"THE BIAS BOOMERANG"

HonestReporting ^ | 07 April 2003 | Communique

[yonif]

HonestReporting Communique 07 April 2003

"THE BIAS BOOMERANG"

* * *

Dear HonestReporting Member,

Highly emotive vocabulary presenting high-tech soldiers as callous killers, accompanied by sensationalist images of armless children, crushed babies, stunned mothers...

Claims from an HonestReporting communique regarding media coverage of Israel? No, actually, this is the tone of mainstream Arab media in its coverage of the American war effort in Iraq.

This week, The New York Times published, "Arab Media Portray War as Killing Field," identifying efforts to stir up anti-American sentiment throughout the Arab world. Reporter Susan Sachs writes:

"The meaning would be clear to any Arab reader: what is happening in Iraq is part of one continuous brutal assault by America and its allies on defenseless Arabs, wherever they are...

"The rage against the United States is fed by this steady diet of close-up color photographs and television footage of dead and wounded Iraqis, described as victims of American bombs. In recent days, more and more Arabic newspapers have run headlines bluntly accusing soldiers of deliberately killing civilians."

Read The New York Times article at: http://honestreporting.com/a/r/390.asp

* * *

HonestReporting asks: Where might the Arab media have learned such irresponsible methods of war coverage? Perhaps Sachs should take a look at her own employer, as in this headline from The New York Times (April 3):

"Israeli Army Strikes at Palestinians; 7 are Shot to Death" http://nytimes.com/2003/04/04/international/middleeast/04MIDE.html

This misleading headline gives the impression that the Israeli army rounded up 7 Palestinians into a public square and shot them to death! Read the article to discover that all IDF fire was aimed at suspected terrorists.

Below we bring a sampling of more New York Times' headlines from the past year. Note the suggestion of deliberate Israeli violence against unarmed civilians:

- "Demolishing Gaza Home, Israelis Kill Militant's Stepmother" http://honestreporting.com/a/r/391.asp

No reference here to the IDF warnings that the woman failed to heed.

- "Israeli Raids Kill 17 Palestinians; in Tel Aviv, 3 Die in a Shooting" http://honestreporting.com/a/r/392.asp

The first part of the headline notes both the victims' identity (Palestinian) and the perpetrators' (Israeli); however, the second half of the headline, with roles reversed, omits this information. Also, Palestinians are actively "killed," while Israelis passively "die." Further, the Times falsely suggests that Palestinian terrorists parallel the Israelis' civilian status.

- "Attacks Turn Palestinian Plans into Bent Metal and Piles of Dust" http://honestreporting.com/a/r/393.asp

The headline suggests that the April 2002 battle of Jenin was an act of deliberate public malice from the IDF.

And when it comes to photography, The Times is of course the ignominious front-page source of "The Photo that Started it All" -- the mislabeling of a bloodied and battered Jewish terror victim as a victim of Israeli police brutality. http://honestreporting.com/a/r/394.asp

* * *

In The Times' analysis of the Arab media, Sachs identifies a particularly troubling distortion -- the "Israelization" of the Iraq war: "The meaning would be clear to any Arab reader: what is happening in Iraq is part of one continuous brutal assault by America and its allies on defenseless Arabs, wherever they are."

HonestReporting asks: Where did the presentation of deliberate military violence against civilians begin, if not in major Western media such as The New York Times?

Through observing biased coverage of Israel's conflict with the Palestinians, the Arab media learned the power of claiming deliberate military violence against civilians. The Arab media now extend these sensationalist methods to the Iraq war, fomenting Arab hatred against the U.S. at a moment when Americans can least afford it.

Sachs' article exposes an ironic and dangerous boomerang effect: American journalists, party to years of anti-Israel bias, have inadvertently contributed to the anti-Americanism now raging in the Arab street.

As the American military victory draws nearer, the real success of the Iraqi campaign will depend on the common Arab's perception of a benevolent America, liberating Arab civilians from dictatorship. Should America fail to win this battle for Arab public opinion, it could signal failure of the Coalition effort, whose ultimate goal is to bring the Arab world to moderation and democracy.

The distortion is out there, and it's coming back to haunt us.

Send comments to: letters@nytimes.com

Thank you for your ongoing involvement in the battle against media bias.

HonestReporting.com

==== RACHEL CORRIE PHOTO CORRECTION ====

Below is the text of a clarification from the Christian Science Monitor (April 2):

A number of letter writers have complained that in the March 18 issue the caption of Associated Press photo of American Rachel Corrie was incorrect. The photo was not taken "moments before" she was run over by an Israeli bulldozer, but at least 45 minutes before her death, says Joe Smith, the photographer... http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0402/p06s01-wogn.html

Unfortunately, the photo caption remains uncorrected online at: http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0318/p06s01-wome.html

==== FOLLOW-UP: DANZIGER CARTOON ====

Our March 25 communique addressed Jeff Danziger's cartoon depicting Prime Minister Sharon as a satanic bulldozer driver, burying his critics under a mound of dirt.

