With the media playing such an important role in Mideast events, here are some tools to ensure that you're more than a passive player in the process.
Since the outbreak of violence in the Middle East on September 29, 2000, much concern has been raised about media bias. And as is becoming painfully clear, a key aspect to the Mideast struggle today is the manipulation of media to influence public opinion.
We expect journalists to maintain independence and objectivity -- and certainly not pledge "cooperation" with one side of an armed struggle. But when in October 2000 a representative of Italian state television issued an apology in Arabic over the filming of a brutal lynching of two Israelis in Ramallah, and promised to cooperate more fully with the Palestinian Authority in the future, Western sensibilities were shaken.
Why is the media biased? It could be they are intimidated by Palestinian strongmen into covering only their 'positive' side, while Israeli democracy permits more open coverage of the Israeli position. Or it could be that it's more exciting to root for the underdog. Or it could be that the world applies a moral double-standard to Israel.
Whatever the reason, if truth is to prevail, we can't just 'read' the newspaper. Be discerning and become part of the process. Otherwise, you're just a passive object of someone else's agenda. As Mark Twain once said, 'If you don't read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed.'
Conrad Black, former CEO of Hollinger International and publisher of The Spectator (London) and The Jerusalem Post writes:
"The British media habitually apply a double standard when judging the Israelis and Palestinians. Behind the spurious defence of merely seeking justice for the Palestinians, most of the relevant sections of the BBC, Independent, Guardian, Evening Standard and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are rabidly anti-Israel."
How can readers discern the truth between the lines? Listed here are common methods employed by the media -- intentionally or not -- to influence public opinion. By being aware of these methods, we can avoid becoming a pawn in the media war.
Here are the "7 Violations of Media Objectivity":
1) Misleading definitions and terminology.
2) Imbalanced reporting.
3) Opinions disguised as news.
4) Lack of context.
5) Selective omission.
6) Using true facts to draw false conclusions.
7) Distortion of facts.
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Your comments.
Since the outbreak of violence in the Middle East on September 29, 2000, much concern has been raised about media bias. And as is becoming painfully clear, a key aspect to the Mideast struggle today is the manipulation of media to influence public opinion.
We expect journalists to maintain independence and objectivity -- and certainly not pledge "cooperation" with one side of an armed struggle. But when in October 2000 a representative of Italian state television issued an apology in Arabic over the filming of a brutal lynching of two Israelis in Ramallah, and promised to cooperate more fully with the Palestinian Authority in the future, Western sensibilities were shaken.
Why is the media biased? It could be they are intimidated by Palestinian strongmen into covering only their 'positive' side, while Israeli democracy permits more open coverage of the Israeli position. Or it could be that it's more exciting to root for the underdog. Or it could be that the world applies a moral double-standard to Israel.
Whatever the reason, if truth is to prevail, we can't just 'read' the newspaper. Be discerning and become part of the process. Otherwise, you're just a passive object of someone else's agenda. As Mark Twain once said, 'If you don't read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed.'
Conrad Black, former CEO of Hollinger International and publisher of The Spectator (London) and The Jerusalem Post writes:
"The British media habitually apply a double standard when judging the Israelis and Palestinians. Behind the spurious defence of merely seeking justice for the Palestinians, most of the relevant sections of the BBC, Independent, Guardian, Evening Standard and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are rabidly anti-Israel."
How can readers discern the truth between the lines? Listed here are common methods employed by the media -- intentionally or not -- to influence public opinion. By being aware of these methods, we can avoid becoming a pawn in the media war.
Here are the "7 Violations of Media Objectivity":
1) Misleading definitions and terminology.
2) Imbalanced reporting.
3) Opinions disguised as news.
4) Lack of context.
5) Selective omission.
6) Using true facts to draw false conclusions.
7) Distortion of facts.
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Your comments.
