Why Israel Is Smart Keeping the Media Out of Gaza
They have nothing to gain and everything to lose. (Also read Phyllis Chesler: Israel's Quiet Nightmare.)
With some understatement, the Jerusalem Post says: “In the past, Israeli officials have voiced displeasure over the international media’s balance in their coverage of events in Gaza, inflating Palestinian suffering, while not always making clear that Israeli military actions came in response to Palestinian attacks.”
Putting it more bluntly, the world’s press in general (there are of course exceptions) long ago chose sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and they sided with the Palestinians. Driven in some cases by a soft-left worldview that demands unquestioning sympathy for the perceived victims of a given conflict, and in others by a hard-left ideology that blames Israel and the United States for all the ills of the Middle East, the media has for years tended to sympathize with the Palestinians, while missing no opportunity to criticize Israel.
Led by CNN and the BBC, and by newspapers such as the New York Times and the UK Guardian (which published a respectful obituary of slain Hamas leader Nizar Rayan), the media is framing the latest outbreak of fighting as a David versus Goliath affair, with Israel responding “disproportionately” to Hamas rocket attacks, and as a conflict that can and should be resolved by international diplomacy.
Meanwhile, stories of Hamas’s atrocities against fellow Palestinians, of Hamas diverting medical supplies from civilians to treat its fighters, and of Israel treating Hamas terrorists in its hospitals go largely unreported outside the Israeli press and pro-Israel blogs.
The bias is often subtle (and at least in the case of the BBC appears to be relatively mild compared with its coverage of the 2006 Lebanon war). Spokesmen for Israel are repeatedly pressed to justify the actions of their armed forces, while representatives of the Palestinians and Hamas are allowed to declaim at length. Another recurring theme of the reporting is that, because Hamas is still managing to launch missiles into Israel, the entire campaign is a failure.
But it’s bias nonetheless, and for that reason alone Israel should no more allow the press unfettered access to Gaza than it should allow a brigade of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to fly into Gaza’s airport to reinforce their Hamas proteges. The last thing Israel needs is Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s resident apologist for radical Islam, wallowing in an emergency room full of wounded civilians, or BBC reporters weeping over the death of senior Hamas terrorists, as Barbara Plett wept for the dying Yasser Arafat.
And leaving aside issues of balance, the media has repeatedly shown itself to be susceptible to manipulation by the propaganda arms of terrorist organizations. Remember the Jenin “massacre” that wasn’t? Or the many examples of “fauxtography” and stage-managed incidents during the 2006 Lebanon war — a phenomenon that’s being repeated in Gaza? Hamas knows that while it has no chance of defeating Israel on the battlefield, it enjoys a distinct advantage in the arena of public opinion; combine a cynical opponent with a credulous media eager to believe the worst about Israel and you have the recipe for a public relations nightmare. Another factor that leads to skewed coverage is the fact that news organizations, especially the TV news channels, are increasingly in the business of entertainment and chasing ratings.
The nature of the present conflict means the most dramatic pictures are coming from Gaza, and so viewers are exposed to virtually continuous footage of killed and wounded Palestinians, rather than shots of damaged buildings and the occasional wounded civilian in Sderot. Meanwhile, news channels compete to “set the agenda,” and under pressure to fill airtime, engage in pointless exchange between partially informed reporters in the field and clueless anchors back in the studio, which do little to add to the viewers’ understanding of a complex situation.
Whatever the motivation, by focusing almost exclusively on the alleged excesses of one side, by highlighting the disparity in casualties without explaining the reasons for the disparity, and by depriving its audience of context by failing to discuss the underlying cause of the conflict — Hamas’ refusal to recognize, and commitment to destroy, the state of Israel — the media whips up sympathy for the Palestinians that would be less forthcoming were the public better informed.
And aside from misleading the public, one-sided journalism can have serious consequences. A study of reporting from Iraq showed that negative coverage of U.S. actions had the effect of emboldening insurgents, and Hamas gunmen will doubtless be similarly inspired by the news that the “international community” is growing increasingly vociferous in its criticism of Israel.
