[From the diaries by susanhbu]
Following the CNN sample of misleading reporting when it comes to Palestine/Israel conflict, another classic example of how the US media adopts the version of the Israeli Occupation Forces:
This study consists of a statistical examination of The New York Times’ news coverage of the first year of the current Palestinian uprising, and of its coverage of that uprising in 2004. The categories examined are coverage in headlines or first paragraphs of conflict deaths and, as a subcategory, children’s deaths. In addition, we studied coverage of deaths in complete articles for a sample month-long sub-study in 2004. …
More below the fold:
Our findings indicate significantly distorted coverage by The New York Times of these topics. In the first study period The Times reported Israeli deaths at a rate 2.8 times higher than Palestinian deaths, and in 2004 this rate increased by almost 30%, to 3.6, widening still further the disparity in coverage.The Times’ coverage of children’s deaths was even more skewed. In the first year of the current uprising, Israeli children’s deaths were reported at 6.8 times the rate of Palestinian children’s deaths. In 2004 this differential also increased, with deaths of Israeli children covered at a rate 7.3 times greater than the deaths of Palestinian children.
Given that in 2004 22 times more Palestinian children were killed than Israeli children, this category holds particular importance. We could find no basis on which to justify this inequality in coverage.
Beginning in 2003,
If Americans Knew began issuing report cards to media across the country on their coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This study of The New York Times covers the first year of the current uprising (September 29, 2000 through September 28, 2001). This period was selected for study because it set the context within which all subsequent reporting on the conflict is viewed. We also studied The Times’ coverage for 2004 to discover whether the patterns we found for the first year had continued, diminished, or increased.
More on this report: Off the Charts: Report on New York Times Israel/Palestine Coverage – If Americans Knew
Thank you, Haitham, this confirmed my suspicions about Western media coverage.
I never had realized how one sided the coverage was until finding pacifica news on the internet. When I was getting my main news from print and tv I just accepted the story as told. Hearing the other side with facts and sources was a real turning point for me, a slap that woke me up to the situation. Nice to know people are keeping an eye on the coverage.
Haitham, are there any reports that you know of that look at the coverage farther back? Or has it always been this way because of our Israeli-centric foreign policy?
I can’t find any such analyses, but I bet the ratio has gotten more biased in favor of Israel since 2000. AIPAC and the ADL have done a masterly job of promoting the following meme: Arafat rejected Clinton and Barak’s perhaps overly generous deal and instead turned on poor peace-loving Israelis, so they have no right to complain when their children get blown away in retaliation killings.
I’ve been shocked by how many of my leftist Israeli friends now spout that line. Small wonder that The Times also promotes it.
I know of the following links. I hope they are of any help:
Palestine Media Watch
AAD – Monitoring racism in Israeli media (France)
ArabMediaWatch (UK)
HonestReports (UK)
and If Americans Knew
You can find some articles also in my “Media” archive.