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Media coverage of the Arab–Israeli conflict
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Media coverage of the Arab–Israeli conflict by journalists in international news media has been said by both sides to be biased. These perceptions of bias, possibly exacerbated by the hostile media effect,[1] have generated more complaints of partisan reporting than any other news topic and have led to a proliferation of media watchdog groups on both sides.[2]
- 1 Types of bias
- 2 Reasons for bias
- 3 Contentious incidents
- 4 Films
- 5 Other criticisms
- 6 Internet and social media
- 7 Watchdog groups
- 8 See also
- 9 Further reading
- 10 References
- 11 External links
Types of bias[edit]
Bias in print and broadcast media may manifest itself in varying ways, including:
Diction, or word choice, affects the interpretation of the same set of entities or events. There is an emotional and semantic difference between the verbs died and killed, and similarly between kill and murder; murder evokes stronger negative emotions and connotes intent. In the context of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, various terminological issues arise. The terms "disputed territories" versus "occupied territories" reflect different positions on the legal status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The terms "security fence" and "apartheid wall," "neighbourhood" and "settlement," and "militant," "freedom fighter," and "terrorist," while used to describe the same entities, present them in a different light and suggest a different narrative. Similarly, describing an attack or bombing as a "response" or "retaliation" again places the events in a different light.
A study by the American organization Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting monitored the use of the term "retaliation" in the nightly news broadcasts of the three main American networks CBS, ABC, and NBC between September 2000 through March 17, 2002. It found that of the 150 occasions when "retaliate" and its variants were used to describe attacks in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, 79 percent were references to Israel "retaliating" and only 9 percent were references to Palestinians "retaliating".[3]
Emotive language[edit]
In a study of BBC television news coverage, the Glasgow Media Group documented differences in the language used by journalists for Israelis and Palestinians. The study found that terms such as "atrocity," "brutal murder," "mass murder," "savage cold blooded killing," "lynching" and "slaughter" were used describe the death of Israelis but not for the death of Palestinians. The word "terrorist" was often used to describe Palestinians. However, in reports of an Israeli group attempting to bomb a Palestinian school members of the Israeli group were referred to as "extremists" or "vigilantes" but not as "terrorists."[4]
In the context of media, an omission refers to the failure to include information. This selective inclusion of information, which results from omitting other information, may distort the presentation of events in favor of one side or the other. In the context of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, for example, consider the difference in overall impact between:
- An article mentioning both a Palestinian suicide bombing in Israel and an Israeli offensive in the West Bank.
- An article mentioning only the Palestinian suicide bombing.
- An article mentioning only the Israeli offensive.
- According to pro-Israel watchdog groups
In its "Critical Thinking: Can You Trust Everything You Read?" article, Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) explains:[5]
"Factual errors can be errors of omission or commission. Omission means that something important was not said, and as a result, readers are misled. In errors of commission, the reporter gives information which is not true."
In its "Understanding Bias" article, Honest Reporting asks the following questions pertaining to omission:[6]
- "Was the reporting one-sided and imbalanced?"
- "Was key information missing (selective omission)?"
- According to pro-Palestinian watchdog groups
In a 2001 study done by FAIR, only 4% of the US media mentioned that an occupation by Israel is occurring.[7] In an update to the study, the number has reportedly gone down to only 2% of the media mentioning an occupation.[8] The 2001 figure is also seen in the documentary Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land.[7]
In its "Media critique quick sheet", Palestine Media Watch asks the following questions pertaining to omission:[9]
- "How many times were UN reports/findings/resolutions mentioned?"
- "How many times were Human Rights reports/findings/statements mentioned?"
- "Did the story describe official Palestinian denials/pleas of ignorance and innocence in violent acts?"
- "Did the story describe official Israelis denials/pleas of ignorance and innocence in violent acts?"
Lack of verification[edit]
The ethics and standards of Journalism requires journalists to verify the factual accuracy of the information they report. Factual verification "is what separates journalism from other modes of communication, such as propaganda, fiction or entertainment".[10] Lack of verification refers to a failure to perform factual verification, involves the publication of potentially unreliable information prior to or without independent confirmation of the facts, and have resulted in various scandals. In the context of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, for example, consider:
- The Battle of Jenin, after which early media reports claimed that Israel "massacred" hundreds of Palestinian civilians.[11][12][13] Later investigations by the United Nations and Human Rights Watch estimated the total Palestinian death toll at 52 (with estimates of civilian deaths ranging from 22 to 26) and contradicted previous claims that a massacre had taken place.[14][15][16][17][18]
- The Islamic Jihad shooting attack on Kiryat Arba in November 2002, which Western media reports described as an attack on "worshipers," resulting in international condemnations.[19][20] According to the Jerusalem Post, Islamic Jihad "opened fire at a [sic] security forces safeguarding Jewish worshipers," and according to both Haaretz and the Jerusalem Post, the twelve Israelis killed all belonged to the IDF, the Israeli Border Police, or the Hebron security force.[21][22]
- According to pro-Israel watchdog groups
In its "Atrocities of the British Press" article, Honest Reporting writes that many media outlets devoted huge amounts of ink to "unverified Palestinian tales of conspiracies, mass murders, common graves, and war crimes."[23]
In its "Edward Said's Documented Deceptions" article, CAMERA said that when dealing with vilification of Israel, facts remain unchecked, accusations remain unverified, and journalistic responsibility is replaced by disclaimers.[24]
- According to pro-Palestinian watchdog groups
In its "Coverage of the Middle East Crisis In the Opinion Pages and News Coverage Of the Charlotte Observer" article, Palestine Media Watch writes the following with regard to lack of verification:[25]
"PMW found that more and more, facts are being verified by independent and Palestinian sources and witnesses rather than relying on Israeli government, Israeli military, or Israeli sources solely. PMW believes this should be a consistent practice, but is encouraged to find it happening increasingly. ... When Israelis targeted a Palestinian girls' school and hospital, they were described as 'Jewish extremists'. Also, when Israeli military or Jewish settlers kill civilians, their death is reported as a 'mistake' or as accidental due to 'crossfire'. These Israeli statements are rarely if ever challenged or reported as verified."
Selective reporting[edit]
Selective reporting involves devoting more resources, such as news articles or air time, to the coverage of one side of the story over another. In the context of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, for example, consider the overall impression given by:
- A broadcast which spends eight hours interviewing Palestinian victims and only three hours interviewing Israeli victims.
- A broadcast which spends eight hours interviewing Israeli victims and only three hours interviewing Palestinian victims.
- According to pro-Israel watchdog groups
In its "Understanding Bias" article, Honest Reporting asks the following question regarding selective reporting:[6]
"Is 'equal time' granted to both sides of the conflict, or is one side given preferential treatment – hence lending more weight and credibility to that side's position?"
In its criticism of National Public Radio, CAMERA writes:[26]
"...CAMERA identified 350 speakers and found a gaping disparity in the time afforded to Israeli and pro-Israeli speakers compared to that provided the Arab and pro-Arab speakers. The pro-Arab speakers received 77% more time. ... More dramatic still was the disproportionate number of segments that included only pro-Arab speakers and excluded entirely any pro-Israel voices as compared to the many fewer reports that omitted altogether Arab speakers. The Arab-speakers-only segments were almost twice as numerous (41 to 24) and four times as long (18,321 words spoken on the air versus 4,934)."
- According to pro-Palestinian watchdog groups
Pro-Palestinian watchdog groups have alleged that the media in the United States downplay violence against Palestinians. FAIR has alleged that National Public Radio reported more Israeli casualties of the Arab-Israeli conflict than Palestinian casualties by percentage.[27]
Decontextualization is a type of omission in which the omitted information is essential to understanding a decision, action, or event, its underlying motivations or key events leading up to it. In the context of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, for example, consider the effect of the following:
- An article discussing the West Bank Barrier, which does not mention the suicide bombings of the Second Intifada.
- An article discussing the 2006 Hamas Election Victory, which does not mention the corruption of Fatah.
- According to pro-Israel watchdog groups
In its "Objectivity & The Media: 7 Principles of Media Objectivity" article, Honest Reporting writes the following with regard to decontextualization:[28]
"By failing to provide proper context and full background information, journalists can dramatically distort the true picture."
In its "How to Recognize Unfair Reporting" article, CAMERA writes the following regarding to decontextualization:[29]
"Does the article or broadcast omit essential context and information? This tends to be a frequent problem when reporting about the Middle East. Write a letter to the editor or directly to the journalist and/or media outlet to provide the missing context."
- According to pro-Palestinian watchdog groups
In a 2001 study done by FAIR, only 4% of the US media mentioned that an occupation by Israel is occurring.[7] In an update to the study, the number has reportedly gone down to only 2% of the media mentioning an occupation.[8] The 2001 figure is also seen in the documentary Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land.[7]
Another study done by FAIR shows that about 79% of the media call Israel's actions "retaliation" while only 9% for the Palestinians. The most balanced network is ABC's World News Tonight, which called Palestinian actions "retaliation" 21% of the time, and the least balanced was NBC Nightly News which never referred to Palestinian actions as "retaliation".[30]
In its "Media critique quick sheet" article, Palestine Media Watch asks the following questions pertaining to decontextualization:[9]
- "Were Palestinian actions described in context (e.g., 'Palestinians launched a mortar attack after Israelis bulldozed a row of houses')?"
- "Were Israeli actions described in context (e.g., 'Israelis bulldozed a row of houses after Palestinians launched a mortar attack')?"
Reasons for bias[edit]
|This section may be unbalanced towards certain viewpoints. (September 2013)
Print and broadcast media may be biased for varying reasons, including:
Coercion or censorship[edit]
Coercion or censorship refers to the use of intimidation or force to promote favorable reports and to confiscate unfavorable reports. In the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, both sides accuse each other of coercion or censorship as an explanation of alleged bias in favor of the other side. In support of these claims, Israeli advocates point to kidnappings of foreign reporters by Palestinians, while Palestinian advocates point to media blackouts and confiscation of reports by Israelis. Additionally, both sides point to reports by both governmental and non-governmental organizations, which assess the degree of journalistic freedom in the region. See Media of Israel and Human rights in Israel#Freedom of speech and the media.
Forgery or falsification[edit]
Forgery or falsification involves the intentional misrepresentation, alteration, or invention of reported information. Due to the severity of these actions, which violate the ethics and standards of journalism, instances of forgery and/or falsification are frequently cited by Israelis and their advocates and/or by Palestinians and their advocates—depending on the nature of the forgery and/or falsification—in order to support claims that the media favors the other side.
- According to pro-Israel watchdog groups
In its "Bold Distortions and Outright Lies" article, HonestReporting commented on the 2006 Lebanon War photographs controversies:[31]
"A Reuters photo turns out to be an outright lie, manipulated to make damage in Beirut appear much worse than reality."