Even if we accept the dubious post-modern argument that the world has the “right” to know what’s happening in Gaza, that doesn’t mean the media should be allowed to run amock. As it is, there are some reporters and film crews inside Gaza, while organizations such as the Red Cross and the UN (which can hardly be accused of favoring Israel) are able to communicate with the outside world. And while it could be argued that Israel should let journalists who are considered impartial, or even favorable towards Israel, into Gaza to counter the Hamas propaganda machine, experience has taught the Israelis that on the whole the media tends to do more harm than good.
The nauseatingly self-regarding modern media seems to think it has a God-given right to ride into every battle on the first tank, with its biggest stars burnishing their reputations while others suffer and die around them. It doesn’t, and the Israelis are wise to try and keep them at the Gaza border.
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Mike McNally blogs at Monkey Tennis Centre.
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43 Comments
1. Eric R.:These Islamofascist propagandists are NOT journalists.
They are TERRORISTS. Israel should treat them as such.
Jail them or target them with missiles.
Jan 7, 2009 - 2:10 am 2. quasar:John Adams labelled the muckrakers of his day “gladiators of the quill”. The Alien and Sedition Act unfortunately, will be needed again at some point
Jan 7, 2009 - 3:52 am 3. Vaughn:I agree completely. The only news I am interested in, is to hear that the last Palestinian is dead. Only then, can peace prevail for the Israelis.
Jan 7, 2009 - 4:05 am 4. numerian:Iraq, and our recent election should be lesson enough, about trusting journalists to report the truth!
Israel would have to be insane to help the enemy, and by any rational definition, the MSM are their enemy.
Jan 7, 2009 - 4:49 am 5. Craig:“…and so viewers are exposed to virtually continuous footage of killed and wounded Palestinians, rather than shots of damaged buildings and the occasional wounded civilian in Sderot.”
When you send in AP Fauxtographers, that usually happens.
Jan 7, 2009 - 6:00 am 6. Cybergeezer:Here’s an article on daily life in Israel; And just for fun, go through the article and replace Israel and it’s towns with your own, and Netanyahu’s name with your governor or mayor.
Does that make a difference?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123128827234659279.html?mod=rss_opinion_main
Jan 7, 2009 - 7:58 am 7. alan:Send the foreign reporters to Sderot, Ashkelon, Netivot and Beersheva and let them experience, first hand, the Arab rockets.
Jan 7, 2009 - 8:28 am 8. Spindok:There is another advantage as well. Israel has done an excellent job of keeping Hamas in the dark both as to maneuvers on the ground and military objectives. Keeping out the reporters is key to this objective.
They have also confiscated all cell phones from their own troops to further limit the flow of information from the battlefield.
They further hacked into the Palestinian cell phone system both to issue warnings to civilians as well as propoganda and disinformation aimed at Hamas. Who knows what else they have done to disrupt command and control but whatever it is seems to be working. Hamas’ vaunted fighters have not been able to stop the IDF nor mount an effective counter attack.
Films clips from the border demonstrate extensive use of actual smokescreens. (Those starburst shells they kept showing over and over again). This time the IDF has made excellent use of information smokescreens. The result has not only helped their troops on the ground but their political situation as well.
I think this is all in keeping with the overall strategy. Hamas fighters may be dedicated but now they are isolated in pockets with no hope of resupply or reinforcement. Communications are likely hampered or nonexistant. Israel is hinting at a next stage or even a fourth which could go on for a year and is showing no sign of weariness or backing down. Statements today indicate that the IDF is eager to carry on the fight.
Even the 3 hour humanitarian lull was announced in such a way that demonstrated Israel was intending to settle in for a much longer fight, rather than a one time measure.
With adequate supply to civilians this could go on for a very long time. How do you think this would sound to a surrounded Hamas fighter, running low on ammunition with no chance of resupply?
All of this means that Hamas has no choice but to cave in to Israels cease fire conditions. These are aimed at stopping the rocket attacks rather than the overthrow of Hamas. A wise choice.
