Why the US media shouldn't be relied on for mideast coverage

[motivez]

Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land: Media & the Israel-Palestine Conflict - Google Video

It's an hour and 20 minutes long. If you're going to reply please watch the video.

This is the shit that we dont see on a daily basis while the rest of the world does. We are never presented with a true, accurate, impartial, and unbiased view of what is going on in the Middle East because everything is framed a certain way and filtered before it ever is cleared to be on the air in the media here.

We don't see the utterly horrid conditions that the Palestinian people live in, we don't hear about the fact that their land is ocucpied, that they aren't able to move around their own territory, that their borders are not their own to control, that they don't control things like water, that their homes are demolished, that they're treated badly by soldiers, etc..

and when one of them lashes out and launches a suicide bombing, as a country, we don't stop to ask why someone would feel that blowing themselves up is the way to go about doing things. We simply condemn (rightly), and then praise the Israeli response that's carried out on the entire Palestinian population by demolishing neighboorhoods and creating harsher conditions for these people.

It's the reality of things like this that require critical analysis of where we get our information from on a constant basis. I'm not really interested in getting into a who's right or who's wrong about specific incidents, this is really more about the media coverage and how it impacts public opinion here in the US, and why people feel how they do.. and how this contibutes to a perpetuation of the conflict over there.

[ballz2wallz]

Originally Posted by motivez

This is the shit that we dont see on a daily basis while the rest of the world does.

how does the rest of the world see it?

[motivez]

watch the video, it explains things pretty well

[ballz2wallz]

Originally Posted by motivez

watch the video, it explains things pretty well

because, you know, you and i have access to foreign media

[motivez]

I can get the BBC here, and there's plenty of foreign coverage on the internet, but the reality is that most Americans don't turn to it for the majority of their news, and that greatly effects and shapes how they think about current events.

I'm not saying international news coverage isn't biased in some way or another, but when the media here fails on so many levels to report accurately events and purposely leaves out words, etc, that would paint events from a more neutral and removed standpoint, something is wrong.

[ballz2wallz]

Originally Posted by motivez

learning about how we can help actually fix the problems in the Middle East,

what does that consist of? how many times have we and others tried 'other ways' to fix the problems? how many of those times have they resisted?

[motivez]

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

what does that consist of? how many times have we and others tried 'other ways' to fix the problems? how many of those times have they resisted?

Again, watch the video.

They go into it in depth about the 2000 agreement and how it was reported as "the best deal ever", etc.. by the US media, but that the reporting contained many inaccuracies in how it was portrayed, and which facts were reported on, and NOT reported on, which often says more than the manner in which it was reported.

[ballz2wallz]

Originally Posted by motivez

Again, watch the video.

They go into it in depth about the 2000 agreement and how it was reported as "the best deal ever", etc.. by the US media, but that the reporting contained many inaccuracies in how it was portrayed, and which facts were reported on, and NOT reported on, which often says more than the manner in which it was reported.

the best deal ever...


...



the liberals thought it was the best deal ever.

[motivez]

Okay? This isn't a partisan thing, I'm not sure why you're trying to make it one.

This is about media coverage. If you're not going to watch the video and reply in that context, I'm not sure why you're even replying to the thread..

[ballz2wallz]

Originally Posted by motivez

Okay? This isn't a partisan thing, I'm not sure why you're trying to make it one.

the media is typically liberal

[Mohamed]

if you want to see some fucked up shit get DISH Network and watch Al Jazeera, learn arabic too, cracks me up when the CNN guy always fucks up Nasrallah's translations

[Kytro]

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

the media is typically liberal

[SpicyMcVoodoo]

Originally Posted by Mohamed

if you want to see some fucked up shit get DISH Network and watch Al Jazeera, learn arabic too, cracks me up when the CNN guy always fucks up Nasrallah's translations

I'd like to learn Arabic, trouble is that to learn a language, you usually have to immerse yourself in a country where they speak it, and I couldn't do that without getting my head chopped off.

[Thorgrim]

Originally Posted by SpicyMcVoodoo

I'd like to learn Arabic, trouble is that to learn a language, you usually have to immerse yourself in a country where they speak it, and I couldn't do that without getting my head chopped off.

American University of Cairo is quite safe

[SpicyMcVoodoo]

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

American University of Cairo is quite safe

Egypt?

[SpicyMcVoodoo]

Oh, and back to the topic, I've seen that video and it's very eye opening. It's really hard to tell people about what the video says without having them watch it.