"The conflict between Israel and the Iranian-backed terror group Hezbollah has produced some of the most distorted and biased reporting we have seen in years. Despite evidence that Israel is taking unprecedented steps to avoid civilian casualties, some in the media have accused the IDF of using disproportionate force against a harmless civilian population. With little evidence to back up this claim, some are even resorting to outright fraud...."
For additional claims of forgery and/or falsification see Pallywood and the 2006 Lebanon War photographs controversies.
- According to pro-Palestinian watchdog groups
In its "Please counter the Israeli PR machine" letter, Palestine Media Watch criticized the media for fabricating information or for reporting fabricated information:[32]
"Basic facts will not only be ignored, but will be fabricated, outright, bald-faced lies will be told, and the intelligence of the American people will be shamelessly and repeatedly insulted and violated. And all along, the US media will not only simply roll over and play half-dead, as usual, but will cheerfully accept the easy, comfortable way out, never bothering to ask the obvious questions, never pointing to the decades-old record of rejection from Ariel Sharon, his open refusal to accept a viable Palestinian state, his brutality, his war crimes, and his relentless sabotaging of all chances, minor or major, at advancing political dialog. The media will again fail to connect the simple dots, will fail to look for or detect obvious patterns, never daring to stare reality right in the face, let alone break free from the mindless narrative sandbox in which they have decided to confine themselves."
In a letter to the Washington Post by Omar Barghouti, an activist of Palestine Media Watch, Barghouti criticized the Post for repeating allegedly fabricated information:[33]
"By relying largely on Israeli Army sources, Mr. Keith Richburg and Mr. Lee Hockstader portrayed an inaccurate picture for the Israeli operation on Thursday, November 9th, against Mr. Hussein Abayat. The Israeli army wants us to believe that Mr. Abayat was a 'terror' mastermind, who 'deserved' to be killed by Israel. The Washington Post article only helps promote this distorted image."
"From the very beginning, the article calls the operation a 'targeted slaying', which in any other context would be immediately and intuitively be called assassination. The reader, as always, is given a very foggy account of the victim, Mr. Abayat, and only the Israeli-provided biographic information is highlighted. I have always complained about the convenience with which some Post journalists rely on Israeli sources, despite the fact that they were proven over and over again to be grossly inaccurate, if not altogether fabricated. A quick look at the reports by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights will attest to what I am saying."
- According to pro-Israel watchdog groups
In its page on "Headlines & Graphics", CAMERA writes the following regarding placement:[34]
"Headlines are the first, and sometimes only, news items seen by readers and should provide the essence of a news story. While they must capture the reader's attention, headlines should always be accurate and specific. The size of a headline signals the importance of the story and its relationship to other stories, and the use of the active versus passive voice also shapes reader perceptions."
In its "New York Times Skews Israeli-Palestinian Crisis" article, CAMERA criticized the New York Times for the placement of news stories about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, writing:[35]
"In a key period in late March and early April, as Israel suffered a wave of unprecedented Palestinian terrorism prompting the Israel Defense Forces to respond with incursions into areas under Palestinian Authority control, the New York Times presented a decidedly skewed picture of events. Reporting focused heavily on Palestinian suffering while continually minimizing the personal toll on Israelis. The number and prominence (judged by placement and size) of news stories and photographs regularly cast Palestinians as blameless victims of Israeli aggression. Israeli victims were rarely even named, much less profiled. Guest Op-Ed's were overwhelmingly tilted toward condemnation of Israel."
- According to pro-Palestinian watchdog groups
|This section requires expansion. (June 2013)
Exaggeration or sensationalism[edit]
Sensationalism, in general, is a form of being extremely controversial, loud, or attention grabbing. In the context of the media, sensationalism refers to claims that the media chooses to report on shocking events or to exaggerate, at the expense of accuracy and objectivity, in order to improve viewer, listener or readership ratings. This criticism, also known as media circus, is proffered by both Israelis and Palestinians as a possible explanation for alleged bias.
- According to pro-Israel watchdog groups
In its "'New Rules' For Mideast Reporting" media critique, HonestReporting writes the following regarding sensationalism:[36]
"Every media outlet has its own stylebook, designed to be as fair and impartial as possible. These days, however, it often seems like the Palestinian Minister of Information is publishing and distributing his stylebook to dozens of newspapers and media outlets. Since September 2000, a new de facto "stylebook" has emerged for reporters covering the Palestinian violence against Israel. In some cases, the "new rules for reporting" are based on actual policies promulgated by news organizations and editors. Though elements of "pack journalism" are evident, there are probably no conspiratorial hands behind the emergence of this stylebook. For the most part, reporters and correspondents have informally, perhaps even subconsciously, adopted these guidelines. Invariably, the new rules are biased against Israel. While not a "conspiracy," an anti-Israel press "convention" has emerged, and clear biases are evident. For now, the bias appears to have had little impact on American public opinion regarding Israel. In Europe, the stronger, more strident anti-Israel tone of much of the media may be having a different impact. Following are eight new "rules" for reporters covering the Middle East, as distilled from hundreds of articles covering the recent violence:"
"Rule 1. Sensationalize the intensity and scope of Israeli military actions.
Call the Israeli actions 'aggressive,' 'devastating' or 'intensive.' Refer to Israeli incursions into Palestinian territory as 'deep,' even when they involve only 300 yards (270 m). [The New York Times, April 14, 2001]
On the other hand, refer to Palestinian mortar attacks as 'ineffective' or 'falling harmlessly,' even though the intent of the mortar teams is malevolent."
In its "Selective Quotes Distort Intent of Sharon's Gaza Withdrawal" article, CAMERA criticized Haaretz for using a sensational headline:[37]
"The 'teaser' revealed a few selected quotes, and carried the sensational headline, 'Top PM aide: Gaza plan aims to freeze the peace process.' ... By valuing sensationalism over accuracy in its teaser, Haaretz practiced irresponsible journalism."
- According to Pro-Palestinian watchdog groups
FAIR has a page on their website that explains how sensationalism increases ratings and readership in the media.[38]
Prejudiced journalists[edit]
Journalists may intentionally or unintentionally distort reports due to political ideology, national affiliation, antisemitism, anti-Arabism, or Islamophobia. Both Israelis and their advocates along with Palestinians and their advocates have pointed to these qualities—political ideology, national affiliation, anti-Semitism, anti-Arabism, or Islamophobia—as a potential explanation for the alleged bias of certain prominent journalists.
Richard Falk, United Nations special rapporteur on Palestinian human rights, has stated that in the media-distorted picture surrounding the Middle East, those who reports honestly and factually are accused of bias, whereas pro-Israel bias is perceived as mainstream. Falk has stated that because the media don't adequately report violations of international law by Israel, "the American public isn't aware of the behavior of Israel or the victimization of the Palestinian people. This creates a kind of imbalance."[39]
In its "Amanpour's Troubling Journalism" article, CAMERA attributed Christiane Amanpour's allegedly biased news coverage to her political ideology:[40]
"Known for parachuting in to cover the latest global hotspot, CNN's Christiane Amanpour is one of the most famous journalists in the world. But there have long been questions about her habit of skewing coverage to suit her own political biases."
Ira Stoll of the New York Sun, and formerly of the Jerusalem Post, attributes alleged anti-Israel media bias in part to reporters of Jewish background:[2]
"Most deficiencies of fairness and balance, alas, aren't the result of editors deliberately placing their papers on the side of freedom, democracy, and the West and against murderous, repressive tyrants. I suspect they are instead the result of four factors: 1. Self-hatred and bending over backward by Jewish or once-Jewish reporters, editors, and owners; 2. Ordinary, innocent carelessness and mistakes that can creep in on any stories that are constructed by tired human beings working on deadline; 3. The structural imbalance that comes from journalists being able to work mostly free and uninhibited in Israel but being subject to severe restrictions in countries like Syria or Iran; 4. Lack of understanding of the underlying historical and political background."
Contentious incidents[edit]
|This section may be unbalanced towards certain viewpoints. (June 2012)
In order to substantiate claims that the media favors the other side, participants in the conflict on each side frequently cite a number of illustrative and extreme examples of controversial reporting. This section lists incidents of controversial reporting frequently cited by only Israelis and Israel advocates, by only Palestinians and Palestinian advocates, or by both sides. The list of incidents appear chronologically, according to when the incident took place. Where events took place on the same date, the incidents appear sorted alphabetically.
Muhammad al-Durrah affair[edit]
On September 30, 2000, the 11–12 year-old boy, Muhammad al-Durrah, was shot in Palestinian-Israeli crossfire at the Netzarim junction.[41] France 2, which caught the incident on tape, claimed that Israel had fatally shot the boy.[42] After an official, internal investigation, the IDF conceded that it was probably responsible and apologized for the shooting.[43] Al-Durrah became a symbol of the Second Intifada and of Palestinian martyrdom.[44]
External investigations suggested that the IDF could not have shot the boy and that the tape had been staged.[45][46] In 2001, following a non-military investigation, conducted by Israeli Southern Command Maj.-Gen. Yom Tov Samia, the Israeli Prime Minister's Foreign Media Advisor, Dr. Ra'anan Gissin, along with Daniel Seaman of the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO) publicly challenged the accuracy of the France 2 report.[47] In 2005, the head of the Israeli National Security Agency, Major-General (res.) Giora Eiland publicly retracted the IDF's initial admittance of responsibility.[47] In order to avoid negative publicity and a resulting backlash, the IDF did not conduct its own official, military investigation until 2007.[48] On October 1, 2007, Israel officially denied responsibility for the shooting and claimed that the France 2 footage had been staged,[49][50] prompting criticism from Al-Durrah's father.[51]
However, in early 2012, Dr. David Yehudah was sued by al-Dura's father and was acquitted in French court.[52]
The French defamation case was definitely settled on June 26, 2013, by the French Court of Appeals: Karsenty was convicted of defamation and fined €7,000 by the Paris Court of Appeals.[53] Karsenty's version, which described the killing of young Mohammed Al Durah as "staged", was rejected by the French Court's final decision.
Photo of Tuvia Grossman[edit]
On September 30, 2000, the New York Times, the Associated Press, and other media outlets published a photograph of a club-wielding Israeli police officer standing over a battered and bleeding young man.[54] The photograph's caption identified the young man as a Palestinian and the location as the Temple Mount.[54] The young man in the picture was 20-year old Tuvia Grossman, a Jewish American student from Chicago who had been studying at a Yeshiva in Israel; the Israeli police officer in the photograph, who appears to have beaten Grossman, actually came to his rescue by threatening his Palestinian assailants.[54][55]
On October 2, 2000, Grossman's father sent the following email to the New York Times:[56]
"Regarding your picture on page A5 (Sept. 30) of the Israeli soldier and the Palestinian on the Temple Mount – that Palestinian is actually my son, Tuvia Grossman, a Jewish student from Chicago. He, and two of his friends, were pulled from their taxicab while travelling in Jerusalem, by a mob of Palestinian Arabs and were severely beaten and stabbed. That picture could not have been taken on the Temple Mount because there are no gas stations on the Temple Mount and certainly none with Hebrew lettering, like the one clearly seen behind the Israeli soldier attempting to protect my son from the mob."