Good work Israel.
(More Israeli secret weapons, dogs, twitter, and youtube, but that is another story)
Spindok
Jan 7, 2009 - 8:54 am 9. RV:It is hard to believe that a conservative website would be happy with cencorship of the media.
And I just read about the Aliean and Sedition acts, some of the most horrible pieces of anti-american legistlature I have read about, and thankfully Thomas Jefferson was around to argue thus.
Jan 7, 2009 - 8:54 am 10. Newshound:Let’s not leave the AP out of all this. My favorite was about 2 years ago in the Denver Post. The front page headline was “Thirty Per Cent of Iraqi Children Malnurished.” If you read through the entire article which ended on page 21, the third paragraph from the end pointed out that under Sadam, 35% of Iraqi children were malnurished. That is a 14% improvement under the American occupation. I would think that would be good news worth celebtrating.
Jan 7, 2009 - 9:05 am 11. Lilith:Please, don’t forget the Canadian tax-payer funded CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)- it’s right up there with CNN and the BBC – blatantly pro-Hamas and snidely anti-Israel. Disgusting.
The CBC is also busily preparing a little gift for incoming President Obama – have a look here: http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/obamasplaylist/
Jan 7, 2009 - 9:14 am 12. Tattaglia:As a friend said, “It’s just embarrassing. Embarrassing.”
The world must stop the terrorists acts commited by the jews! Genocide as put by many opinion leaders. Iran or Russia must come to aid the palestinians. On the other hand, how’s different the jews to the bush administration? There is no difference whatsoever. Israel must stop this genocide. Jews are killing innocent children. The jews must remember the holocaust.
Jan 7, 2009 - 9:21 am 13. louis:its reason like this that its smart for the israel to keep the reporters out . look at the way the reporters covered the president election most of them were one sided to a canditate. imagin the ammo they can give hamas , protesters and Palestinian to use against israel that they blame already for starting this conflict which it was hamas who fired the rockets first and who gets the balme in the media isreal. not right. its not our war stay out of it
Jan 7, 2009 - 9:26 am 14. susan:tattaglia, why don’t you go personally to stop the jews? we won’t miss you, good riddance.
Jan 7, 2009 - 9:51 am 15. Handel Glassberg:Gee, why would Mike include a comment where the writer wishes to hear that every last Palestinian is dead (see comment no. 3) while excluding ours, which merely corrects his spelling?
The Playdo Institute
Jan 7, 2009 - 9:54 am 16. ThinkingPerson:Handel Glassberg, President
Israel is proving itself to be smarter than the U.S. concerning the media. Our glorious MSM has proven itself unworthy to wear the journalist hat. They would only see the news through their liberal lens and not what was really happening. I say good for Israel! At least we won’t have to see pictures of a 2009 version of Jane Fonda riding on an Hamas tank somewhere. Ugh.
Re Tattaglia: [...]The jews must remember the holocaust.[...] You are not human. Asking Iran and Russia to help Hamas? Your comments will be disregarded by me from now on.
Jan 7, 2009 - 9:59 am 17. Don Corleone:“Tatttaglia” like in The Godfather? “The Tattaglias usually prefer to ally with another family or crooked police, because they are not a very strong family. The Tattaglias make most of their money as small-time pimps”
Jan 7, 2009 - 10:02 am 18. Lilith:To: Handel Glassberg
Jan 7, 2009 - 10:05 am 19. jano4:Because he can.
Tattaglia:
Hopefully your comments are sarcasm. The cause for this genocide is Hama’s, and you well know it. Keep up the fight Israel, you are a beacon to the West on how to best handle the militant Muslim.
Jan 7, 2009 - 10:12 am 20. susan:tattaglia like all his antisemite and leftist morons doesn’t have a clue about what happens in the world. The number of russian immigrants (jews and non-jews) in israel is very high, so much that there are entire blocks where they speak russian and not hebrew.
It’s remarkably stupid that Russia (still the mother land) joins hamas. But this is what the ignoramuses leftist can come to think.