[motivez]

Originally Posted by SpicyMcVoodoo

Oh, and back to the topic, I've seen that video and it's very eye opening. It's really hard to tell people about what the video says without having them watch it.

Yeah, but it doesn't suprise me that most people don't want to take the time to learn about why their perspective is skewed. It's much easier to cling to a belief as true than it is to critically examine it.

It's a good video that has some eye opening information on the way middle east news is presented here in the US vs abroad, and why people feel the way they do about it is an obvious conclusion based on the way it's presented.

[Nonphixion]

Watching the video... I'll report back with impressions

edit: Wow that's horrid; Israeli PR Firms have a stake in the very words that are used on all american stations. So they have free reign (and exercise it regularly) make a one-sided story about the Israel-Palestine conflict and don't even mention the occupation at ALL?

The "Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting" study they did on it really opened my eyes to how blatantly propagandized our view of the Middle East is. We essentially become part of one oppressive entity without any say in the matter, because they so blatantly skew our opinions to that side.

Even though they are aggressors they never fail to paint their actions as "retaliation" when every day they beat and kill innocent women and children. Israeli soldiers don't even let ambulances travel the roads to hospitals, keep people inside of their houses for more than half of a year (2003, 177 consecutive days out of 365 they were condemned to their homes and no place else, not even allowed outside) and demolish peoples homes while they are still inside

[Diamond Cross]

Which is a bunch of dishonest bullshit. The bias comes in not giving the Israeli side of the story, and too much is concentrated on Israeli actions and not the cause of the Israeli actions, such as but certainly not limited to, the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers off of Israeli land, which is I believe a violation of Geneva conventions.

Another point people automatically dismiss even in this very thread.

You read about the suicide bomber and the result, but you don't read about this:

Palestinian Media Watch - Homepage

Proof they hate Jews:

Palestinian Media Watch - Homepage

And this not mere propoganda. This is their own TV networks.

Their own words betray them, but all people see are the Israelis actions and are sympathetic to the Palestinians when the Palestinians and other anti-Israel greoups are the ones responsible for the onflict. Egypt made peace with Israel and gave back the land they took from Egypt, but no other country is willing to make peace.

And you say the media is biased against the Palestinians?

Bullshit.

Europe aqnd the arabian world are biased against Israel, and they are the ones who use dishonest means in garnering your sympathies. The entire first post is a pack of lies because it does not concentrate on the real causes of the conflict, which is religious racism against Israel, against America, and against Jews the world over.

And check out these children's programs:

ASK FOR DEATH

Oh yeah, sure the media's not biased against Israel. Israel is the true underdog because of the bigoted misperceptions of ISrael's actions taken to defend herself against his kind of thing not giving her an even break.

These are the real causes of the conflict, with which Israel had no hand in creating, save for the mere existence of Israel.

And now that I think of it:

Articles
Ten Tips on How to Be an Arafat Apologist, By Jamie Glazov

Imprimer Envoyer à un ami

FrontPageMagazine.com | April 11, 2002

WITH ALL OF THE EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE that has now confirmed, beyond any reasonable doubt, Arafat’s terrorist connections and duplicitous behavior vis-à-vis Israel, it has become impossible for Arafat’s apologists to make any legitimate excuses for their hero. I know a number of academics and writers that have become extremely depressed because of this situation. Having based their entire lives and professional careers on blaming Israel for any and every sparrow that fell from the sky, they have now lost the will to live. I feel sorry for these pathetic people.



I have decided to come forward to help the individuals who want to continue championing Yasser Arafat but simply don’t know how.

Seeing that I have dedicated most of my adult life to observing and dissecting the psychotic mindset that it takes to blame Israel for the conflict in Palestine, I know exactly what it takes to be an Arafat supporter. Even in these difficult times, I can teach an individual how to effectively defend Arafat and the Palestinian Authority –- even if the entire charade is filled with specious nonsense and lies.

I have created ten tips on how to be an Arafat apologist. They come with an easy to follow step-by-step guide. All you have to do is fertilize your personal dedication to anti-Semitism and then simply allow yourself to become as delusional as humanly possible.

The video infomercial for these tips should be coming out next month on television stations across the United States. Meanwhile, here is the basic outline for all those Jew-haters who have dedicated their lives to blaming Israel for every Arab terrorist act but thought that doing so was no longer possible:

Tip #1 – Imagine that the Palestinians are fighting for a homeland that was taken away from them by the evil Jews.

