He said the headlines failed to mention truly reflective recounts of the everyday experience, the more personal stories from locals.
"I think we get talking points. We have the, they say this, but they say this. That's not journalism. Like, yes, report that stuff, but then actually show what's happening" he says. "I think there's been a failure in providing the wider context that this has come from, and amplifying the voices where this has come from."
During his travels, Martin found his international passport allowed him to travel more freely between military checkpoints. He used this privilege to report live on issues that unfolded during his time in the West Bank, explaining that any fear was overridden by his determination to broadcast the stories that matter.
"If I was beaten as a New Zealander, I would hope and expect that the New Zealand government would actually step up and speak out and say, you know, uphold repercussions for that kind of crime being committed against someone. But even that we're seeing isn't the case in a lot of countries."
Martin explained that he struggled with getting stories published by mainstream New Zealand media, which he chalked up to his use of strong language that he refuses to diminish. "I can't, you know, pretend that that's not happening. I can't not report on that. I can't not call it what it is. These things like apartheid and genocide, they're not terms of slander, they're not kind of debatable things, they are legal terms with clear definitions under international law. And the experts who are working in those spaces to identify those things have overwhelmingly identified those things."