(not to mention the fact that in Russia, the mohammedans are despised as much as in any other normal country. Russia had 2 9-11, the siege of the theater and the beslan massacre by the despicable mohameddans)
Jan 7, 2009 - 10:41 am 21. David Adams:God Bless Israel.
Jan 7, 2009 - 12:04 pm 22. JoshC:As far as the Press is concerned I would like to paraphrase Rev. Jeremiah Wright…but this is a ‘family Blog’.
From my perspective (watching the BBC) keeping the journalists out hasn’t really done much. We’re still getting one-sided reporting, only now all the footage and commentary is coming from Palestinian stringers and from Hamas itself. Of course the BBC doesn’t actually tell you that but they suddenly have a lot of Palestinian correspondants in Gaza who seem to parrot Hamas quite closely.
Jan 7, 2009 - 12:50 pm 23. Craig:“Iran or Russia must come to aid the palestinians.”
Another anencephalic speaks up.
Jan 7, 2009 - 2:00 pm 24. cedarford:Vaughn:
I agree completely. The only news I am interested in, is to hear that the last Palestinian is dead. Only then, can peace prevail for the Israelis.
Yeah, that’s a winner sentiment! I can feel the love! Reaction of the populace of Israel’s last “friend”, seeing piles of dead Palestinians being burned in smuggled out video – priceless!
Or, it could be you are just a craven little Neocon, waving your rubber saber, running your foolish mouth off…
Jan 7, 2009 - 2:33 pm 25. Handel Glassberg:Dear Lilith,
We merely observed that shoe-in, as the writer spelled it, isn’t the same as shoo-in, which we assume he meant, just as we assume you meant to say “Because HE would,” and not, “Because he can.”
The Playdo Institute
Jan 7, 2009 - 3:00 pm 26. quasar:Handel Glassberg, President
RV..Responsible reportage is one thing, but when the likes of the NYT puts their partisan slant on everyting it becomes damgerous. Case in point: Front page stories on what the NSA was doing to track al qaida’s money transfers. Simply outrageous and traitorous.
Jan 7, 2009 - 3:14 pm 27. sheik yer'mami:Its not “censorship of the media” as one poster above suggests, its about restricting the damage done to Israel by the rabid Pali-supporting propagandists from the MSM.
We’ve seen enough of Palliwood, recycled children bodies and obese “malnourished” Hamas thugs along with their harems of equally fat and demented brood-sows to fill all the latrines of Arabiya.
The Pals have to be resettled among other Arab nations, that’s the only humanitarian solution. Stop the Jiziyah, and they might just do that…
Jan 7, 2009 - 3:35 pm 28. Chippa:Israel would be sending a wrong message to Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran if it leaves Gaza without finishing the job. It is now time that the world had accepted that Islam is a danger to modern civilization. Hamas, Bid laden, Hezbollah etc are just a manifestation of the problem.
Jan 7, 2009 - 4:32 pm 29. SM:How can the world allow a whole region of the world to be called Islamic and be closed up to people that have a different belief. That has to change.
It is a pity that the media can attack Israel and put a blanket on the wrongs of Hamas as though they did nothing. These people should be dealt with in such a way that they will think twice before they can bring a child in this world only to end up tying a bomb around his waist.
It is Hamas and the media that are to blame for the bloodshed that continues in Gaza and Israel. Israel has to ensure for the safety of its people and therefore it is justified to fight. The media should stop parading Hamas appeasers who understands nothing about what the people in Israel are going through having to live with rockets raining on them day and night.
Tattaglia – anti Semitic fool obviously hasn’t read quotes from Palestinians leaders, Hamas and others, emphatically stating they want the Israelis dead. Craig said it best “another anencephalic speaks up”.
Israel is smart to bar reporters from Gaza not only are they biased, siding with terrorists, they also blatantly make up stories. My favorite being the report a few years ago of the “poor Palestinian man” hiding his child from harm, the only problem with the story was the film footage – the coward was hiding BEHIND his kid!