On October 4, 2000, the New York Times issued the following incomplete correction, which incorrectly identified the location of the incident:[57]
"A picture caption on Saturday about fighting between Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem included an erroneous identification from The Associated Press for a wounded man shown with an Israeli policeman. He was Tuvia Grossman of Chicago, an American student in Israel, not an unidentified Palestinian. In some copies the caption also misidentified the site where Mr. Grossman was wounded. It was in Jerusalem's Old City, but not on the Temple Mount."
On October 7, 2000, the New York Times published an article about the incident and printed the following, more complete, correction:[55][58]
"A picture caption on Page A6 last Saturday about fighting in Jerusalem gave an erroneous identification from The Associated Press for a wounded man shown with an Israeli policeman. He was Tuvia Grossman of Chicago, an American studying at a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem, not an unidentified Palestinian. In some copies the caption also included the news agency's erroneous reference to the site. The incident occurred in an Arab neighborhood of Jerusalem, not on the Temple Mount or elsewhere in the Old City."
"A correction in this space on Wednesday cited the errors incompletely and omitted an explanation of the scene. The officer was waving a nightstick at Palestinians, telling them to stay away from Mr. Grossman. He was not beating Mr. Grossman."
"An article about the incident and the photograph appears today, on Page A4."
The Grossman photo appears frequently in Israeli criticisms of the media, because the photograph implied that the police officer who rescued Grossman had beat him, it implied an Israeli perpetrator, it implied a Palestinian victim, and it conveyed the opposite of what had transpired.[54][56][59][60] According to HonestReporting's promotional videos, the pro-Israel watchdog was established in 2000 in response to this incident, which it describes as "the photo that started it all".[61][62] Seth Ackerman of FAIR described the attention given to the photo, as well as the three NYT corrections, as disproportionate to a "plausible, though careless" assumption resulting from "garbled information from the Israeli photographer".[63]
Battle of Jenin[edit]
On April 3, 2002, following the Passover massacre on March 27[64] which killed 30 Israeli civilians and wounded as many as 143,[65][66] the IDF began a major military operation in the Jenin refugee camp, a city which, according to Israel, had "served as a launching site for numerous terrorist attacks against both Israeli civilians and Israeli towns and villages in the area".[67] The fighting, which lasted eight days and resulted in the deaths of 52 Palestinians (including 14 civilians, according to the IDF, and 22 civilians, according to HRW) and 23 Israeli soldiers, has been interpreted quite differently by Israelis and Palestinians.[68][69][70][71] In the aftermath of the fighting, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat claimed that the IDF had killed 500 Palestinians and accused Israel of committing a "massacre".[72] Early news publications, following both IDF estimates of 200 Palestinians killed and Palestinian estimates of 500 Palestinians killed, reported hundreds of Palestinian deaths and repeated claims that a massacre had taken place.[73][74] Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International later found that a massacre had not taken place, although both organizations charged the IDF with war crimes and human rights violations.[75][76] The United Nations similarly dismissed claims that hundreds of Palestinians had been killed as unsubstantiated, a finding which was widely interpreted and reported as rejecting claims of a "massacre".[16][17][68][77] The Battle of Jenin is still largely called the "Jenin Massacre" (Arabic: مجزرة جنين) by Arab and Palestinian sources.
Israelis cite the reporting surrounding the Battle of Jenin, because "the Arab and European media hastily reported",[78] without proper verification, Palestinian allegations that a massacre had taken place, a claim broken by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and described by many pro-Israel sources as "The Big Jenin Lie" and by HonestReporting as "Jeningrad".[78][79][80][81][82][83] Palestinians and their advocates, many of whom view a massacre as having taken place, frequently cite the reporting surrounding the Battle of Jenin for later rejecting Palestinian claims of a massacre and for ignoring claims by Amnesty International and by Human Rights Watch that the IDF had committed war crimes.[84][85]
Gaza beach blast[edit]
On June 9, 2006, an explosion on a beach in the Gaza Strip killed seven Palestinians, including three children.[86] Palestinian sources claimed that the explosion resulted from Israeli shelling.[86] After a three-day investigation, Israel concluded that the blast could not have resulted from an IDF artillery shell.[87][88] This IDF investigation was criticized by both Human Rights Watch and The Guardian for ignoring evidence.[89][90] The IDF agreed that the report should have mentioned two gunboat shells fired at about the time of the deaths but stated that these shells had landed too far away from the area to be the cause of the explosion and this omission did not impact the report's overall conclusion that Israel had not been responsible for the blast.[citation needed] According to Human Rights Watch, the IDF acknowledged that the cause of the blast may have been an unexploded 155mm artillery shell from an earlier shelling, or another location, but suggested it might have been placed there as an IED by Palestinians.[91]
An investigation by Human Rights Watch concluded that the explosion was caused by a 155mm Israeli artillery shell, stating that 'The shrapnel, crater, and injuries all point to this weapon as the cause.'[91] According to CAMERA, "many in the press [have presumed] that Israel is responsible".[92] This incident is often cited by Israel advocates who claim that the media favors the Palestinian side, because of reports which attributed the blast to the IDF prior to the conclusion of the IDF investigation.[92][93]
2006 Lebanon War photographs controversies[edit]
On August 5, 2006 Charles Foster Johnson of Little Green Footballs accused Reuters of inappropriately manipulating images of destruction to Beirut caused by Israel during the Second Lebanon War.[94] This accusation marked the first of many accusations against media outlets for inappropriate photo manipulation. Media outlets were also accused of incorrectly captioning photos and of staging photographs through the inappropriate use of props. These accusations, which initially appeared in the blogosphere, were amplified by Aish HaTorah through an online video entitled "Photo Fraud in Lebanon".[95] In response to these allegations, Reuters toughened its photo editing policy and admitted to inappropriate photo manipulation on the part of Adnan Hajj, a freelance photographer whom Reuters subsequently fired.[96] Additionally, BBC, the New York Times, and the Associated Press recalled photos or corrected captions in response to some of the accusations.[97] This journalistic scandal, dubbed "Reutersgate" by the blogosphere in reference to the Watergate scandal and dubbed "fauxtography" by Honest Reporting and others, is frequently cited by Israelis and by Israel advocates in order to demonstrate alleged anti-Israel bias, this time in the form of an outright forgery created by a biased local freelance photographer.[98][99]
"Mystery of Israel's Secret Uranium Bomb"[edit]
On October 28, 2006, The Independent published an article, by Robert Fisk, which speculated, based on information from the European Committee on Radiation Risk, that Israel may have used depleted Uranium weapons during the 2006 Lebanon War.[100] The article prompted criticism by HonestReporting for coming to conclusions prematurely,[101] and resulted in an investigation by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).[102] On November 8, 2006, UNEP concluded that Israel had not used any form of Uranium-based weapons.[103][104] Israelis and Israel advocates cite the article as an instance of "shoddy journalism", arising allegedly as a result of media sensationalism.[105]
Samir Kuntar as a hero[edit]
On 19 July 2008, Al Jazeera TV broadcast a program from Lebanon that covered the "welcome-home" festivities for Samir Kuntar, a Lebanese militant who had been imprisoned in Israel for murdering several people, including a four-year-old child, in a Palestine Liberation Front raid from Lebanon into Israel. In the program, the head of Al Jazeera's Beirut office, Ghassan bin Jiddo, praised Kuntar as a "pan-Arab hero" and organized a birthday party for him. In response, Israel's Government Press Office (GPO) threatened to boycott the satellite channel unless it apologized. A few days later an official letter was issued by Al Jazeera's director general, Wadah Khanfar, in which he admitted that the program violated the station's Code of Ethics and that he had ordered the channel's programming director to take steps to ensure that such an incident does not recur.[106][107][108]
Baby death date misrepresentation[edit]
A Gaza man falsely claimed that his five month-old baby died on March 23, 2012, when the generator powering his respirator ran out of fuel, a result of the Egyptian blockade on Gaza and Egyptian cut-off of fuel to Gaza.[109] The baby's death, which had been "confirmed" by a Gaza health official, would have been the first to be connected with the territory's energy shortage. The baby's father, Abdul-Halim Helou, said that his son Mohammed was born with a lymphatic disorder and needed removal of the fluids that accumulated in his respiratory system, and had only a few months to live. He said that they had erred in how much fuel was required and that if they had been "living in a normal country with electricity", his son's chances of living longer would have been better.[110]
However, the report was called into question when it emerged that the timing of the baby's death had been misrepresented, and appeared to be an attempt by Gaza's Hamas rulers to exploit the death to gain sympathy.[110] The Associated Press later learned that news of Mohammed Helou's death had already appeared on March 4 in the local Arabic newspaper Al-Quds and that Hamas was now trying to recycle the story to capitalize on the family's tragedy. The Al-Quds article contained the same details as the later report, but with an earlier date.[111][112] When confronted by the Associated Press, the family and Hamas official Bassem al-Qadri continued to insist that the baby had only recently died. The AP reporter Diaa Hadid tweeted, "#Hamas misrepresented a story. Two Hamas officials misled us and so did the family."[113]
The Associated Press then retracted the story, explaining that "The report has been called into question after it was learned that a local newspaper carried news of the baby's death on March 4."[114][115]
An Israeli government spokesman said he was not surprised by Hamas' attempt to "hide the truth and manipulate the information that is allowed to get out of Gaza."[111][112][116][117]
Honest Reporting commented that "when Palestinian lies and misinformation go unchecked, it's inevitable that dishonest propaganda tactics used against Israel will be employed against others."[118] CAMERA stated that this was "the latest example of disinformation about Gaza casualties."[119]
This section discusses films with media coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict as its main topic. The films presented in this section appear in alphabetical order.