That’s right. The foundation to becoming and remaining a faithful pro-Arafat enthusiast is to intoxicate yourself with the belief that the Palestinians actually once owned a homeland that was, in turn, stolen by the greedy and parasitic Jews.

While trying to convince yourself of this fantasy, ignore the historical fact that the Palestine Mandate was never a nation, let alone even a political entity of any kind. It was a "mandate" that was created by the British from the remnants of the Turkish Empire after World War I. 10% of it was given to the Jews and 90% was given to the Palestinian Arabs.

The key here is that you should never worry about where 90% of Palestine actually is. Just obsess with the miniscule tiny bit of land that the Israelis "occupy" now. It’s not important that this land was never officially "owned" by anyone in the first place.

You should also never reflect on whether all of your rage and hatred on this issue is proportional to the fact that Israel consists of 1% of the land in the Middle East.

Just get really angry that Israel is on territory that you think should be given to the Palestinians. And because you think this, then it automatically makes it right and historically correct.

You should never wonder how your moral indignation on this issue fits with your complete indifference to the fact that Jordan occupies 80% of the land that made up the original Palestine Mandate. So if you really cared about the Palestinians, you would obviously be focusing your energy on protesting the crime being perpetrated by the Jordanians against the Palestinians. But the key here is that, well, deep down, you don’t really care about the Palestinians -– and neither should you. You must never admit this, but the Palestinians are only there for you to cynically exploit as pawns in your contributory effort to finish off what Adolph Hitler started.

That’s right. You know what I’m talking about. And even the Palestinians are in on this with you. I mean, think about it: if the Palestinians themselves really cared about getting a homeland, don’t you think that they would be screaming about -- and fighting for -- the land that Jordan occupies? Don’t you think it is somewhat curious that Jordan has never, even for a second, been the target of a Palestine liberation movement?

Don’t you think it is a little bit curious that, in 1948, the Palestinian Arabs rejected an international resolution that would have established a Palestinian state, and instead focused all of their energies on destroying the new Jewish state?

You’re starting to get the picture now, right?

So be a smart and clever Arafat apologist. The overall objective of your life should be facilitating the killing of Jews and destroying the state of Israel. The last thing you should be doing is worrying about the Palestinians. At the same time, however, in terms of what you actually say in public, you must always discuss the Middle East "problem" on the assumption that you are agonizing over the Palestinians’ plight and how their entire "homeland" somehow lies in tiny little Israel.

It is also a very good idea that you always refer to the myth of how the Jews "stole" the Palestinian "homeland" in passing, because then it makes its reality appear to be a given. You can’t believe how effective this ploy can be, especially in the midst of people who know nothing about Middle East history.

So believe in yourself and just do it!

Tip #2 – Never question the cause of Palestinian terror.

Every time that a Palestinian blows himself up along with innocent Jewish civilians, including babies in carriages, you should shake your head in despair and say things like, "That poor Palestinian. But he simply had no choice. The Israelis have pushed his people beyond their means."

You should always say things like this with a tone that implies that the "Israeli occupation" is the most oppressive reality in the world. Say things like, "The Israelis are doing to the Palestinians what the Nazis did to them." Follow this up with sentences like, "The Jews have obviously forced the Palestinians into terrorism."

When you mouth these slogans, make sure to have a serious and sincere look on your face, otherwise the asininity of what you are saying might become more easily discernable. Maintaining a sober facial expression can be made easier if you convince yourself that the wars of 1973 and 1967 are irrelevant to the subject at hand.

Before Israel was attacked in 1973, it occupied less of the land that is now in dispute, and before 1967, it occupied none of it. In other words, the Arab terror that was unleashed against Israel in 1967 had nothing to do with the Israeli "occupation" of the West Bank and Gaza Strip because the "occupation" did not exist.

From 1949-1967, Jordan had occupied the West Bank while Egypt controlled the Gaza Strip. But instead of the Arabs using terror against Egypt and Jordan to get them off of the Palestinians’ "land,", an Arab war of terror against Israel was launched in 1967. Israel won that war and grabbed both the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a security measure.

So why is it, you think, that Jordan’s annexation of the West Bank and Egypt’s annexation of the Gaza Strip from 1949-67 didn’t trigger any emotions in the Palestinians who lived in those territories? Why is it that not once, in all of those 18 years, was there even a sentence of indignation uttered by the Palestinians or by their "liberation" organization about the injustice done to the inhabitan