Israel’s leaders have gone the extra mile, each new leader going a bit further than the prior one (until Sharon took office) in terms of land they would give the Palestinians and it was never enough the Palestinians want all of Israel. These idiots – the Fatah, al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, Hamas, Hezbollah etc. can’t manage to get along with each other let alone anyone else.
Israel has been more than patient with the Palestinians, they have held back, asked them to stop launching rockets for a mere 24, 48 and 72 hours and these morons will not stop they are getting what they deserve. Anyone who belives otherwise is not familiar with the history (can’t read or has a comprehension issue) of this area and is anti Semitic.
Jan 7, 2009 - 9:46 pm 30. Danny:Cedarford, if there really was a massacre going on the UN wouldn’t care. Just like they didn’t care in Iraq under Sadam, or Bosnia or Rwanda or North Korea or Syria under Assad the first or what is going on in Congo now…
Jan 7, 2009 - 10:07 pm 31. Danny:Tattaglia, you obviously have a difficulty with numbers. Heres a clue, in half the time of the current intifada the Germans killed 6 million Jews or nearly 80% of all Jews under their control and in the current intifada less than 6,000 Palestinians have been killed or less than 0.15% of the Palestinians under Israeli control. Can you now spot the difference?
Jan 7, 2009 - 10:10 pm 32. Jay:Reporters used to be respectable now they are nothing more than sensationalist rating seeking vermin with cameras. I cannot begin to count the blatant lies reporters tell anymore, half truths, ill informed opinion filled garbage.
The anti Semitic press needs to sit down, shut up and quit whining. You’ve lost all credibility with anyone possessing a brain. You back terrorists I’m surprised you freaks didn’t do a happy dance when the Twin Towers went down. Jerks!
Jan 7, 2009 - 10:20 pm 33. jt:hey tattaglia, are you serious? you mean hamas started this fight now they need help? It’s funny you remember the holocaust but your buddies in Iran denies it. GO FIGURE… TWISTED LEFTIST LOGIC OR LACK OF.
Jan 8, 2009 - 1:48 am 34. uburoisc:Ah, Cederford the anti-Zionist stooge reappears. Reasonable on just about any other subject, but completely insane on Israel. Doesn’t “The New American” have a web blog where you can go to kick the Jews around? It’s like you turn into Gore Vidal every time the IDF fires up the tanks.
You know Cedarford, Egypt could broker a deal to allow all the “civilians” out of Gaza for a month, and Hamas could show the IDF how brave they are. But that would last about 5 days, Hamas would be killed to the man, and, for the most part, everyone in the region would be relieved.
In a perverse way, you are correct: without dead children (the women are mostly shapeless blobs, so it is hard to manufacture misplaced sympathy for them in video footage without showing at least a little wrist or ankle), Hamas doesn’t have a future. The only way they can win is to get as many of their children killed as possible so they can videotape the bodies for the big babies in the West. Welcome to the youtube age of warfare. I wonder what Sherman would do? Patton?
BTW, if Paul Wolfowitz ever dies under mysterious circumstances, you’re my prime suspect.
Jan 8, 2009 - 7:39 am 35. Pat J:Vaughn:
Jan 8, 2009 - 9:40 am 36. curious:I agree completely. The only news I am interested in, is to hear that the last Palestinian is dead. Only then, can peace prevail for the Israelis.
——————————–
So you have no problem with genocide?
Just wondering, to those who implied as such: If Israel’s goal is genocide, what is taking them so long? Shouldn’t a large centrally located population without a modern army or equipment make it a rather easy task?
Jan 8, 2009 - 12:53 pm 37. Spindok:Genocide…
Yet again today an army near routing its deadly adversary withheld its advantage to allow for passage of needed supplies to civilians.
That decision is not without cost.
I think time is near for the big Franco-Egypto-Americo- plan to close this out. Hamas cannot possibly claim anything like winning here. Maybe in London or Santa Cruz , but not in the real world.
Anyway, who knows, since the real deals are all under the radar now. They should find a way to stop all of this.
