Haaretz, The New York Times Of Israel, Admits To Media Bias

David Bedein, of the Israel Resource News Agency, writes about A Candid Moment with a Journalist, the journalist in this case being Chemi Shalev, the newly appointed US correspondent for the English language edition of HaAretz. Shalev appeared at the annual American Jewish Press Association (AJPA) Conference in Philadelphia last week. Due to influence of Ha'aretz English on foreign reporters, this was obviously a unique opportunity to hear first hand how Ha'aretz approaches news in Israel and the Middle East.

They asked Chemi Shalev the following question:

Why does HaAretz not report what the Palestinian Authority communicates to their people in their language, on the PBC TV, the PBC radio, Palestinian Authority newspapers and the Palestinian Authority schools?

Shalev's response: "We do not have room to cover all of that"

Bedin notes that

[O]ver the past few weeks, PBC TV has conducted daily features which promote the armed struggle to liberate all of Palestine, praise for those who martyr themselves while murdering Jews, transforming Israeli cities into Arab cities, and worse.

And then there are the new school books of the PA, which indoctrinate the next generation to liberate all of Palestine by the force of arms, while the theme of PA education remains the “right of return” to Arab villages from 1948 within the green line which no longer exist.

But Chemi Shalev's Haaretz does not have the room to cover all of that

At least Shalev did not claim it was too difficult or time consuming--Bedein explains how easy it is today for reporters to access the materials that so clearly illustrate the daily incitement of hatred against Israel by Abbas the Palestinian Authority.

But then there was the followup question to Shalev:

In the context of any article that HaAretz runs on the peace process, why not mention what the spokespeople of the PA say that day in their media and in their own language?

Shalev's response this time: "As an editor, I would recommend not covering that"


Bedein writes:

In other words, a senior editor of HaAretz admitted to a gathering of journalists that his newspaper engages in a journalistic indiscretion.

As a matter of policy, Shalev admitted, Haaretz will not report the consistent message that the Palestinian Authority conveys in the Arabic language.

Shalev admits that Haaretz promotes an inaccurate and incomplete picture of Israel and the Middle East--a biased picture picked up by all of those foreign journalists who have been duped they are getting expert and objective information from Haaretz.

But at least those looking for fodder to feed their Antisemtic hunger have a place to go.

Hat tip: Yisrael Medad, Journalism - Style Haaretz

Technorati Tag: Israel and Haaretz and Media Bias.