Author Topic: American Media Censorship and Israel  (Read 486 times)

King Tech Quadafi

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American Media Censorship and Israel
« on: December 19, 2002, 06:23:03 PM »
Smoking a cigarette, facial expression full of fatigue, despair and two-day stubble of beard, Amjad Shawa, a director of a human rights organization in Gaza City shared with me several horrid pictures of Palestinian teenagers mysteriously murdered by the Israeli military just days before.

Shawa implored me to "please write a press release and get the word out" - to the American media. My delegation of five Americans and one Canadian were the only westerners in Gaza. There was no one else.

As I wrote the press release I was almost to tears because I was just going through the motions. Three youths, apparently trying to sneak into Israel to work, had been shot at, beaten and then their organs crudely taken out of their bodies. Unceremoniously the bodies were returned four days later, no explanation. By any human standard, this is a massive story full of political intrigue.

Yet as I typed out the press release that would be faxed to dozens of American media, I knew no American newspaper or TV station back home would read this press release, care and actually do a story. And no one did.

Certainly there are many such heart-breaking stories that, according to American media standards, never qualify as "all the news fit to print." Why? According to reporters I've spoken with combined with experiences my group has had, the nation of Israel holds a special place with American media. There's also no denying the US corporate/military/government connection with Israel is rock-solid.

With some remarkable exceptions, the US media fails to accurately report from the Palestinian perspective, or even a balanced human-rights perspective.

I used to be skeptical about such allegations of censorship and self-censorship in the American media, but now I've seen it first-hand. Some examples:

Back in mid-February, 2001, the US launched a large bombing raid on Iraq, outside of the internationally disputed "no-fly-zones." It was Bush Jr's first massive bombing of Iraq since taking office. Knowing my group would protest this bombing one of the local TV stations called us for an interview. In the studio hours later, a spokesperson for our group, Rev. Bob Kinsey, was asked by one of the station's veteran reporters, what he thought were the main reasons for the troubles in the middle east. Rev. Kinsey spoke of the massive US military aid to Israel and the resulting instability it caused. The reporter's stunning reply, "While I agree with you, if I say anything about US geopolitical interests with Israel, I might as well clean off my desk." Of course this interview was never aired.

Months later I talked to this reporter and asked why he continued to work in this censored atmosphere. "For every five or ten stories I do on the Broncos or dog grooming," he said, "there's one meaningful story I get away with. In the independent or alternative media I can do stories on whatever I want but hardly anyone is listening beyond the choir." When he told me he would love to go to Palestine as a TV reporter but it wouldn't happen anytime soon, he explained, "The corporations that own the TV stations and their corporate attitudes don't care about doing investigative journalism or covering international news. Any why should they? They're quite profitable without doing it." At best, he told me, they may do some real journalism for the prestige and awards but not to provide the public with good reporting.
"One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. "Which road do I take?" she asked. "Where do you want to go?" was his response. "I don't know," Alice answered. "Then," said the cat, "it doesn't matter."

- Lewis Carroll
 

King Tech Quadafi

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Re:American Media Censorship and Israel
« Reply #1 on: December 19, 2002, 06:23:35 PM »
Last December, as I was preparing to go to Palestine to partake with internationals in nonviolent direct action to end Israel's illegal occupation, my group had arranged an interview with the local Fox news station. The reporter was excited because he saw, like we did, our story as a local connection to an international issue. Though the interview was scheduled days in advance and cleared by appropriate news directors, just an hour before my 15 seconds of air-time, the interview was abruptly canceled. "I'm a soldier, not a general," the reporter told us when we asked why.

Ten days later there were two horrific suicide bombings in Israel and suddenly the same station needed some local connection. This same reporter called me up and arranged the interview in less than hour. In a hurry for fear his story would get axed, we had a brief 15-minute interview. Afterwards he said the news director cautioned him to get "both sides" and reminded him, "I'm watching you." "I get both sides," the miffed reporter told me, "put them on the air and go home and pray."

A veteran reporter at another TV station, the CBS affiliate, who just two years ago did a decent story on my group's peace mission to Iraq (though the US has a law prohibiting Americans to go to Iraq), refused even exclusivity offers by saying "Your trip to Iraq was humanitarian, this trip is more political." No story.