Décryptage is a 2003 documentary written by Jacques Tarnero and directed by Philippe Bensoussan.[120] The French film (with English subtitles) examines media coverage of the Arab–Israeli conflict in French media, and claims that the media's presentation of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in France is consistently skewed against Israel and may be responsible for exacerbating anti-Semitism.[121]
Pallywood: According to Palestinian sources... is an 18-minute online documentary by Richard Landes.[122][123] The film, with its title derived from the words Palestine and Hollywood, claims that the Western media uncritically accepts and reports the stories of freelance Palestinian videographers who record staged scenes, often involving faked or exaggerated injuries, in order to elicit sympathy and support.[123]
Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land[edit]
Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land is a 2004 documentary by Sut Jhally and Bathsheba Ratzkoff.[124] The movie claims that the influence of pro-Israel media watchdog groups, such as CAMERA and Honest Reporting, leads to distorted and pro-Israel media reports.[125] In its response to the movie, the pro-Israel JCRC criticizes the film for not discussing the influence of "the numerous pro‐Palestinian media watchdog groups, including, ironically, FAIR (Fair and Accuracy in the Media, which describes itself as 'A National Media Watch Group'), whose spokesperson played a prominent role in the film".[126] According to the pro-Palestinian LiP Magazine, the movie "offers a great starting point for thinking about media misrepresentation of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, and useful analysis of how language is used to manipulate public opinion," but is short on "solid statistics and facts to back up some of its blanket statements".[127] A review in the New York Times by Ned Martel found that the film "largely ignores Palestinian leadership, which has surely played a part in the conflict's broken vows and broken hearts. And such a lack of dispassion weakens the one-sided film's bold and detailed argument".[128]
Other criticisms[edit]
- False compromise
False compromise refers to the claim, made by some Israeli advocates and by some Palestinian advocates, that their side of the conflict is morally right and the other side is morally wrong and, therefore, attempts to balance the presentation of both viewpoints wrongfully suggests that both sides are morally equivalent. In the words of journalist Bret Stephens, "Moral clarity is a term that doesn't get much traction these days, least of all among journalists, who prefer 'objectivity' and 'balance.' Yet good journalism is more than about separating fact from opinion and being fair. Good journalism is about fine analysis and making distinctions, and this applies as much to moral distinctions as to any others. Because too many reporters today refuse to make moral distinctions, we are left with a journalism whose narrative and analytical failings have become ever more glaring".[129]
- Structural geographic bias
Structural geographic bias refers to the claim, made by some Palestinian advocates, that the Western media favors Israel, allegedly as a result of Western reporters living in Israel.[130][131]
Advocacy groups, governments and individuals use the internet, new media and social media to try to influence public perceptions of both sides in the Arab/Palestinian - Israeli conflict. Jerusalem Post writer Megan Jacobs has written "War in the Middle East is being waged not only on the ground, but also in cyberspace."[132] While Israeli and Palestinian advocacy websites promote their respective points of view, fierce debate over the Arab-Israeli conflict has embroiled social networking websites and applications with user-generated content, such as Facebook, Google Earth, Twitter and Wikipedia.[132][133][134] According to an Associated Press article, Israelis and Palestinians make use of social media to promote "rival narratives" and draw attention to their own suffering to gain international sympathy and backing. However, "distortions and mistakes are instantly magnified on a global scale."[134]
Facebook is a social networking website, which allows users to connect and interact with other people online, both directly by "friending" people and indirectly through the creation of groups. Because the website allows users to join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region, Facebook has become embroiled in a number of regional conflicts. Facebook groups such as "'Palestine' Is not a country... De-list it from Facebook as a country!" and "Israel is not a country! ... Delist it from Facebook as a country!", among others reflecting the mutual non-recognition of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, have protested Facebook's listing of Israel and Palestine, respectively, as countries.[135] This controversy became particularly heated when, in response to protests over Palestine being listed as a country, Facebook delisted it. The move infuriated Palestinian users and prompted the creation of numerous Facebook groups such as "The Official Petition to get Palestine listed as a Country", "Against delisting Palestine from Facebook", and "If Palestine is removed from Facebook ... I'm closing my account".[132] Facebook, in response to user complaints, ultimately reinstated Palestine as a country network.[132] A similar controversy took place regarding the status of Israeli settlements. When Israeli settlements were moved from being listed under the Israel network to the Palestine network, thousands of Israelis living in the area protested Facebook's decision.[136] In response to the protest, Facebook has allowed users living in the area to select either Israel or Palestine as their home country.[136]
Another controversy over Facebook regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict concerns Facebook groups which, against Facebook's terms of use, promote hatred and violence. According to former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, Facebook has been used to promote anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism.[133] A proliferation of Facebook groups praising the perpetrator of the Mercaz HaRav massacre in 2008 prompted the creation of the Facebook group "FACEBOOK: Why do you support Anti-Semitism and Islamic Terrorism", which claimed to have succeeded in deleting over 100 pro-Palestinian Facebook groups with violent content, by reporting the groups to Facebook.[137] The group, which since evolved into the Jewish Internet Defense Force, took over the Facebook group "Israel is not a country! Delist it from Facebook as a country" when, according to the JIDF, Facebook stopped removing such groups.[138][139] After taking over the group, the JIDF began to remove its more than 48,000 members and replaced the group's graphic with a picture of an IAF jet with the flag of Israel in the background. This sparked controversy.[139]
According to a McClatchey news article, those using social media, including even official spokesmen and public officials, have a habit of "re-purposing" older photographs and videos to illustrate current-day events. Few people check the accuracy of the material before spreading it to others.[140] During the March 2012 Gaza–Israel clashes there were three such notable Twitter incidents. Ofir Gendelman, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, tweeted a photo of an Israeli woman and her two children ducking a Gaza rocket describing it as "when a rocket fired by terrorists from Gaza is about to hit their home." When it was proved the photo was from 2009 he said "I never stated that the photo was current. It illustrates the fear that people in southern Israel live in."[134] Avital Leibovich, the head of the foreign desk for Israel's military, sent a tweet from her official account of a video of rockets from Gaza being fired at Israel. It later was discovered the video had been taken in October 2011. When questioned she said her tweet was not misleading and "Launching a rocket does not differ whether it happened in November, July or now".[140]
Leibovich was one of a number of bloggers who criticized Khulood Badawi, an Information and Media Coordinator for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs who tweeted a picture of a Palestinian child covered in blood.[140] She captioned it "Another child killed by #Israel... Another father carrying his child to a grave in #Gaza." It was discovered the picture was published in 2006 and was of a Palestinian girl who had died in an accident and been brought to the hospital shortly after an Israeli air strike in Gaza. Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Ron Prosor called for Badawi's dismissal, stating that she was "directly engaged in spreading misinformation".[141] Humanitarian Coordinator and the Head of Office in Jerusalem later met with officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel to discuss these events.[142][143] UN Under-Secretary General Valerie Amos wrote, "It is regrettable that an OCHA staff member has posted information on her personal Twitter profile, which is both false and which reflects on issues that are related to her work."[142]
A few days later Badawi tweeted on her personal account "Correction: I tweeted the photo believing it was from the last round of violence & it turned out to be from 2006 This is my personal account."[144] Ma'an News Agency reported a week later that the hospital medical report on the dead girl read that she died "due to falling from a high area during the Israeli strike on Gaza". There are differing accounts of how the Israeli air strike, reported to be as little as 100 meters away, may have caused the accident.[145]
Wikipedia is an online, collaboratively written encyclopedia. While editing conflicts occur frequently, one particular conflict, involving CAMERA and Electronic Intifada, made headlines in the Jerusalem Post and the International Herald Tribune.[146][147] When CAMERA encouraged individuals sympathetic to Israel to participate in editing Wikipedia in order to "lead to more accuracy and fairness on Wikipedia",[148] Electronic Intifada accused CAMERA of "orchestrating a secret, long-term campaign to infiltrate the popular online encyclopedia Wikipedia to rewrite Palestinian history, pass off crude propaganda as fact, and take over Wikipedia administrative structures to ensure these changes go either undetected or unchallenged."[149] The accusations led to various administrative actions on Wikipedia—including the banning of certain editors. HonestReporting subsequently responded to the incident with its own article, entitled "Exposed – Anti-Israeli Subversion on Wikipedia" which complained of "anti-Israel bias on Wikipedia" and described Wikipedia's NPOV policy as a "noble goal not always applied equally by Wikipedia users.[150] CAMERA similarly responded to the incident with a letter entitled "The failure of Wikipedia", appearing in IHT, which described Wikipedia's Middle East articles as "often-unreliable".[151][152] In a separate article entitled "The Wild West of Wikipedia", which appeared in The Jewish Chronicle and IMRA, Gilead Ini of CAMERA decried "Wikipedia's often-skewed entries about the Middle East", described Wikipedia's rules as "shoddily enforced", and wrote that, following the incident, "many editors who hoped to ensure accuracy and balance ... are now banned" while "partisan editors ... continue to freely manipulate Wikipedia articles to their liking".[153]
The Yesha Council and Israel Sheli, launched a project to improve coverage of Zionist views on Wikipedia.[154] The project organiser, Ayelet Shaked emphasized that the information has to be reliable and meet Wikipedia rules.[155] "The idea is not to make Wikipedia rightist but for it to include our point of view," said Naftali Bennett, the director of the Yesha Council.[154] In this vein, the groups taught a course on how to edit Wikipedia. The Yesha Council also launched a new prize, "Best Zionist Editor," to be awarded to the most productive editor on Israel-related topics.[154]
In 2013, a number of news outlets, including Israeli newspaper Haaretz and France24, reported on an indefinite block of an editor who had concealed the fact that he was an employee of right-wing media group NGO Monitor. The editor was reported to have edited English Wikipedia articles on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict "in an allegedly biased manner".[156][157][158]
Watchdog groups[edit]
This is an alphabetically sorted list of media watchdog groups which monitor coverage of the conflict in Western news media. While academics debate the impact of the media on public opinion,[159] lobbying organisations view the media as essential in influencing public perceptions of the conflict and, therefore, as paramount in influencing and securing favorable public policy in relation to the conflict.[160][161]
See also[edit]
- Arab zoological conspiracy theories
- 2006 Fox journalists kidnapping
- Adnan Hajj photographs controversy
- Terminology in Media, Culture and Politics
- Alleged Ouze Merham interview of Ariel Sharon
- False Moshe Ya'alon quotation
- Hasbara
- Jewish Internet Defense Force
- Bogus Moshe Ya'alon quotation
- James Miller
- Fadel Shana'a
- Deception: Betraying the Peace Process
Further reading[edit]
- Bad News from Israel, Greg Philo and Mike Berry Pluto Press, (2004)
- Caught in the Middle by Steve Mcnally; Columbia Journalism Review, Vol. 40, January–February 2002
- Covering Islam: How the Media and the Experts Determine How We See the Rest of the World, by Edward W. Said (1997)
- Covering the Intifada: A Hazardous Beat; Photographers and Journalists Come under Gunfire While Reporting on the Conflict, by Joel Campagna; Nieman Reports, Vol. 56, Fall 2002
- Covering the Intifada: How the Media Reported the Palestinian Uprising, by Joshua Muravchik; Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 2003 ISBN 0-944029-85-X
- Days of Rage: News Organizations Have Been Besieged by Outraged Critics Accusing Them of Unfair Coverage of the Violence in the Middle East. Are They Guilty as Charged?, by Sharyn Vane; American Journalism Review, Vol. 24, July–August 2002
- Do Words and Pictures from the Middle East Matter? A Journalist from the Region Argues That U.S. Policy Is Not Affected by the Way News Is Reported, by Rami G. Khouri; Nieman Reports, Vol. 56, Fall 2002
- Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict, New and Revised Edition, by Norman G. Finkelstein (2003)
- Images Lead to Varying Perceptions: 'In Photographs in Which We, as Journalists, Saw Danger, Some Readers Saw Deception, by Debbie Kornmiller; Nieman Reports, Vol. 56, Fall 2002
- Israel-Palestine on Record: How the New York Times Misreports Conflict in the Middle East by Richard A. Falk and Howard Friel London: Verso (2007) ISBN 1-84467-109-7.
