Israeli Cruise Review Sinks in Ocean of Garbage
September 19, 2012 12:55 by Simon Plosker
On September 15, Gabriella Le Breton published her review of a cruise to Israel in The Times of London (paid subscription only). What followed was a stunning display of ignorance and a lack of fact checking. It started with the teaser:
Fear of violence has cut tourism to Israel but a floating hotel offers a safer way to see fascinating sights
Could The Times have been more inaccurate in its opening salvo?
UPDATE – SEPTEMBER 20: The Times has removed the article in its entirety from its website, presumably due to the number of complaints received. The full text of the missing article can, however, be viewed here (pdf).
According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, as reported by the Jerusalem Post:
there were 752,000 tourist entries during the first quarter of 2012, an all-time high. There were 2% more tourist entries during the first quarter than in the corresponding quarter of 2011, and 1% more than in the corresponding quarter of 2010, the previous all-time high.
One-day tourist entries rose 78% to 41,000 in March from 23,000 in March 2011.
Is this a country suffering a drop in tourism?
As for the rest of the article, it includes such throwaway scene setters as:
- Darkness had only just fallen in the Palestinian-controlled city of Bethlehem and already its dark streets were emanating tension — lit not by stars but by the flashing blue lights of armoured police vehicles acting on a security alert. Par for the course in this war-torn region…
- Israel is not an easy place to visit independently despite it being small.
- the prospect of spending many uncomfortable hours (sometimes days) in the notorious immigration offices at Israel’s airport and borders.
We asked Mark Feldman, CEO of Israeli travel agent Ziontours Jerusalem for his reaction:
This article is continued on Page 2
wayne
4:31 pm
Sep 19, 2012
It’s poignant that Simon says, “(paid subscription only)” in the first senetence of this piece. Indeed, so few actually pay that subscription that the Times of London is something of a sinking ship itself.
And that may be a good thing.
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Percy
6:41 pm
Sep 19, 2012
Wayne could not be more wrong. This was the Travel Section of Saturday’s Times for which the last National Readership Survey gave a readership (not sales) in September 2011 of just under 1.5 million.
This means that 2.9 % of the population could have read the biased rubbish written by this woman.
Percy
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F Callen
9:56 pm
Sep 19, 2012
She probably just hasn’t done her research and is relying on the impression left by the media. Occupational hazard in her business.
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shloime
8:35 pm
Oct 15, 2012
a music critic once wrote a snotty review of a concert which he neglected to attend. unfortunately for him, the actual concert was cancelled because of a big snow storm, and he joined the ranks of the unemployed shortly after his review was published.
it’s just too bad the times doesn’t adhere to any such standards of journalism.
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Jeanette Shelburne
1:24 am
Sep 20, 2012
I have visited Israel a few times in the past 6 years and find I actually feel
safer there than in the U.S. and Europe. The Israeli security personnel have
been low-key, courteous and smartly efficient both in the airport and in Israeli
cities. Once there, one realizes that most Israeli citizens have served in the
military so the awareness and savvy of most of the population brings a sense of
security to visitors as well. The best and brightest minds are involved with
keeping citizens and visitors safe, and this is balanced by maintaining a
feeling of “normalcy” in the way security is carried out so that daily life is
enjoyable. It’s amazing how artfully this is accomplished.
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Josephine Bacon
8:52 am
Sep 20, 2012
I have just written to the Times pointing out that she probably never set foot on the cruise and that the streets of Israel’s big cities are far safer at night than the neighborhood in which I live in London! I also suggested that, as a travel journalist myself, I could write an article about my local train station, St. Pancras International,from which the trains go to Paris via Eurostar, pointing out all the drug dealing and prostitution in the area, all of which, unlike Le Breton’s article, are true. I hope she takes her next cruise to Syria!
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Israeli Cruise Review Sinks in Ocean of Garbage | Blogs about Israel aggregation
11:58 am
Sep 20, 2012
[...] article can be viewed at Israeli Cruise Review Sinks in Ocean of Garbage on [...]
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andrew o'shea
2:28 pm
Sep 20, 2012
I was in Israel in June of this year and had a wonderful experience, I enjoyed all the sights and history lessons as we walked through the old city, realising that night fall might not be a good time to be in some parts and yet enjoying the crowds and street entertainers and joining in the fun. In Australia in the capitol cities, night time here can be dangerous too if you wander into the wrong parts. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Israel, the people, the food, the sights, even being invited to read scriptures and pray with the people was a great joy. To travel through this land and see history in the present is truly a gift, Thankyou to all who made us feel so, at home
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Harry Goldstein
4:47 pm
Sep 20, 2012
I wrote earlier in the week (I’m a Times reader) and actually got a reply from their travel editor, which I in turn responded to. I am unable to post the text due to the size limit in these comments, but can send details separately if anyone is interested.