To get a better gauge of what happens on the inside, consider the story of the local Warner Brothers TV station. Returning from our successful and traumatic trip to Palestine, one of this station's producer's was eager to have us on live to briefly tell our story and even show some of our video. Live interview arranged days in advance, cleared from the top. Then, less than 24 hours before the interview, the producer called me up, quite apologetic, angered and confused. For several hours she had a "major blow-out" with the top station directors about the interview.

"I don't quite understand what's going on," she despairingly told me. When she arrived that morning she was told, without explanation, to cancel the interview immediately. When she persisted to know why, one editor told her "we covered their story last night." The night prior my group protested the visit of former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (who publicly called for the ousting of Arafat and said "We could wipe out the entire Palestinian population. We don't use an ounce of our power."). Persisting more, the editor leveled her by saing, "We're not going to have their kind on TV period!" Clearly shaken the producer apologized again to me and I told her I felt sorry she had to work in that environment.
"One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. "Which road do I take?" she asked. "Where do you want to go?" was his response. "I don't know," Alice answered. "Then," said the cat, "it doesn't matter."

- Lewis Carroll
 

King Tech Quadafi

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Re:American Media Censorship and Israel
« Reply #2 on: December 19, 2002, 06:24:15 PM »
The print media provides more examples.

In April of 2001 one of our members, Brian Wood, was moving to Palestine to get more directly involved with the international resistance of Israel's occupation. Before going he made an agreement with the editor of an alternative daily newspaper to write an op-ed twice a month. $40 bucks a column was the deal. After just three columns the agreement was reneged upon. Was Brian a bad writer? No, the problem was the publisher came back from a vacation and when he saw the columns he, according to in-house writers, "turned beat-red and began fuming about how biased this column was." In an unprecedented move, the publisher took over making final editorial decisions, making the editor walk on egg-shells.

Then in a seeming moment of luck, one of Denver's main dailies, The Rocky Mountain News, printed an op-ed by Beth Daoud, one of five Coloradans just back from a harrowing experience in Palestine. Beyond belief, though, just days later the Editorial Editor, Vincent Carroll, called Beth. He began questioning the veracity of her article.

"I referred him to the CCMEP website for pictures," Beth recounted the conversation, "and said I would be glad to give him names and numbers of eyewitnesses. He declined. He then told me he didn't like the tone of my letter or what it had to say, and began debating with me about my point of view. He asked me if I had ever SEEN a Palestinian being killed. I said 'no' but knew of people who had. I told him about three members of my husbands family being killed simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. He laughed at me in a very nasty way and said , "Oh so you've never actually SEEN a Palestinian being killed, Palestinians make up stories." After harassing me a few minutes longer he said to me "Your cause is hopeless, you'll never change anyone's mind about the Palestinians!"

More repercussions of censorship. One of our members who went to Palestine lost her job at an "alternative" weekly newspaper. While we were in Palestine the weekly had printed an op-ed piece by another one of our group. Like a repeat of what happened to Brian, when the publisher came back from vacation and found about this article he blew his top. Prior to leaving our member had a verbal agreement to write two cover stories about her trip. Not only were the two stories canceled but because of these political tensions weeks later she was summarily fired with little probable cause.

When media do coverage, what can happen?

After viewing our group's protest of former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Denver, the Denver Business Women's Forum Group cancelled a scheduled presentation by the three women of our five-person delegation to Palestine. Why? They didn't like what Val Phillips was quoted as saying on Channel 4 (CBS affiliate) and felt the talk would be "too political." Here's what Val said:

"Occupation is terrorism. It is the fundamental obstacle to peace in the Middle East. And it must end. The state of Israel and the state of Palestine can peacefully coexist. The Palestinian people have said they want that. But the Israeli army and Israeli settlers must leave the West Bank and Gaza in order to allow the Palestinian people to live in freedom."

http://www.ccmep.org/ccmep/american031902.html
"One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. "Which road do I take?" she asked. "Where do you want to go?" was his response. "I don't know," Alice answered. "Then," said the cat, "it doesn't matter."