- The Israeli-Hezbollah War of 2006: The Media as a Weapon in Asymmetrical Conflict by Marvin Kalb John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, February 2007
- The Minefield of Language in Middle East Coverage: Journalists Rarely Have the Time or Space to Navigate through the War of Words, by Beverly Wall; Nieman Reports, Vol. 56, Fall 2002
- Missing: The Bias Implicit in the Absent, by Marda Dunsky; Arab Studies Quarterly, Vol. 23, 2001
- The Other War: A Debate: Questions of Balance in the Middle East by Adeel Hassan; Columbia Journalism Review, Vol. 42, May–June 2003
- The Other War: Israelis, Palestinians and the Struggle for Media Supremacy, by Stephanie Gutmann, Encounter Books 2005 (ISBN 1-893554-94-5)
- Pens and Swords: How the American Mainstream Media Report the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Marda Dunsky, Columbia University Press, 2008 (ISBN 978-0-231-13349-4)
- Perceptions of Palestine: Their Influence on U.S. Middle East Policy, Kathleen Christison (2001)
- Racism and the North American Media Following 11 September: The Canadian Setting, by T. Y. Ismael and John Measor; Arab Studies Quarterly, Vol. 25, 2003
- Reporting the Arab Israeli Conflict: How Hegemony Works by Tamar Liebes (1997)
- Understanding the Arab-Israeli Conflict: What the Headlines Haven't Told You, by Michael Rydelnik; Moody Publishers (June 1, 2004) ISBN 0-8024-2640-9
- ^ Vallone, R. P., Ross, L., & Lepper, M. R. (1985). The hostile media phenomenon: Biased Perception and Perceptions of Media Bias in Coverage of the "Beirut Massacre". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49, 577–585. summary.
- ^ a b The Other War: A Debate by Columbia Journalism Review
- ^ Fair.org, In U.S. Media, Palestinians Attack, Israel Retaliates
- ^ Greg Philo and Mike Berry, Bad News From Israel
- ^ Critical Thinking: Can You Trust Everything You Read? by CAMERA
- ^ a b Understanding Bias by Honest Reporting
- ^ a b c d Uprising Without Explanation Extra! January/February 2001
- ^ a b FAIR challenges CBC Ombud's Report
- ^ a b Media critique quick sheet by Palestine Media Watch
- ^ Principles of Journalism by PEJ
- ^ "Hundreds of victims 'were buried by bulldozer in mass grave". London: Telegraph. April 13, 2002. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ^ "Jenin 'massacre evidence growing'". BBC. April 18, 2002.
- ^ "Ben Wedeman: Access to Jenin difficult". CNN. April 11, 2002.
- ^ Report of the Secretary-General on Jenin by the United Nations
- ^ Civilian casualties and unlawful killings in Jenin by Human Rights Watch
- ^ a b "UN says no massacre in Jenin". BBC. August 1, 2002.
- ^ a b "U.N. report: No massacre in Jenin". USA Today. August 1, 2002.
- ^ Bennet, James (August 2, 2002). "Death on the campus: Jenin; U.N. Report Rejects Claims Of a Massacre Of Refugees". New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ^ "Manufacturing a Massacre". Salon. November 19, 2002.
- ^ UN Press Release: Secretary-General condemns 'despicable' Hebron terrorist attack
- ^ "Victims of the Hebron shooting attack". Haaretz. November 17, 2002.
- ^ "12 killed in Hebron Shabbat eve ambush". Jerusalem Post. November 15, 2002.
- ^ Atrocities of the British Press by Honest Reporting
- ^ Edward Said's Documented Deceptions by CAMERA
- ^ Coverage of the Middle East Crisis In the Opinion Pages and News Coverage Of the Charlotte Observer by Palestine Media Watch
- ^ NPR Distorts Even Its Bias by CAMERA
- ^ For NPR, Violence Is Calm if It's Violence Against Palestinians by FAIR
- ^ Objectivity & The Media: 7 Principles of Media Objectivity by Honest Reporting
- ^ How to Recognize Unfair Reporting by CAMERA
- ^ In U.S. Media, Palestinians Attack, Israel Retaliates
- ^ Bold Distortions and Outright Lies by HonestReporting
- ^ Please counter the Israeli PR machine by Palestine Media Watch
- ^ Assassination Disguised by Omar Barghouti on Palestine Media Watch
- ^ Headlines & Graphics by CAMERA
- ^ New York Times Skews Israeli-Palestinian Crisis by CAMERA
- ^ "New Rules" For Mideast Reporting by HonestReporting
- ^ Selective Quotes Distort Intent of Sharon's Gaza Withdrawal
- ^ Issue Area: Sensationalism by FAIR
- ^ http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/09/4549418/un-official-says-media-biased.html
- ^ Amanpour's Troubling Journalism by CAMERA
- ^ "12-year-old boy among dead in Israeli-Palestinian cross fire". CNN. October 1, 2000.[dead link]
- ^ "French Public TV and the Perpetuation of a Scandal". The New York Sun. November 26, 2004.
- ^ "Israel 'sorry' for killing boy". BBC. October 3, 2000.
- ^ Mohammed al-Dura lives on by Gideon Levy on Haaretz
- ^ Who Shot Mohammed al-Dura? by James Fallows
- ^ Backgrounder: Mohammed Al Dura by CAMERA
- ^ a b "We did not abandon Philippe Karsenty". JPost. June 25, 2008.
- ^ "IDF demands uncut al-Dura tape". Jerusalem Post. September 17, 2007.
- ^ "Israel officially denies responsibility for death of al-Dura in 2000". YNet. October 1, 2007.
- ^ "GPO head: Sept. 2000 death of Gaza child Al-Dura was staged". Haaretz. October 1, 2007.
- ^ "Al-Dura's father: Israel's claims ridiculous". YNet. October 2, 2007.
- ^ . February 19, 2012 publisher=Yedioth Ahronot http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4191706,00.html publisher=Yedioth Ahronot. Retrieved 27 August 2012. Missing or empty
- ^ Media analyst convicted over France-2 Palestinian boy footage (The Guardian, June 26, 2013)
Karsenty convicted, fined for defamation in al-Dura case (JTA, June 26, 2013)
- ^ a b c d The Photo That Started It All by Honest Reporting
- ^ a b "Corrections". New York Times. October 7, 2000.
- ^ a b New York Times Media Fraud, Incompetence, and Bias by Fraud Factor
- ^ "Corrections". New York Times. October 4, 2000.
- ^ McFadden, Robert D. (October 7, 2000). "Abruptly, a U.S. Student In Mideast Turmoil's Grip". New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ^ Victim of the Media War bu Tuvia Grossman on Aish HaTorah
- ^ Photo Falsehood and the Rosh Hashanah Riots by CAMERA
- ^ Seven Years on the Front Lines by HonestReporting on YouTube
- ^ Five Years of Anti-Israel Media Bias by HonestReporting on YouTube
- ^ Those Aren't Stones, They're Rocks
- ^ "Passover massacre at Israeli hotel kills 19". CNN. March 27, 2002.
- ^ "Alleged Passover massacre plotter arrested". CNN. March 26, 2008.
- ^ "Israel Passover bomb suspect held". BBC. March 26, 2008.
- ^ Jenin's Terrorist Infrastructure by MFA
- ^ a b Report of the Secretary-General on Jenin by UN
- ^ Jenin: IDF Military Operations – Summary by HRW
- ^ Inside the Battle of Jenin by Time
- ^ Myre, Greg (April 13, 2003). "New Battle Over Jenin, on Television". New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ^ "Powell postpones meeting with Arafat". CNN. April 12, 2002.
- ^ "Jenin 'massacre evidence growing'". BBC. April 18, 2002.
- ^ Conflict in the Middle East: Fierce Fighting Continues in Jenin by CNN
- ^ Jenin: IDF Military Operations by HRW
- ^ Israel and the Occupied Territories: Shielded from scrutiny: IDF violations in Jenin and Nablus by Amnesty International
- ^ Bennet, James (August 2, 2002). "DEATH ON THE CAMPUS: JENIN; U.N. Report Rejects Claims Of a Massacre Of Refugees". New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ^ a b Jenin: The Big Lie by Ariel Cohen on NRO
- ^ The Big Jenin Lie by Richard Starr on the Weekly Standard
- ^ Jenin: Massacring Truth on Aish HaTorah
- ^ Jeningrad: What the British Media Said by HonestReporting
- ^ What Really Happened in Jenin? by JCPA
- ^ Anatomy of Anti-Israel Incitement: Jenin, World Opinion and the Massacre That Wasn't by ADL
- ^ Gross distortions of UN Jenin report by US media by Palestine Media Watch
- ^ No Massacre at Jenin: Says Who? by Stephen Gowans
- ^ a b "Hamas militants vow to end truce". BBC. June 10, 2006.
- ^ "Peretz: Friday's Gaza beach shelling 'not our doing'". Jerusalem Post. June 13, 2006.
- ^ "IDF not responsible for Gaza blast". Jerusalem Post. June 13, 2006.
- ^ Israel: Gaza Beach Investigation Ignores Evidence by HRW
- ^ McGreal, Chris (June 17, 2006). "The battle of Huda Ghalia – who really killed girl's family on Gaza beach?". London: The Guardian. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ^ a b http://www.hrw.org/en/node/10911/section/9
- ^ a b Israel Should Not Be Presumed Guilty of Gaza Beach Deaths by CAMERA
- ^ Gaza Beach Libel by Honest Reporting
- ^ Reuters Doctoring Photos from Beirut? on Little Green Footballs
- ^ Photo Fraud in Lebanon by Aish HaTorah on YouTube
- ^ "Reuters toughens rules after altered photo affair". Reuters. January 18, 2007.
- ^ "Reutersgate strikes other news outlets". JPost. August 11, 2006.
