Only last month HonestReporting critiqued a piece by Lizzie Dearden, a self-described “online journalist” for The Independent. Lizzie’s articles are written, not at the scene of the story, but from her home base, presumably in the UK. In the course of correspondence with Dearden, she acknowledged that her editor was the one who had commissioned her to focus on an anti-Israel story concerning Bedouin in the Negev.
That the story choice was imposed on the journalist raised questions concerning an anti-Israel agenda on the part of The Independent’s editors.
Unfortunately, the kidnapping of three Israeli teens by Hamas terrorists appears to have given us further evidence that this is indeed the case. This is Lizzie Dearden’s latest report:
A Facebook page calling for the killing of Palestinian terrorists at the rate of one an hour should certainly be regarded as morally and ethically questionable. Indeed, the IDF’s first preference when dealing with terrorists is to arrest them so that they can be brought to justice through legal means. This is, of course, not always possible due to the nature of the terror threat and the obvious fact that terrorists very rarely simply give themselves up without a fight.
Putting these issues aside, why does The Independent consider a Facebook page liked by 17,000 people aimed specifically at terrorists to be newsworthy other than to take an opportunity to present Israel in a negative light? After all, the likelihood of any of these 17,000 Israelis actually acting upon their understandable anger is virtually non-existent.
Compare this to the incitement in the Palestinian media and the terror organizations that positively encourage acts of violence against Jews and Israelis. There is no comparison.
If The Independent wished to report on how two different societies are reacting to this latest crisis, perhaps it could have highlighted the disgusting online cartoons being promoted on a Fatah website, the very organization of PA President Abbas or any number of other equally nasty images. (See more from Tom Gross.)
Or what about the many photos of Palestinians handing out candies in celebration at the news of the kidnapping? (See more at Israellycool.)
But no. Rather than focusing on the incredible unity of purpose and the public prayers being offered by the entire nation in this time of distress, The Independent prefers to portray Israeli society as immoral or unethical.
Just how many more anti-Israel articles will Lizzie Dearden write on behalf of her editors before she starts to question whether there is an agenda at work?
You can register your complaints through The Independent’s online complaints form.