- Lewis Carroll
 

I TO DA GEEZY

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Re:American Media Censorship and Israel
« Reply #3 on: December 20, 2002, 06:34:01 AM »
Smoking a cigarette, facial expression full of fatigue, despair and two-day stubble of beard, Amjad Shawa, a director of a human rights organization in Gaza City shared with me several horrid pictures of Palestinian teenagers mysteriously murdered by the Israeli military just days before.

from the start it looks like another romantic anti Israeli propoganda trick, courtesy of the Palestinian authority..."mesteriously murdered?!", Uh plz....
We are all human beings isn't that a good enough reason for peace?
 

I TO DA GEEZY

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Re:American Media Censorship and Israel
« Reply #4 on: December 20, 2002, 06:46:17 AM »


"Occupation is terrorism. It is the fundamental obstacle to peace in the Middle East. And it must end. The state of Israel and the state of Palestine can peacefully coexist. The Palestinian people have said they want that. But the Israeli army and Israeli settlers must leave the West Bank and Gaza in order to allow the Palestinian people to live in freedom."

http://www.ccmep.org/ccmep/american031902.html


my god, this is one of the more ignorent ,one sided, politicly manipulative statements I've read in the recent time. As if settlers had any power over the Palestinians, if u gonna say "oh, settlers r the reason for Israeli armed forces by their side" is untrue since the only reason armed forces are there is to protect the settlers from Palestinian terroristic actions, if there was no danger of that, there wouldn't be any need in these armed forces.
As if a palestinian state couldnt've been declared over the territory it owns these days. Palestinian people said they want peace?!- I guess saying it ain't enough, since while some cevillians may actually support peace, their leadership does not follow it's people's will, therefore terroristic activity against Israel continues.
*Im sure there were many people in Afgan who did not support the sept 11th atacks, nor Osama Bin Laden, Yet Afgan still gets atacked.
« Last Edit: December 21, 2002, 04:54:00 AM by I TO DA GEEZY »
We are all human beings isn't that a good enough reason for peace?
 

ITW [the irish boy]

Re:American Media Censorship and Israel
« Reply #5 on: December 20, 2002, 08:45:23 AM »
Does the fact that Israeli's took their country not enter into any of this. It's unbelievable by ANY standards that in this day in age there can be still countrys occupying like the old colonial days.

I think that was an excellent article and IGeezy, i suggest you open your mind a bit. It's a fact that censorship exists in american media. Because that is the only way you get your news, you only get one side of the story. At least where we are, there is the irish news, the english news aswell as the american and sometimes french stations. I think that gives a more balanced view though there still is alot of corruption involved.
Don't get me wrong, I have great respect for most jewish people, especially after what they have been through withWW2, but I cannot, and anyone I have talked to around here cannot, understand how you could be supportive of israewl or their occupation. I find it hard to believe that the majority good people in america are not sympathetic to the palestinians. In ireland there is very few jews or muslims so its a neutral standpoint we have, and those who have looked into the issue are strongly in favour of palestine. I just dont see any logic in the israeli argument.
ITW
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Now_Im_Not_Banned

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Re:American Media Censorship and Israel
« Reply #6 on: December 20, 2002, 11:18:54 PM »
This guy seems like just another angry Arab trying to win over people...Everything he says sounds fake, and nothing he said was backed up by facts...


And ITW, I doubt u really know what's goin on...Please don't speak on this topic anymore, dawg...If the Arabs get Israel, what will they do with it? Turn it into a huge garbage can...PeACe
 

I TO DA GEEZY

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Re:American Media Censorship and Israel
« Reply #7 on: December 21, 2002, 04:51:03 AM »
Does the fact that Israeli's took their country not enter into any of this. It's unbelievable by ANY standards that in this day in age there can be still countrys occupying like the old colonial days.

