Episode 6: So.Informed - The Instagram account with 3.1 million followers and why it supports Palestine | UNAPOLOGETIC

“It became almost part of American values, post 9/11, to demonise the Middle East.”Jess Natale created the Instagram account So.Informed in 2020 so that she could keep her colleagues who were campaigning for Bernie Sanders up to date with information and facts that were well sourced.Once Bernie dropped out, the account became a reference that sourced reliable information that aimed to pushback against misinformation being spread by Donald Trump supporters.Now, four years later, So.informed has 3.1 million followers, unapologetically criticises Israel’s occupation and atrocities, and strongly advocates for a free Palestine.In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC we speak with the person behind the account, Jess Natale, who tells us why she started the account, how her perspectives were shaped by her country’s and father’s reaction to 9/11. How she learnt about Israel’s occupation of Palestine and the content journey she has been on with so.informed since it began.Other episodes of UNAPOLOGETIC can be seen here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySmZCDwUxqccJkdFSC27TTI&si=nmawha50CjsLmV4wChapters00:00 Intro01:00 Lessons from the last six months01:45 Starting so.informed, Trump and Bernie05:10 How do you manage to run so.informed07:30 Thoughts on mainstream media11:00 Moving from presenting information to having a voice13:05 May 2021 Covering West Bank and the reaction to that15:00 Receiving death threats17:30 influence of the Iraq War and 9/1120:00 hate crime at a gas station and relationship with her father23:30 How has the page been received since doubling down on Palestine.25:00 Shutting down thinking about followers27:15 Being disappointed with Bernie Sanders and AOC reaction to Gaza31:30 Will the U.S government become more humane on Palestine?34:00 Special interest groups or plain old white supremacy36:00 What will the USA be like in 2040?38:30 Stuck between Genocide Joe and Donald Trump, what do voters do?41:00 Would Obama or Bernie done a better job the Joe on Gaza43:30 Will the world heal from this atrocity46:00 Iran has had no affect of protest action47:30 The settler apartheid state needs to come to an end50:00 The spirit of PalestiniansSubscribe to our channel: http://ow.ly/AVlW30n1OWHSubscribe to MEE Telegram channel to stay up to date: https://t.me/MiddleEastEye_TGMiddle East Eye Website: https://middleeasteye.netFollow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@middleeasteyeFollow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/MiddleEastEyeLike us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/MiddleEastEyeFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye