I read the old piece in the Tablet, but the Atlantic isn't likely to print the rebuttal from his former boss: Part 1 Part 2
If you watch mainstream media there is a clear bias for Israel not against. A study was conducted and showed this.... ” It revealed that a total of 45 Israeli officials were interviewed by CNN, compared to just 20 Palestinian officials. An ongoing, but incomplete, analysis of this year’s [2014] violence by the Palestine Center shows that this is happening once more. Between 30 June and 9 July [2014], CNN interviewed a total of 17 Israeli officials, but just one Palestinian official.”
There's also a really good exchange on FB between Ksenia Svetlova (Russian-born Israeli journalist) and Larry Derfner (American-born Israeli journalist) responding to it. I'd love to share the whole thing, but it feels unethical. But basically: 1. They both disagree with the original piece for white knighting Israel for 4000 words and not mentioning the occupation, but they have definitely met European journalists that were extremely biased and have made startling off-the-record remarks about Jews in general based on being in Israel a short time and operated in a capacity as bureau chiefs. "Jews always lie" was one example she cited and said she'd heard. I definitely have experienced that, but certainly not from all, particularly from some DW and BBC reporters I knew. The ones I knew personally said that bias tends to happen when journalists spend too much time around one or the other. One DW guy told me that people who spend a year based in Tel Aviv want to stay longer, those based in Jerusalem want to leave as fast as possible and never come back. 2. The Israel/Palestine conflict is of much more interest to readers for a variety of reasons. There is a natural bias for news organizations to report about 100 people killed in that conflict rather than 1000 killed in Syria or Nigeria, because essentially, the people who buy newspapers and read news online are way more interested. That's certainly true on the BBS. 3. Derfner says that there is a bias of Israel as the "white, First World" power in the conflict vs "dark, savage, Third Worlders", (he also pointed out this is inaccurate in the first place) which appeals to Westerners who are more interested in conflicts involving "western" peoples (like Northern Ireland, South Africa, etc). He went as far as to say, white western readers need white western people in the story to care about it. If you are a conservative, you are rooting for the people "like" you, and if you are a bleeding heart liberal, you are way more pissed off about it and way more interested than stories of third worlders killing third worlders -- it is going to rise to the top of news cycles, because it sells. He also says ISIS is a big story, but most of all when they behead western journalists. Svetlova says that that might be true for Americans, in Europe, that isn't the case at all, where both parties are seen as Middle-Easterners, especially in Russia. She also said the European visitors to the Territories were shocked that it wasn't in constant open war, like Syria, which was how news media represent it. She said that Russian media turned on Israel in the 50s when it became clear they weren't "going the right way" and some of those old predjudices are still there. She also said that famous Russian poet and philosopher Dmitrii Bykov recently wrote that he rejects the notion of a "Judeo-Christian" culture, since the religions are very much different and that conflicts between Jews and Arabs are entirely different than that of the conflict between the west and international terrorism and shouldn't be treated that way. It's implied that there's an anti-Semitic slant to it -- and there very well might be, but I'm not entirely sure that's untrue, just from my own experience. There's undeniably some strains of militant Islam among the Palestinians, and the Palestinian cause is appropriated (I would say in an exploitative and often disingenuous way) by the voices of global jihad -- but the root of the conflict is still mostly political, with the majority of Palestinians involved wholly or at least partly secular (especially in comparison to the rest of the ME), and protest if not peacefully, at least without arms. Both of those things are under-reported likely because it doesn't sell, and it creates a very misleading view of the conflict that would naturally favor Israel, even if it is unintentional. 4. It's much easier to get access to the West Bank, Gaza or Israel than other conflict areas: better resources for journalists, more English speakers to talk to. That also affects how it is reported and encourages bias -- you are a lot closer to both Palestinians and Israelis than you are Taliban fighters or Pashtun tribesmen or Shiite militias in Iraq. 5. Svetlova says that politics are always there, there will be demonstrations against Israel or Jews in general in the Middle East and Europe but never ISIS or King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, despite many hating both, but almost never on the record and certainly not in large numbers. While it's a "safer" cause to rally and criticize Israel (and in many cases, both agree it's warranted), it causes anti-Arab bias from many western reporters who note the hypocrisy. In any case the piece has all the journalists I know there arguing -- but even the most conservative ones admit that bias comes in many forms and for many reasons, some less reasonable than others, but not from any grand conspiracy to scapegoat Jews.
Steve Gutkin, his old AP boss who Friedman accuses of anti-Israel bias, (and who wrote the rebuttal I quoted and linked to) is also Jewish. Most of APs staff in Israel are mostly Hebrew or Arabic speakers, and mostly from Israel/Palestine or the US. And most are rolling their eyes at the piece, especially since they are bearing the brunt of criticism from a former colleague.
Poor Israel, they can't steel other people lands and kill children's quietly without the media dilemma
Agreed. Anyone who thinks there is a bias against Israel is woefully ignorant or just not paying attention. And the next time Faux News portrays Palestinians in a favorable light will be the first.
How absurd lol Turn on a television man. US media is hilariously biased towards Israel. When Americans claim bias against Israel in the media, it's in reference to pro-independence Palestinian movements, or referring to the occupation as THE OCCUPATION, or not referring to Hamas as a terrorist organization loud enough. No one in the non-Arab, non-Israeli, non-US world can even believe the insane level of bias shown by the US media towards Israel. I'm not even claiming some grand conspiracy. It's the logical outcome of the organizational structures, sponsorships and shareholdings of the businesses involved in managing this media. It only makes sense that it would be this way. It is no coincidence that US media is so ridiculously pro-Israel when American politicians and to a lesser degree American citizens are the most pro-Israeli humans in the world - sometimes, even more than Israelis. It's also important to note before anyone launches a personal attack - yes, of course Arab media is extremely biased against Israel and everyone knows this, and it's the most crazy kind of bias. That makes more sense though because they are actually threatened by an aggressive country which has brought in and maintained the only 200 nuclear weapons in the entire region as well as being heavily armed by a foreign entity. Arabs are not a bunch of people across the world in no danger of being threatened by Israel.
Israel typical claim contradict the fact that journalist 'v little room to maneuver when media global corporate dominantly owned by Jews ,Robert Murdoch for example , The entire subject is sorta of old check this: http://honestreporting.com/peter-jennings-the-abcs-of-bias/
1. We are talking about an AP reporter. AP is a non-profit. It isn't actually owned by anyone, though it has a CEO, Gary P. Pruitt, who is not a Jew. 2. Neither is RUPERT Murdoch (not Robert). 3. The link you posted is from a pro-Israel hasbara site complaining about Peter Jennings' alleged anti-Israel bias. I'm trying to figure out what your point is. 4. Do you have anything of merit to add to this discussion at all other than semi-literate urban folklore?
TV, yes. Columnists from major papers like the NYT, yes. But I wouldn't say that about the wire services, especially AP. Even Israelis who benefit from the bias find it irritating -- the understanding of how Israel actually functions is poor and leaves even the hasbarists unable to communicate their story effectively. Yes, but again, that is because these same Americans have a poor understanding of what an Israeli actually is. It's also safe to say that the adoration is not reciprocated -- and no one should wonder why. The support is welcomed, but it's taken with patronizing gratitude. I wouldn't paint with a broad brush. It's not like Al-Jazeera is the same as the broadcasts from Hassan Nasrallah. I've also seen Egyptian talk shows where hosts challenge the paranoid and delusional clerics on their conspiracy theories as well. And in any case, it's still irresponsible to engage in that kind of dishonesty about events, though I understand that saying unpopular truths can be dangerous to a crowd disinterested in facts. Pakistan has nuclear weapons as well and is a lot more willing to use them. Even then, it makes me bristle when Indian or other journalists make unsubstantiated accusations about conspiracies there. There are enough real things to complain about.
Yep. Media is biased against Israel and against Christians. I don't know how they manage with all the blatant media hatred.
I think you'd find most Israelis as extremely pro-American. Just because one Israeli leader has a tough time working with one American leader, doesn't mean the Israeli people don't adore America. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/07/15/which-countries-dont-like-america-and-which-do/ According to Pew Research, Israeli people hold America in very high regards, 84% of Israelis hold a favorable view of America which is the 2nd highest in the world. Don't know what more you want as far as adoration is concerned from Israelis.
