Wednesday 24 December 2008

Honest Reporting

This is an interesting Youtube video about media bias on Israel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03IaWigPWPo



Big Lies has examples, the 'siege of Gaza' stage managed as a media event with pictures of candles being used as electricity was cut off. But if you look the pictures taken indoors show curtains trying to block the sun shining through.

No one is suggesting that Isreal is being fair and balanced, but if the reporeting is biased then it makes the truth harder to find. It is so rare to find balanced account of the situation that when you do it is the exception. Those who make this case that the storey is not so simple, with one side innocent victims and the other the evil opressors, are then often accused of working for Israel!

Honest reporting calls itself pro Israel, so it is also going to have a bias. Wikipedia has some information about this. pm watch portrays the media as pro Israeli for example.

At a time of traditional festivities, I call on all to seek the truth in order to make progress. Its a season of goodwill, lets hope for a peacefull new year to all.

2 comments:

Red Green Nick said...

I don't think that its possible to be seen as unbiased when taking about the Israel/Palestine conflict, except in the most general terms perhaps. The events of the last few hours are particularly depressing.

Adrian Windisch said...

Shortly after posting a message calling for peace, along comes another destructive war in Israel. When will they learn, violence will only cause more violence. The only way out of this mess is to talk, and to learn to trust each other.

Nick, I think its worth trying. One thing that seems to be new is the media is reporting that this attack is a response to the rocket attacks of the last few years. It is a disproportionate response but at least the media is making the link, not just claiming an attack on innocents. Though of course most of the people (on both sides) hurt will be innocent.