- ^ The Dishonest Reporter 'Award' 2006 by HonestReporting
- ^ Stephen D. Cooper, Marshall University (2007). "A Concise History of the Fauxtography Blogstorm in the 2006 Lebanon War". American Communication Journal. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
- ^ "Robert Fisk: Mystery of Israel's secret uranium bomb". London: The Independent. October 28, 2006. Retrieved May 12, 2010.[dead link]
- ^ Indie's Uranium Charges by HonestReporting
- ^ Silver, Eric (October 30, 2006). "UN investigates Israel's 'uranium weapons'". London: The Independent. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ^ "Israel did not use depleted uranium during conflict with Hizbollah, UN agency finds". UN News Centre. November 8, 2006.
- ^ "UN: No IDF uranium bomb use in Lebanon". YNet. November 8, 2006.
- ^ No Retraction For Indie's False Uranium Libel by Honest Reporting
- ^ Al-Jazeera admits to 'unethical' behavior over Kuntar party By Yoav Stern and Haaretz Correspondent
- ^ Honoring Samir Kuntar By Greg Pollowitz, NRO's MSM watchdog.
- ^ #1818 - Al-Jazeera TV Throws a Birthday Party for Released Lebanese Terrorist Samir Al-Quntar. MEMRI.
- ^ "Gaza baby dies after respirator runs out of fuel". London: The Guardian. 25 March 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
- ^ a b "Hamas blames fuel shortage for Gaza baby's death". Yedioth Ahronot. 25 March 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
- ^ a b "Hamas blames fuel shortage for Gaza baby's death". Yahoo News. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
- ^ a b "Confusion of Gaza baby's death". The Herald Sun. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
- ^ "Diaa Hadid Tweets". Twitter. 26 March 2012. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
- ^ "STORY REMOVED: Gaza-Power Cuts". London: The Guardian. 25 March 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
- ^ Barzak, Ibrahim; Hadid, Diaa (25 March 2012). "Hamas blames fuel shortage for Gaza baby's death". Boston. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
- ^ "Hamas blames fuel shortage for Gaza baby's death". Fox 12 Oregan. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
- ^ "Confusion of Gaza baby's death". Sky News. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
- ^ "AP Retracts Story Because of Hamas Lie". HonestReoprting. March 26, 2012. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
- ^ "AP Withdraws Story of Gaza Death". CAMERA. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
- ^ Décryptage (2003) on IMDB
- ^ Décryptage on Sundance Channel
- ^ Movies on The Second Draft
- ^ a b Pallywood on YouTube
- ^ Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land on IMDB
- ^ Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land on Google Video
- ^ Refutation of Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land (HTML) by JCRC
- ^ Review of Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land by LiP magazine
- ^ Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land (2003) by Ned Martel on the New York Times
- ^ Eye on the Media: Depending on your 'point of view' by Bret Stephens on Jerusalem Post, quoted from Watch – "Immoral equivalency"
- ^ The Hottest Button: How The Times Covers Israel and Palestine by the New York Times
- ^ Killings Of Dozens Once Again Called Period Of Calm By US Media by Michael Brown and Ali Abunimah on ZNet
- ^ a b c d "Facebook sparks 'Palestine' debate". JPost. October 10, 2007.
- ^ a b "Facing up to the 'Facebook' dilemma". JPost. February 5, 2008.
- ^ a b c Diaa Hadid, Old photos tweeted in Israel-Palestinian conflict, Associated Press Worldstream, via Highbeam, March 15, 2012.
- ^ Zerbisias, Antonia (May 3, 2007). "Playing politics on Facebook". Toronto: TheStar. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ^ a b "Facebook Makes an About-Face". Arutz 7. March 18, 2008.
- ^ "Jewish Activist Battles For Israel on Facebook". Arutz 7. April 3, 2008.
- ^ "Jewish Internet Defense Force 'seizes control' of anti-Israel Facebook group". JPost. July 29, 2008.
- ^ a b Moore, Matthew (July 31, 2008). "Facebook: 'Anti-Semitic' group hijacked by Jewish force". London: The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ^ a b c Sheera Frenkel, Tweets of misleading photos feed Israeli-Palestinian feud, The McClatchy Company, March 14, 2012.
- ^ "Israel: Fire UN official over false Gaza photo". The Jerusalem Post. 2012-03-16.
- ^ a b "UN agency under fire for staffers' tweet of bloody child". Fox News. March 17, 2012. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
- ^ "Fake photos of escalation posted on Twitter". The Jerusalem Post. 2012-03-14.
- ^ Herb Keinon, No sign UN will fire worker over incendiary tweet, Jerusalem Post, March 20, 2012.
- ^ Charlotte Alfred, Twitter flap obscures details of Gaza girl's death, Ma'an News Agency, 27/03/2012 (updated) 01/04/2012 09:31
- ^ "Wiki-Warfare: Battle for the on-line encyclopedia". The Jerusalem Post. May 13, 2008.
- ^ "Wiki-war in the Middle East". IHT. May 6, 2008.
- ^ How and Why to Edit Wikipedia by CAMERA
- ^ EI exclusive: a pro-Israel group's plan to rewrite history on Wikipedia by Electronic Intifada
- ^ Exposed: Anti-Israel Subversion on Wikipedia by HonestReporting
- ^ CAMERA Letter About Wikipedia in International Herald Tribune by CAMERA
- ^ "The failure of Wikipedia". International Herald Tribune. May 11, 2008.
- ^ The Wild West of Wikipedia by Gilead Ini of CAMERA.
- ^ a b c Haaretz, 2010 Aug. 18, "The Right's Latest Weapon: 'Zionist Editing' on Wikipedia-- 'Idea Is Not to Make Wikipedia Rightist But for It to Include Our Point of View,' Naftali Bennett, Director of the Yesha Council Says," http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/the-right-s-latest-weapon-zionist-editing-on-wikipedia-1.308667
- ^ Zionist Internet Struggle to Hit Wikipedia
- ^ carried France 24 article
- ^ Haaretz article
- ^ See also Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2013-06-19/In the media
- ^ Empathy with Palestinians vs. Israelis: Examining U.S. Media Representations, Coverage, and Attitudes by Donald A. Sylvan and Nathan Toronto, pg. 3
- ^ About CAMERA by CAMERA
- ^ About IMEU by IMEU
External links[edit]
- CNN Navigates Raw Emotions In Its Coverage From Israel by the New York Times
- The Hottest Button: How The Times Covers Israel and Palestine by the New York Times
- Some U.S. Backers of Israel Boycott Dailies Over Mideast Coverage That They Deplore by the New York Times
- Journalists caught in the middle by the BBC
- NUJ under fire for Israel boycott by The Guardian
- Israel cuts links with BBC by The Guardian
- Israel to boycott Al-Jazeera TV, claiming incitement to terror by Haaretz
- Israel accuses al-Jazeera of bias by BBC
- NPR reacts to charges of anti-Israel bias in coverage by JTA
- Watching the Pro-Israeli Media Watchers by Manfred Gerstenfeld and Ben Green on JCPA
- Seven Years on the Front Lines by Honest Reporting on YouTube
- CAMERA 2007 by CAMERA on YouTube
- Are There Two Sides to Every Story? by HonestReporting on YouTube


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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Schadenfreude said...
I kind of have to give the side-eye to people who talk about their separate characters like they're separate people and how this one didn't earn something like that one did (and how they don't want to buy their alt epic flying because they feel like they're paying child support to that other character). Uh, your characters haven't done anything, they are pixels. YOU the person earned x title.
Anyway, I hope that all achievements, mounts, pets, titles, etc. go account-wide-- but that the display of some of them is mediated by class. For instance, my paladin's mounts would go into my account pool of mounts-- but only characters with the appropriate access (race/class/level) could select those mounts and ride them. Same with titles-- you'd need to be 85 to display the firelord title, for instance.

subset: commoncrawl


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Go read this Spine item. Am I wrong or is Martin Peretz citing as his primary objection to giving Bill Shaheen a role in Middle East diplomacy that Shaheen's family comes from Lebanon? Fascinatingly, his wife Jeanne Shaheen's 2002 Senate campaign got a lot of backing from "pro-Israel" groups (I went up one weekend to volunteer and the woman coordinating the volunteers was on loan from AIPAC) and this site indicates she got a bunch of money because her GOP then-opponent, John Sununu, is, like her husband, an Arab Christian.
No Arabs Need Apply
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Bush Explorers and Authors, Michael Keats, Brian Fox and Yuri Bolotin have been exploring the Australian Bush for years.
Bush Explorers is a work in progress guide to ultimate bushwalking in the Greater Blue Mountains National Park and the Gardens of Stone National Park. It is a chronicle of challenges, discoveries, adventures, sweat, and research lead by Brian Fox, Michael Keats and Yuri Bolotin. It is also your key to enjoy seldom visited places, and through words and pictures, enjoy what is literally on Sydney's back door step.
As it develops, this site will be an important resource for bush walkers and others interested in the Australian Bush.
Make sure you check back often to see whats changed.
Bushwalks in the headwaters of Bungleboori Creek, Wollangambe River, Nayook Creek and Dingo Creek.
Regional River Catchments and Water Pollution.
Bushwalks at Donkey Mountain, Carne Creek, South of the Wolgan River and Mt Cameron.
Regional Aboriginal History and Historical Maps.


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The net loss was $59,313 compared to a loss in 2011 of $81,193. It paid $28,484 in tax, up from $14,497.
The site made a loss of $81,193 in calendar 2011, from a profit of $4192 in the four months ended December 31, 2010.
"The revenue for NZ office does not surprise me. It is quiet common for NZ advertisers to book their Facebook advertising directly through the States..."
Sign up for NBR subscriber content or email alerts
The easiest way for subscribers to stay logged in is to click the "Remember Me" option on the Member Log In box on the top right of this page.


text:
OTTAWA COUNTY, MI (WKZO) -- An Ottawa County Judge who got into hot water when he threw a rookie Attorney into jail for doing his job, now says he is willing to accept a 30-day suspension.
Judge Kenneth Post says its time to put the matter behind them. Judge Post asked the young client that Attorney Scott Millard was representing, when was the last time he used drugs. Millard advised the juvenile not to answer, because it was self-incriminating.
The judge responded sarcastically and held Millard in Contempt and ordered him to jail. The Judicial tenure commission not only agreed with the 2-initial charges leveled at the judge, but added a dozen more.
Judge Post's response is to accept the original two counts. It's now up to the State Supreme Court to decide whether to take his plea, hit him with all 14 counts or let it slide. There is no telling when they might act.


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Prostate Cancer
Retired Urologist Calls On Men To Get Tested For Prostate Cancer
A Connecticut urologist has retired from the practice, but not from his effort to help protect men from prostate cancer.
WFAN's Ed Randall Continues Campaign As Prostate Cancer Awareness Month Begins
Ed Randall's "Fans For The Cure" has been out in force all summer at minor league ballparks.
