red Rebels. This is an international movement that is affiliated with Extinction Rebellion (whose first demand is “Tell the Truth”). Using techniques derived from traditional Butoh, Red Rebels follow principles and practices which originated in a theatre form developed in response to the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

#MilesTweediePhotography

Their silence speaks volumes. On 9 November 2024, Red Rebels around the world found ways to honour the call for an International Day of Mourning for ecocide and genocide (both of which are the ultimate outcomes of violent imperialism). Here, at Dyoondalup and in Walyalup, #XRWA Boorloo (Perth) Red Rebels, made the choice to move consciously, slowly, and silently, in strict Butoh style, from the river to the sea. Their collective intention was to fill the tragic gap left by the silence of the Fourth Estate, who have been derelict in their traditional duty to speak. And by this action acknowledge that “never again” means that historic genocides can never be used to justify current genocides.

Here’s a rather beautiful photo essay of the Red Rebels filling the silence on 9 November at Dyoondalup and Walyalup.

* By Dr Liana Joy Christensen, poet and academic

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* If you’d like to COMMENT on this or any of our stories, don’t hesitate to email our Editor.

** WHILE YOU’RE HERE –