Of course I didn’t know then about the article being edited, and was quite scathing about the writer.
What I would say is, it doesn’t help to attack the Times. I started reading it as a refugee from the Guardian, and it’s way way better. I’m sure there are biased people there, but on the whole it’s OK. They are people who can be convinced. Too hostile an approach will do more harm than good.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Robert Honeyman
4:48 pm
Sep 20, 2012
It’s hard to judge based on excerpts (paywall issue), but this sort of reminds me of sports writers who write about games they watched on TV. It just ain’t the same!
It wouldn’t surprise me if the column in question failed to include a crucial element required of all opinion reporting: first hand knowledge.
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Jake in Jerusalem
8:20 pm
Sep 20, 2012
If the “cruise ship” you arrive on is named “Mavi Marmara” and you greet the immigration officers with knives and clubs, then, yes, you might spend a few hours in passport control. Everyone else, though, seems to have a good time.
Incidentally, a vast proportion of “journalism” today is written/presented by people who are inventing most of it and don’t really know what they are talking about. This is precisely the situation that Honest Reporting is trying to rectify!
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Mirian
12:46 am
Sep 21, 2012
I just found out Iran has a submarine:
http://beforeitsnews.com/global-unrest/2012/09/iran-launches-submarine-sahand-destroyer-2445508.html
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Israeli Cruise Review Sinks in Ocean of Garbage | The Conservative Papers
1:13 am
Sep 21, 2012
[...] CC BY-SA HonestReporting.com, Wikimedia Commons/Rwxrwxrwx; and GNU LGPL Wikimedia Commons/Orzetto. VN:F [1.9.20_1166]calculating…Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)topsyWidgetPreload({ "url": [...]
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Rosangela
3:41 am
Sep 21, 2012
Rubbish! Simply, rubbish! Not true at all.
Have been in Israel only 5 times but must say EVERY SINGLE TIME there I have felt safer than in any other place I’ve been too… Africa, South America, Europe, Caribbean, Canada and USA, the other places I’ve visited or lived in.
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iris claire blutreich
4:50 am
Sep 21, 2012
Why are tax dollars propping up this bankrupt paper? Don’t we have enough taxes? Why do we have to have more of our money siphoned off from our paychecks to keep these losers printing? Call your congressmen and tell them that taxing us to support newspapers is unconstitutional.
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martin
8:08 pm
Sep 21, 2012
I too, wrote to the Times regarding this article. In all honesty, the Times is not that bad towards Israel, unlike the BBC, SKY, CNN the Guardian, Observer, Independent newspapers.
Whjat you need to remember is one simple fact regarding the reporting of israelvs Arab/Muslim states. One can be as critical as one wqants towards Israel, factually or not and there will be no problems.
However, to unduly factually criticise a Muslim state and the reporter faces a death sentence,and raped femnales. The advertising revenues paid to the news media is enormous and most organisations can ill afford to lose their custom. Saudi Arabia pays $billions to anti Israel organisations and individuals
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Fliss
12:49 pm
Sep 22, 2012
I’ll be visiting Israel either at the end of the year or sometime in January/February. Not only am I looking forward to it but I’m also determined to buy as many souvenirs as I can to help the Israeli economy and to also give an up yours to the BDS movement.
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Rosangela
1:21 pm
Sep 22, 2012
Honest Reporting:
Ahmanidajab, i read, is going to speak in the UN on Yom Kippur.
If true, a very sad thing. More certainty of where hearts are and injury to G-d’s Israel and His people.
More reason to fast on Yom Kippur. Shabbat Shuvah.
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martin
4:49 pm
Sep 23, 2012
Fliss, just enjoy yourself by having a great time. There s so much to do and see. If you enjoy food…….. forget dieting, just enjoy the rich choice of foods available.
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Bericht über Israel-Kreuzfahrt versinkt in Ozean von Müll « Medien BackSpin
9:08 pm
Oct 04, 2012
[...] Simon Plosker, HonestReporting, Sept. 19, 2012 [...]
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Josephine Bacon
8:55 am
Oct 16, 2012
“Darkness had only just fallen in the Palestinian-controlled city of Bethlehem and already its dark streets were emanating tension — lit not by stars but by the flashing blue lights of armoured police vehicles acting on a security alert. Par for the course in this war-torn region…” I love this, the woman ought to spend the night at my house in Kings Cross, we see the flashing blue lights and hear the police and ambulance sirens all night in this war-torn region of London!
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