We thought members would appreciate seeing this recent correspondence between Danziger and HR:

To the editors of HonestReporting:

Since your article on my cartoon ran I have received several hundred emails. They range from impassioned arguments to insane threats and curses. I answered as many as I can, ignoring the really crazy ones. Nearly all of the letters called me anti-Semitic and a self-hating Jew. The jist of their message is that the girl who was run over by the bulldozer is at fault and that the Sharon government is beyond criticism. The logic is as follows. No one may criticize Jews. And Jews may not criticize Jews. That leaves... who? The Lord above?

I would respectfully point out that the cartoon sought to provoke thought (as cartoons must) on the fact that the Sharon government meets all violence with equal or greater violence. I would support this policy whole-heartedly... if it worked. But as anyone can see, the policy only gets more people on both sides killed and show no signs of leading to a solution. Sharon should go in my opinion. This is not anti-Semitic. It is pro-life.

Nevertheless, I appreciate all those who took the time to write and will bear their remarks in mind in future.

All best wishes,

Jeff Danziger Cartoonist New York

* * *

Dear Mr. Danziger,

Thank you for replying directly to HonestReporting, as well as to our members. A few points in response:

1) Threats: While we encourage our members to send well-informed, "impassioned arguments" to media sources, the unfortunate "threats and curses" do sometimes replace them. This reprehensible behavior has no place in the truth-seeking process we seek to foster.

2) Democratic exchange: We at HonestReporting certainly believe that Jews may criticize Jews, in a manner that a) maintains the dignity of the other while b) challenging with factual information. Though editorial cartooning is formally predisposed to exaggeration, this does not preclude fair presentation of the facts. Facts in this case: a) we do not yet know who was at fault in the incident, and b) the unfortunate incident by no means represents typical Israeli response to peaceful opposition. On these points we take issue with the cartoon, as we wrote in our communique: "Danzinger's presentation of Sharon as a murderer of political opposition is particularly troubling in light of the fact that Sharon's is the only truly democratic government in the Mideast, allowing -- even encouraging -- full and vocal opposition."

3) Anti-Semitism: Your cartoon falls in line with an entire genre of anti-Israel political cartooning, most recently prevalent in local Arab publications, that calls upon century-old, violence-backed anti-Semitic imagery such as the "Jew as Satan." Since such imagery was central to the Nazi propaganda machine, many Jews remain particularly troubled by its ongoing use.

4) Sharon policy: Thanks for sharing your critical opinion of Sharon's policy to strike hard against terrorists. We, however, do not see how this position is reflected in a cartoon that claims the deliberate murder of Rachel Corrie. Are you associating Corrie with Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists, lumped all together as "Protest"?! The key issue in this event was the fact that Corrie was a non-violent protestor who, by all accounts, was treated with restraint and respect in the period leading up to her death.

Our best, The Editors HonestReporting.com

========== ABOUT HONESTREPORTING ============

HonestReporting welcomes you to submit media critiques for possible inclusion in future communiques. Be sure to include a URL of the article you are critiquing, and send to: action@honestreporting.com

Encourage your friends to join HonestReporting. Send a friendly info message from: http://honestreporting.com/a/Tell_a_Friend.asp

HONESTREPORTING INFO SHEET to print out, post on bulletin boards, photocopy and distribute. Get the word out to schools, places of worship, community centers. Go to: http://www.honestreporting.com/a/HRPrintout.pdf

Privacy Guarantee: HonestReporting will never share your e-mail address or personal details with anyone. Our web servers feature the latest hack-proof technology.

======================================

HonestReporting involves considerable research and manpower costs. Your donations are greatly appreciated and will help Israel win the media battle. "Middle East Media Watch" (DBA HonestReporting) is a section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, contributions to which are deductible for U.S. income tax purposes. Please send contributions to:

HonestReporting 400 South Lake Drive Lakewood, NJ 08701-3167

Or you can donate online with your credit card, using our secure server: http://honestreporting.com/a/Donate.asp

======================================

HonestReporting has 55,000 members worldwide, and is growing daily.

Spanish - http://prensaveraz.com/ Italian - http://honestreportingitalia.com French readers may want to visit http://www.col.fr/news/desinformation/

(C) 2003 HonestReporting - Permission granted to post and redistribute. E-mail: action@honestreporting.com

======================================