I think that was an excellent article and IGeezy, i suggest you open your mind a bit. It's a fact that censorship exists in american media. Because that is the only way you get your news, you only get one side of the story. At least where we are, there is the irish news, the english news aswell as the american and sometimes french stations. I think that gives a more balanced view though there still is alot of corruption involved.
Don't get me wrong, I have great respect for most jewish people, especially after what they have been through withWW2, but I cannot, and anyone I have talked to around here cannot, understand how you could be supportive of israewl or their occupation. I find it hard to believe that the majority good people in america are not sympathetic to the palestinians. In ireland there is very few jews or muslims so its a neutral standpoint we have, and those who have looked into the issue are strongly in favour of palestine. I just dont see any logic in the israeli argument.
ITW

oh, and I guess you're another revolutionarry coming to life, supporting the opressed, how noble.... Lil homie, I dun need to open my mind, I know what's going on, weather u know it or not, I live in Israel, and serve in the Israeli army.
I base my opinions on facts, and not on rumours and propoganda like people who read articles by the Palestinian (so called) press and base their opinions on it, do.


p.s oh, go join the IRA, "natural standpoint" my ass, terroristic mentallity dat's what it is.
« Last Edit: December 21, 2002, 05:03:54 AM by I TO DA GEEZY »
We are all human beings isn't that a good enough reason for peace?
 

ITW [the irish boy]

Re:American Media Censorship and Israel
« Reply #8 on: December 21, 2002, 05:39:41 AM »
Terrorist mentality??

First off, I don't support the terrorism of palestinian extremists. They are going about it in the wrong way. I  believe they are entitled to at least some of their land back, you must admit, that can only be fair? But they're doing their own case no good by bombing israeli civilians. However, the israeli's don't exactly show restraint. I mean, the tanks are effectively like the nazi's in WW2, where they are fighting a war with children. The cowards who bombed israel are dead, so you cant punish them. So it seems you have tanks chasing kids with stones in the streets.
You may wish to change "terrorist mentality" to "oppressed mentality". Because yes, irish people have had a similar situation as the palestinians. I believe the Jews also to be an oppressed society. However, they have become the oppressed imitating their oppressors, and have become the bad guy on the world scene.
Maybe in Israel and the USA Israel is portrayed as the great white hope for the middle east, but certainly throughout the rest of the world a very different message is being seen by those on the ground. It is seen as a joint operation by US and Israel to oppress their neighbours, and there is nothing the rest of us can do about it.
I have an aunt who lives in London, and she was telling me in her son's history textbook, there is no mention of the plantation of Ireland, other than it was a relative success in transforming the "savages" to "relative sophistication". No mention of the massacres, no mention of the war that lasted until the 1921. Her son has been censored from this information, while here we read about it in depth. I think that is the same type of censorship that effects the US and Israeli media.
ITW

PS the ira have been on ceasefire for the last few years. i do not condone their actions. In the past members of my family were members of the ira, but to defend our country, not to blow up innocent civilians.
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I TO DA GEEZY

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Re:American Media Censorship and Israel
« Reply #9 on: December 21, 2002, 06:53:28 AM »
Terrorist mentality??

First off, I don't support the terrorism of palestinian extremists. They are going about it in the wrong way. I  believe they are entitled to at least some of their land back, you must admit, that can only be fair? But they're doing their own case no good by bombing israeli civilians. However, the israeli's don't exactly show restraint. I mean, the tanks are effectively like the nazi's in WW2, where they are fighting a war with children. The cowards who bombed israel are dead, so you cant punish them. So it seems you have tanks chasing kids with stones in the streets.
You may wish to change "terrorist mentality" to "oppressed mentality". Because yes, irish people have had a similar situation as the palestinians. I believe the Jews also to be an oppressed society. However, they have become the oppressed imitating their oppressors, and have become the bad guy on the world scene.
Maybe in Israel and the USA Israel is portrayed as the great white hope for the middle east, but certainly throughout the rest of the world a very different message is being seen by those on the ground. It is seen as a joint operation by US and Israel to oppress their neighbours, and there is nothing the rest of us can do about it.
I have an aunt who lives in London, and she was telling me in her son's history textbook, there is no mention of the plantation of Ireland, other than it was a relative success in transforming the "savages" to "relative sophistication". No mention of the massacres, no mention of the war that lasted until the 1921. Her son has been censored from this information, while here we read about it in depth. I think that is the same type of censorship that effects the US and Israeli media.
ITW

PS the ira have been on ceasefire for the last few years. i do not condone their actions. In the past members of my family were members of the ira, but to defend our country, not to blow up innocent civilians.

the tanks don't come in to punish the incocent for the actions of the dead terrorists, It may seem so, but it's basicly to prevent more suicide bombers from coming....as for my "terroristic mentallity" statement, I take it back, it should be replaced with "opressed mentallity", that was very generalizing of me, but the diffrence is that Palestinians are being opressed by their own leadership, in their case the term "tribal mentallity" should be added to the equasion as well, since lack of democracy in the palestinian authority+the many diffrend organizations and the leadership with their many diffrend IDEAS of how bad the Israelis should be dealt with, create an inside chaos in the authority...if Israel din't exist they'd prolly just kill each other...
We are all human beings isn't that a good enough reason for peace?
 