Study: 9/11 Responders Have Higher Cancer Risk
Among nearly 21,000 rescue and recovery workers, the overall cancer rate is 15 percent higher than the general population, according to a new study.


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My name is Stacy, I've owned Fords all my life. I've seen vehicles get some miles ,
but nothing like the Ford van I've driven for the last five years.(for a water company
Who has fleet vehicles) It is a 2000 E-250, a purchase from a Ryder rental
At 126,000 miles. I now have 445,000 on it, same engine and trans.
NO motor work or transmission work, just brakes, radiator, water pump,
Brakes and more brakes. As far as maintenance, I was very slack,
Oil changed every eight to ten thousand miles,tune up at seventy
Five thousand or so. It's never left me stranded, and I travel two
Hundred miles a day. People flip when I tell them the milage,
I give credit to God first, and tell them to buy a Ford! This is a
True story.thanks Ford


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Wanted: "Desperately seeking a Talented Serial Monogamist: Must be kind, lovely, romantic, but always in transit. Requires not more than two sleepovers a week. Candidate must have a strong command of the written and spoken word. A glorious sense of humor and generous, adventurous spirit are vital. Large shoes are helpful, but not required. This is a temporary, part-time assignment, but could work in to a permanent full-time position."
It's been 4 weeks since I kissed someone. It's been 13 months since I kissed someone, I didn't end up regretting. It's been 19 months since my since I heard the words "I Love You" . Probably 22 months since he meant it, I can only guess. …and 3 months until the Curse of The Pompous Clerk is lifted.
I miss having someone in my bed all night. I love daybreak with a warm body next to me. I love it best when 'I am' what 'he wants' to 'wake up to'.
Don't you just love it when a man tells you he stayed up all night watching you sleep? (Or at least lie and say he did.)
I wouldn't know for sure…If everything…ahem, went according to plan…(wink, wink) I'm out cold. If I'm not, he didn't do his job and I deserve an Oscar.
I am not sure why getting a man to sleep with me in my bed is so difficult…I am assuming the words of an underwear clerk on New Years Eve…"Whom ever doesn't bleep on New Years Eve doesn't bleep all year." May have something to do with it.
I am not sure why men hoot, holler, stare, flirt and sometimes ask for a number, but seldom court a woman. I can't for the life of me understand why you would waist your time getting a woman's attention then never bother following up.
In Italian, the word "pensi" means "think"…which is strikingly similar to the word "penis"…Universally men tend to think with their 'penis'…I believe this observation carries it's own weight and no further words are necessary.
Imagine being asked out on a second date a week in advance. You are looking forward to it. This is a strikingly handsome person. He was a perfect gentleman you first date. Didn't even try to hold your hand. You exchange messages by text and chat. A phone call or two, then hours before your "date" he sends this message…"I can't wait to have you in my bed! :)" Yes, he added a smiley face.
Shocked you hope he is kidding, or it's a mistake… You text back. "What?! I'm confused." "Well then, let me be clear.' He writes, ' When I get you alone, something wonderful is going to happen."
"Well then let me be clear.' I responded, 'I am sure you are- your kind of "wonderful", but I am not sure that- you're my kind of "wonderful". So, unless you are completely sure you can lead me to feel the sort passion that renders me incapable of holding back, then follow that up with an experience I will not soon forget, nor regret, your not ready for this league." I haven't heard from him since. I guess he wasn't, sigh…he just wasn't ready.
Over the last few months I have observed this again and again. Even in business. Can you imagine being hired by a team of research surgeons, asked to do a mountain of work, travel to different cities for meetings that required overnight stays and late dinners, only to be told a month into the project that the grant money didn't come in.
Neither could I… until it happened. So now I am back to square one, looking for work… again.
Thinking with ones penis, lends itself to missing out on so much. For instance…That young buck, never got to find out that I am loyal friend, a good listener, make incredible waffles, and BLEEP like a nymphomaniac on death row.
I have decided, 'till at least New Years Eve 2012, to give up men. After all, they are the most frustrating form of entertainment. I will finish my book on tragic love stories. I will finish a screenplay I started seven years ago. I will look for a job. I will enjoy my family and friends. I will enjoy me. I will hike and bike and practice yoga on the beach at sunrise. I will enjoy the ghost-of-a-town- this tourist attraction I live in-becomes and I will age gracefully one more year, alone… and I will learn to like it.
- buildingbeautiful posted this


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Corrego do Mina
Corrego do Mina – Favela along a creek with flooding risk. Images:
The "formal" city has numerous public facilities and parks. Corrego do Mina could use access to more of these.
Strategy for developing housing along the hillside.
The open hillside developed with new housing.
Drawing connections between housing and the surrounding favela fabric.


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California Chrome draws post three for Preakness
Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome was assigned post three for the Preakness Stakes, which will take place this Saturday at Pimlico.
Kentucky Derby post draw: California Chrome gets post five as 5-2 favorite
Post positions were assigned on Wednesday afternoon at Churchill Downs for the 140th running of the Kentucky Derby. Santa […]
2013 Preakness Stakes betting guide
Eight contenders seek to topple the favorite Orb in the Preakness and keep the Kentucky Derby winner from completing two-thirds of the Triple Crown.


text: Stars & Constellations Getting to Know the Big DipperMarch 2011 : By Jim HendricksonWith the arrival of spring in the northern hemisphere comes the culmination of the northern sky's most recognized asterism, the Big Dipper. This familiar group of seven stars is notable for having a clear resemblance to its namesake (it is easy to imagine it forming the shape of a large spoon), but how much do you really know about the Big Dipper? Orion the HunterFebruary 2011 : By Dave HuestisEveryone with an interest in astronomy probably has a favorite constellation. It may be because of the star pattern's mythology, or its shape in the sky, or for the beautiful objects that reside within its boundaries, or possibly because it's your astrological sign.Corona Australis & the Southern Limits of SagittariusAugust 2010 : By Craig CortisI've written about this subject in past issues, but it occurs to me now that it might be of interest to mention just the few bright stars that lie way down near the southern border of Sagittarius, only a few degrees above our local horizon limit of -48° in declination. The small constellation of Corona Australis, known as the Southern Crown, lies just west of these stars and is a worthwhile section of sky for those who might wish to become better acquainted with the more southerly parts of the summer Milky Way as presented to our view in August. SiriusApril 2010 : By Glenn ChapleNext time you set out to do some "serious" astronomy, try a moment to make a "Sirius" observation. You'll be delighted you did.Taking the Broad View: Skywatching with your Naked EyesNovember 2009 : By Craig CortisYou are unnecessarily shortchanging yourself if you've come to believe that astronomy can only be enjoyed by viewing everything in the very limited confines of telescopes or binoculars.The Winter CircleFebruary 2009 : By Dave HuestisJust as the summer sky has the Summer Triangle, the winter sky has its own special asterism, and this one is huge and includes a total of eight bright stars. It's called the Winter Circle or Winter Hexagon. I'll explain why you can get both shapes from the stars. Cygnus the SwanJuly 2002 : By Dave HuestisCygnus the Swan (also known as the Northern Cross), can be found in one of the richest star regions in the sky. Spring Double Stars: The Three Leaps of the GazelleMarch 1997 : By Nan D'AntuonoThe Great Bear Ursa Major is high in the north these Spring evenings. Along his southwestern border, shared with the constellations Lynx, Leo Minor, and Leo lie the three distinctive pairs of third magnitude stars known from ancient times by many names, one of the best known of which is the charming name "The Three Leaps of the Gazelle." Three of the six leap stars are wonderful doubles, and there are many more awaiting discovery in Ursa Major. ResourcesEyes on the SkyEyes on the Sky makes it easier for anyone to find objects in the night sky and/or learn how to use astronomy equipment, and educates about smarter lighting practices. Take a look at the weekly videos to learn what YOU can find in the night sky, this week - naked eye, binocular and telescopic objects are always discussed, so anyone can look up and see planets, stars and other deep sky objects.The Evening Sky MapTo help find your way around the night sky, Skymaps.com makes available for free each month The Evening Sky Map -- a 2-page monthly guide to the night skies of the world -- northern and southern hemispheres, and the equatorial regions. Each issue contains a detailed sky map, a monthly sky calendar, and a descriptive list of the best objects to see with binoculars, a telescope, or using just your eyes.Uncle Al's StarwheelsLearn to identify the constellations by printing and building this simple planisphere.


text:
Search Tifi's books
Random books from Tifi's library
Sophies World by Jostein Gaarder
The Anti-Death League by Kingsley Amis
The Lighthouse by Alison Moore
Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood
The Trick Is to Keep Breathing by Janice Galloway
In Ethiopia with a Mule by Dervla Murphy
Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
Members with Tifi's books
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Friends: elenchus, Fluffyblue, fountainoverflows, jayne_charles, Teresa40
Interesting library: bibliocephalus, Booksloth, Caroline_McElwee, DaveHupe, DeadGoodBooks, finebalance, Fluffyblue, fountainoverflows, girlonatrain, icedream, jayne_charles, PrueGallagher, scarey, shearrob, silvercowrie, Teresa40, Vivl, whitesnk, willpalmerall
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Member: Tifi
CollectionsYour library (1,080)
Reviews643 reviews
TagsRead (935), UK (440), USA (215), tbr (120), Germany (72), France (56), Italy (35), Read more than once or will read again (32), Spain (31), Russia (28) — see all tags
Cloudstag cloud, author cloud, tag mirror
About meSince I could read I've never been without a book on the go and reading novels and travel books is a big part of what I do. I am part of a book group in the North West of England, which constantly encourages me to widen my reading. I currently work in the NHS and I am trying to adjust to life back in Manchester, after spending a year travelling in our VW camper van. You can read about the trip at:
About my libraryI always have itchy feet and want to travel and books are an affordable way to do this. I have set myself the challenge of reading at least one book set in each country in the world. The book does not have to be written by a native of the country, although this is preferable. I am finding this quite challenging for some countries.
