Israel and the Media – where is the balance?
Media is such a powerful tool and when you play it right, you play it right. It is immensely influential and can reach out to so many people in one go.
It has got to be said that there was a certainty from day one of the shameful and lost war on Gaza that it had an election-winning guarantee attached to it for an Israeli right-wing Party. It was clear and obvious that the war was used as a fuel to the election as the Israeli media rarely showed images of Palestinians and focused more on the IDF and viewing them as heroes, warriors and champions..
The IDF even set up a Youtube Channel to glorify their so-called achievements. Despite Youtube shutting the channel down because of its concern there were so many complaints soaring in and they were forced to return it. Up to this very day I cannot understand the reason for the channel.. Of course they would not show anything about themselves that can be negative. It is one-sided, completely biased, and (it has to be said) very well staged.
I was just checking Israeli Hareetz and came across an article about a 14-year-old Palestinian boy that was shot dead in Hebron by Israel Border Police. Shocked and disgraced by the way that it was written. Plain, lacks detail, gives the story from the IDF’s point of view, ignoring the Palestinian voices, and isn’t even 9 full lines long. They dealt with it as if it was an announcement and actually the incident is only mentioned in 4 lines! The rest is about what the IDF discovered and what they did. It’s just words so where is the evidence? This is supposed to be Israeli’s biggest news source! Shocking and disturbing in every way!
Now, if this is what the Israeli Media calls “balance” then is it any wonder why Israel and Palestine are in the positions that they’re in?
Join the Conversation
Is media coverage balanced in the Arab world? Do Arab media networks give Israel a voice? Why is only Israel guilty of such bias?
Lou Lou, I have no idea who you or why you write whatever you write, but this post is really knocked me out, because I fail to understand what was the purpose of writing it, not to say that it is pretty ignorant.
I would start with the title. You probably meant “Palestine and the Israeli media – where is the balance?”, because this is what you are talking about. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Then I would try getting your facts straight about the IDF YouTube channel, which is still up and running. I really fail to grasp why you would like to spread misinformation that can be easily verified. Perhaps you just wanted to make a point that many people disliked the channel. That is a perfectly legitimate point to make, but if you are to state that the channel was closed due to complains, the least you can do is provide a link to a reputable source that supports your accusations.
Also, I really don’t understand your surprise that such a channel exists. Paraphrasing Bill Clinton’s campaign slogan from 1992 – “It’s the YoutTube, stupid” – anyone can create a channel and upload whatever they want, people will then decide whether they want to watch it or not. When you are looking at an IDF created YouTube channel, you know that you are going to get a specific take on the story. Similarly, when you look at Barak Obama’s YouTube channel or any other channel affiliated with a government or an organization, you know that you are getting a certain take on reality. At the end of the day, you hold the keyboard and the mouse and nobody is forcing you to watch anything. Apparently, people are interested in what IDF has to say as the channel is currently #1 subscribed Israeli channel. So, what was the point of your argument?
Finally, as someone supposedly arguing for better media content, I would expect that you at least try setting an example. You blame Israeli media for being one-sided and you are probably right. But actually John above is also right. There is a large body of research showing that media take sides in conflicts, particularly when they are hosted by a society that is part of the conflict. If we are to view this as a problem it is much more common and goes way beyond just Israeli media. Just give it a few months and you will see well conducted analysis of the media coverage of this war, just as there were studies following the war in Lebanon in 2006.
The point, however, is not the at-large legitimate critique, but the cherry-picking and twisting of an issue, so that you could make your point. Usually, things are a little bit more complex. Even though, the Israeli mainstream media did focus mostly on the Israeli side, there are voices in mainstream Israeli media that are talking about the suffering of the Palestinians. Gideon Levi and Amira Hass, are probably the most iconic figures in this realm. Here you can find a sample of Levy’s writing and here a sample of Hass’s writing, both in English. Of course, journalists like them are a minority in the mainstream Israeli media, but they are there and they are part of the discussion.
(On an unrelated note, since I unfortunately cannot read Arabic, I sincerely wonder if there are equivalents of Levi and Hass in the mainstream media in Arabic – journalists that are sincerely interested in the “other” and who are fighting to show the human face of the “other” and harshly criticize what they view as wrong in their home societies)
I hope, Lou Lou, you will find this comment useful and will put a little bit more effort in your posts next time. After all, this is a forum that is supposed to promote debate and not be a platform for spreading ignorant and shallow criticism.
Thanks for reading
I don’t think Haaretz is read by that many people in Israel. From what I understand it is mainly read by affluent educated people. This is partly due to its being viewed as a radical “anti-Israel” paper by many Israelis. I know that Maariv and Yediot Ahronot are far more popular news sources.
Also as John said, it’s not like the Arab media isn’t biased.
Yet perhaps the saddest thing about this whole media bias thing is that Israel’s media still does a better job when it comes to representing the Palestinian point of view than the American media does!
My concern is with the media reporting in America–both factual and subjective renditions. A couple of days ago, I read the backstory of a political cartoon that reveals alot on the subject: Us MediaAnd Israel.com I hope blogs like yours are the solution !!