Jay ay Beee

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Re:American Media Censorship and Israel
« Reply #10 on: December 21, 2002, 09:40:13 AM »
Does the fact that Israeli's took their country not enter into any of this. It's unbelievable by ANY standards that in this day in age there can be still countrys occupying like the old colonial days.

I think that was an excellent article and IGeezy, i suggest you open your mind a bit. It's a fact that censorship exists in american media. Because that is the only way you get your news, you only get one side of the story. At least where we are, there is the irish news, the english news aswell as the american and sometimes french stations. I think that gives a more balanced view though there still is alot of corruption involved.
Don't get me wrong, I have great respect for most jewish people, especially after what they have been through withWW2, but I cannot, and anyone I have talked to around here cannot, understand how you could be supportive of israewl or their occupation. I find it hard to believe that the majority good people in america are not sympathetic to the palestinians. In ireland there is very few jews or muslims so its a neutral standpoint we have, and those who have looked into the issue are strongly in favour of palestine. I just dont see any logic in the israeli argument.
ITW

Great Post

So naturally.......

Quote
And ITW, I doubt u really know what's goin on...Please don't speak on this topic anymore, dawg

He knows a lot more than you that's for sure
 

I TO DA GEEZY

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Re:American Media Censorship and Israel
« Reply #11 on: December 21, 2002, 10:00:26 AM »
I love how people discuss things they only heared of in rumours....
We are all human beings isn't that a good enough reason for peace?
 

King Tech Quadafi

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Re:American Media Censorship and Israel
« Reply #12 on: December 21, 2002, 11:34:10 AM »
This guy seems like just another angry Arab trying to win over people...Everything he says sounds fake, and nothing he said was backed up by facts...


And ITW, I doubt u really know what's goin on...Please don't speak on this topic anymore, dawg...If the Arabs get Israel, what will they do with it? Turn it into a huge garbage can...PeACe


FOR gODS SAKE....JUST LET I GEEZY DO THE TALKING
"One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. "Which road do I take?" she asked. "Where do you want to go?" was his response. "I don't know," Alice answered. "Then," said the cat, "it doesn't matter."

- Lewis Carroll
 

Now_Im_Not_Banned

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Re:American Media Censorship and Israel
« Reply #13 on: December 21, 2002, 01:17:14 PM »
This guy seems like just another angry Arab trying to win over people...Everything he says sounds fake, and nothing he said was backed up by facts...


And ITW, I doubt u really know what's goin on...Please don't speak on this topic anymore, dawg...If the Arabs get Israel, what will they do with it? Turn it into a huge garbage can...PeACe


FOR gODS SAKE....JUST LET I GEEZY DO THE TALKING



Sorry dawg, but it's the truth...And stop posting bullshit articles that aren't backed up by facts, cuz than people like ITW and Jay Ay Bee base their whole opinion on what idiotic Arabs say...PeACe
 

ITW [the irish boy]

Re:American Media Censorship and Israel
« Reply #14 on: December 22, 2002, 08:48:44 AM »
NIK if you read my post, I didnt make reference to the article other than to say it was good. How is it then that I am basing my argument on it?
If anything, my arguments are based on articles I have read in the Irish ans English media, and for that matter I can't remember seeing an arab journalists name under any of those articles. There seems to be a general feeling here that it is only muslims who are anti american or anti-israeli. But there are a huge amount of catholics protestants athiests and everything that are against it. So I dont think you should be saying that anything written that is bad is a cooked up piece of propoganda by some dirty arab. In most cases they are written my journalists of all denominations on the ground, seeing it first hand.
Yet again, I havent made reference to any details contained in Tech's article, in case you could use the argument of a biased opinion
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