GroupsA Quieter LibraryThing, Atheist Fiction, Bits for Brits, Books that made me think, Fans of Russian authors, Happy Heathens, Reading Globally, Travel and Exploration literature, Undiscovered Gems
Favorite authorsFannie Flagg, Graham Greene, John Irving, Magnus Mills, Geoff Nicholson, Rachel Seiffert, Anne Tyler (Shared favorites)
Favorite bookstoresCeilidh Place Bookshop, Stanfords, Waterstones Manchester Deansgate
Favorite librariesBroadwalk Library
Membership LibraryThing Early Reviewers/Member Giveaway
LocationManchester, England
Account typepublic, lifetime
/profile/Tifi (profile)
Member sinceDec 15, 2007
Most recent activity
Leave a comment
Hi, I saw you reviewed Janice Galloway's novel, The Trick is to Keep Breathing. I work for the BBC World Service and we will be interviewing her about this novel in July. Do you have a question that you would like to ask her? Please either reply here or email be at: email@example.com Please include your name and where you're from. Many thanks.
posted by jshamilton at 8:02 am (EST) on Apr 7, 2014
I love Dervla Murphy for taking me on her travels. And inspiring me with both her personal story, and her sense of adventure. I am particularly inspired because she started her travels at a 'mature age', there's hope for me yet! Best, Barb
posted by bibliocephalus at 2:52 pm (EST) on Jun 22, 2011
Hello Tifi - Manchester! My husband is from Manchester. I agree totally about Anne Tyler: her books are like warm blankets. I don't read a lot of Australian novels really, but Tim Winton is a considered a great Australian writer (Cloudstreet his best known) but his Australia is not really mine. However, A Fortunate Life, by A B Facey is one I would recommend. And The True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey is also excellent. I love The Wire in the Blood tv series - which we stil get on cable.
Happy reading!
regards Prue
posted by PrueGallagher at 5:40 pm (EST) on May 4, 2011
Hello Tifi - first, you had few good things to say about Wolf Hall, then I see you have almst all of Anne Tyler's books, THEN I notice you have 'The Sweetshop Owner' by Graham Swift (which I hardly ever see) - you seem like my kind of gal! Interesting library!. Will be interested to see what you thing of Being Dead - which is in my TBR pile. Happy Travelling...Prue
posted by PrueGallagher at 4:42 pm (EST) on May 3, 2011
Hi Tifi, chuffed that you found my library interesting! We share loads of books (you are 8th on my list of similar libraries), including quite a lot of the lesser known stuff. I noticed you have The Last Llanelli Train on your TBR list (absolutely loved that book!!). Still to read Emotionally Weird, but always surprised by Kate Atkinson, every time I read a book of hers I think she must have used up every idea she ever had in her head, but she keeps coming back with more. I have yet to read a bad book by her!
Happy reading, Jayne
PS I just had a quick look at your blog, sounds like a fab trip, I'm going to have to go back and read it all and spot all the song lyrics
posted by jayne_charles at 9:46 am (EST) on Feb 13, 2011
Love your list of suggestions! I've not heard of any of those titles or authors, it shows that a very short list makes it across the pond. (Well, and maybe I've been missing out, too.)
As for US books, it's a classic but Nelson Algren's City on the Make is an eye-opening picture of Chicago, where I live. I also like James Ellroy's American Underground trilogy, though it's not so much a real picture as a highly stylised idea of our underbelly, with violence akin to Iain Banks in Complicity or his debut (forgetting the title now). I also really like Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio, but like the Algren it's an historic portrait, albeit one quite relevant to our collective psyche today, in my opinion. Algren and Anderson read very fast, the Ellroy is crime noir and the second novel especially is a prose you'll either adore or loathe.
posted by elenchus at 12:38 am (EST) on Jul 7, 2010
It is so interesting to read your reference to the "two cultures separated by a common language"! Of course US culture is one of our biggest exports, often to everyone's detriment, and it saddens me to realise it defines us to so many people. And yet, we are in fact accurately represented by our exported mass media, to a significant degree. An interesting dilemma.
For my part, I love the differences in language when I read books from the UK, preferring those not 'translated' into American English. It's part of what I like to learn from my reading. And I have the same issue, I suppose: do I have an accurate picture of the British from this? It's no substitute for living there, but until that happens (and it's not likely at this point), reading is far better than nothing.
posted by elenchus at 12:59 pm (EST) on Jul 1, 2010
Jim Crace I just came read about, probably here on LT (and very likely from one of your reviews). This is how I gather new books unto me: enough positive mentions, and though I'm not conscious of it exactly, it is elevated to my wishlist.
LT has provided me with a means of actually tracking my wishlist, so now it runs over 100 books. It's another mystery how I decide to read one book over another, but I'm game.
The Mills I liked, especially the premise and the humour. It was before I took notes on LT so I don't have specific recollection of the prose. If it is very British, that would be an attraction for me though I know it can be off-putting for some of us Yanks. I wonder, does it work the other way 'round?
posted by elenchus at 3:31 pm (EST) on Jun 30, 2010
My mistake: it was Shadow of the Wind, not Jernigan, so it'll ratchet up a few slots on the wishlist based on your review!
posted by elenchus at 11:34 am (EST) on Jun 22, 2010
Chanced upon two of your reviews on 2 separate occasions(Scheme for Full Employment and Jernigan, I think?), and was prompted to stop by your profile page. I've read the Mills and think you've captured my sense of the novel, haven't yet read the other and might well steer clear of it.
posted by elenchus at 11:32 am (EST) on Jun 22, 2010
Hi. I really like the style of Ian McEwan's writing even though the subject matter is often difficult - that's why I find it hard to sometimes describe his books as 'enjoyable'! I enjoy the twisty plots of the Brodie books by Kate Atkinson too - I haven't read the latest yet but I'm on the look out for it. Another well-plotted page-turner is Gentleman & Players by Joanne Harris - it is very different in style to her French books - I can't see it in your library & I think you'd enjoy it.
posted by scarey at 8:08 am (EST) on Feb 17, 2009
Should also let you know about my all-time favourite Australian novel - Picnic at Hanging Rock, by Joan Lindsay.
posted by Booksloth at 10:06 am (EST) on Nov 22, 2008
PS - And, although I can't remember much about it now, I did love The Secret River. Happy reading!
posted by Booksloth at 6:53 am (EST) on Nov 21, 2008
Ah, well, you might even be able to sneak Shantaram in as an Australian novel. The author is Australian and his journey to India comes about after he escapes from an Australian jail. I think there's a bit of Afghanistan and Germany coming up later too!
posted by Booksloth at 6:50 am (EST) on Nov 21, 2008
What was Lost is on my TBR pile; I'll move it up a bit higher now I've had a recommendation! And, in return, I have to recommend Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts, which has stolen the past week or so of my life and I'm thrilled it has done so! It's a great big juicy part novel/part biog set mainly in the slums of Bombay/Mumbai and, even though I'm still only half way through it has utterly captured my heart. I'm busy telling the whole world about it!
posted by Booksloth at 2:38 pm (EST) on Nov 20, 2008
Hi Tifi! I just caught sight of your message on Shearrob's page and I do like to be able to say hello to fellow Brits wherever and whenever I find them. Plus the fact that some of the books we share are amongst my all time favourites - stuff like Captain Corelli, Middlesex, The Kite Runner, Life of Pi, The Secret History and anything and everything by John Irving And lots more.
I see you are a Lancastrian - I used to have relatives in Preston (in fact, I still have a nephew there now, just as I thought the family had died out up there!) so I feel a certain fondness for the place. I also rather envy you your up-and-coming tip around Europe. If you are going anywhere near Greece (my spiritual home, I do believe!) and can squeeze one more under the sink, just let me know. I hope you have a wonderful time.
Best wishes
posted by Booksloth at 4:57 am (EST) on Nov 18, 2008
Hi, Tifi!
Best of luck with the move! I know how irritating all that palaver can be - and, as you say, especially on the nerves of a cat!
I do have rather a lot of favourite authors, don't I? Sorry - I know that's a bit unhelpful. It's a list, going through my frankly-too-big and somewhat-overstuffed library, of writers whose works I'd snap up at the drop of a hat. Some I've loved having only read a single novel, but know that over the years I'll try to read them all (I try to ration out my favourites, so I don't exhaust their complete works too quickly!) - some I've gobbled up and know backwards. I'll happily direct you to some of my recommendations - what particular types of authors would interest you?
posted by shearrob at 10:25 pm (EST) on Nov 17, 2008
Hi Tifi,
The Ceilidh Place and Stanfords! We have good taste although it is a while since I've been in either shop unfortunately. I couldn't find the photo you added to The CP page but maybe there is a delay in things showing up. I'll keep checking.
We do share quite a few books and a love of travel books, it would seem. I'm going to add you to my interesting libraries too.
posted by silvercowrie at 3:09 pm (EST) on Nov 17, 2008
Hi Tifi,
Thanks for adding me to your interesting libraries. LT is a great way to keep track of all your books and it will be a great way to stay in touch with like-minded people whilst your on your travels around Europe. I also love to swap books on RISI, it's a great way to build up your collection fairly cheaply. I have added you to my friends list, hope thats OK.
posted by Teresa40 at 8:30 am (EST) on Nov 13, 2008


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Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > *Fallen*
Adrenaline2 Reviews
"I was determined to find Frank, before someone else did. I silently pleaded that no one else had."
The blazing light of the morning sun came spilling into my bedroom, crudely waking me up from a deep sleep.
I gradually opened my eyes and brushing the disgruntled mess of hair out of my face , looked at the digital alarm clock on my bedside table.
I grunted in discontent. I never wake up this late.
I hadn't slept at all last night. Insomnia tormented me left and right, showing no mercy whatsoever.
Pulling the heavy blanket off of me, I dragged myself out of bed and threw on the usual jeans and black t-shirt, then made my way to the kitchen.
I got chills as my feet touched the ice-cold kitchen tile flooring.
It must have been cold out last night.
I started up the coffee maker, and leaned on the countertop, impatiently waiting for my coffee to brew.
I felt a sudden wave of guilt in my chest, remembering last night.
I really wished I hadn't told Frank to leave. What was I thinking?
The only person that had ever shown me any form of kindness or should I dare say…love.
The only person that knew the disgusting creature I was.
The only person that made me feel like I actually deserved to be here.
And like anyone that's ever come into my life, I pushed Frank away.
Maybe he'll just go back to wherever he came from.
He's better off without having his life in danger.
Then the sickening realization hit me.
I remembered he didn't have a home, or a place to stay.
His girlfriend kicked him out, and his parents don't want anything to do with him.
Where could he have possibly gone last night?
Judging by the freezing kitchen floor, it must have been cold throughout the night as well.
This was all my fault.
If I hadn't lost my temper, he would still be here.
I grabbed my cell phone off of the kitchen island behind me and frantically dialed his number.
I needed to make sure he was okay.
There were a few seconds of silence before a robotic voice spoke.
"We are sorry. The number you have dialed is not available."
I tried again.
The voice spoke the same thing again.
And again.
I started to panic.
What if he was in serious danger?
I had to find him somehow.
I picked up my keys from the counter, and ran out the door.
I didn't know where I was going or what I was doing,
But I was determined to find Frank, before someone else did.
I silently pleaded that no one else had.
This is a short chapter, I know, I've been busy but there should be a full one up in a few days. I've got some crazy ideas for the upcoming parts of this story, just you wait! Also in the next few days I'm going to be re-writing an old story I dabbled with called The Only Hope For Me Is You, if anyone remembers it on here. I'm also going to be going back and re-writing chapters of this story. Not changing much, just adding more details, and such.