Shalom to all
Spindok
Jan 8, 2009 - 2:26 pm 38. Vern:“The anti Semitic press needs to sit down, shut up and quit whining. You’ve lost all credibility with anyone possessing a brain”.
Replace the words ‘anti Semitic press’ with ‘Pajamas Media journalists and followers’, and the world would be a much better place for all.
Jan 8, 2009 - 11:55 pm 39. Spindok:I think that much of the world is waking up to the fact that the Israelis have had enough.
The problem with prolonged semi-restraint is that when the tipping point comes it is much greater in scale than it would have been before.
Israel is ‘all in’ now. There is no turning back on this. Stupid UN resolution is nothing but a press release to cover their own butts. What good is a ceasefire which neither side agrees to?
The rules will change now, one way or the other. Reading the MSM body counts and punditry, and it is painfully obvious that they dont know what is really happening, only confounds the reader into talking points and old worn out sophistry. They havent quite grasped that this is war now, no simple border clash.
The soldiers now determine the course of events. As much as we can understand the suffering of ordinary people, I have yet to see a precedent for what Israel has done to allow for civilian aid under fire.
Now comes the third stage. Maybe as Hamas leaders are evacuated to Cairo to negotiate this morning they will find a way out. I doubt it. Too caught up in their own rhetoric and ideology.
Third stage is much worse than what we have seen thus far and Hamas fighters and not as prepared as they thought.
I keep thinking about the dogs – Israeli bomb sniffers. I have a great sniffer type dog, a beagle mix. (research has proven that trained sniffer dogs can detect lung and breast cancer better than an experienced Radiologist with all of the CT and MRI data, from a simple breath sample). IDF sends out their dogs in advance as frontline troops.
Dogs. Who woulda thought.
Spindok
Jan 10, 2009 - 2:10 am 40. hindu:As long as Israel tacitly accepts that the American president has the ultimate sovereign power over its wars, I say God bless Israel in its struggle to live free. (and as long as it doesnt sell hardware to china and assorted strategic enemies of its ONLY benefactor in this world). A tiny nation surrounded by hundreds of millions of fanatics who want it dead… and yet yet managing to avoid the blood of unarmed yet deadly enemies of its existence. A mere 200 civilian casualties with all this firepower!
And arrest and prosecute UN human rights commissioners , especially of hindu origins,for accusing Israel of war crimes. (thus aiding and abetting the NON-STOP war crimes of the Arabs).
Jan 10, 2009 - 5:55 am 41. marymcl:The ironic thing is, Wolfowitz and the neocons are probably the last friends the Palestinians had on the American right. I gave them the benefit of the doubt for a while but I’ve lost all hope in a two-state solution. And frankly never trusted it to begin with. The political entity known as Palestine is a creation of the Arab states, formed in opposition to the creation of a Jewish state in their midst. It’s not an ethnicity, it’s a death cult.
John Bolton is on the right track.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/04/AR2009010401434.html
Spindok – I’d love to learn more about the cancer-detecting canines and would appreciate any sources you might recommend. Is there anything these wonderful animals don’t do for us?
?
Jan 11, 2009 - 10:00 am 42. beej:#35. Pat J – re Israeli genocide.
From one of the Israel blogs I always go to when there is trouble over there:
http://www.israellycool.com/2009/01/03/operation-cast-lead-sat-sun-jan-3rd-4th-2009
Especially look at the Updates at 12:52 PM and at 8:15 PM. The first one says this:
“Number of Palestinian Arabs in 1948 = 1,308,00.
“Number of Palestinian Arabs in 2008 = 10,574,521.
“Israeli attempted genocide of Palestinian Arabs over 60 years = EPIC FAIL!”
The later one says this, after embedding a video of Israelis trying to save a Pal child:
“Just face it. When it comes to being genocidal, we really, really suck.”
That doesn’t seem to make it into the news too often for some reason.
Jan 11, 2009 - 11:50 am 43. NNC & CBB:Tie the MSM reporters to field poles in Sderot and Ashkelon. Hehehe…
Jan 15, 2009 - 10:36 pm