Margaret Sullivan, the Public Editor of the New York Times (yes, that’s right — the one we always ask readers to contact about anti-Israel bias in the Times) starts this week’s column about coverage of Israel with:
This is the Post I didn’t want to write.
Why did she not want to write it? Because, she was forced to admit that there are indeed problems with the way the Times covers Israel.
So why did she write it? Quite simply, so many people wrote to point out problems with Times coverage that she had no choice but to respond. If you have ever written to [email protected] to complain about anti-Israel coverage, good work.
Now the truth is, she also gets tremendous pressure from the other side, those who are critical of Israel and believe that the paper is biased in support of the country. That point makes letters from HonestReporting readers even more crucial. Without your efforts, the Times would only hear from people who believe the paper should be even more critical in its coverage of Israel.
Don’t expect that the paper will suddenly become more balanced and accurate overnight. She does not agree that the paper’s coverage is unfair to Israel, and her recommendations are not binding on Times editors.
But when she admits that Times reporters must add more historical context to its coverage, that is a huge step forward. Maybe we will see some recognition that the Old City of Jerusalem has been the national and spiritual center of the Jewish people for thousands of years, instead of simply “East Jerusalem, which Israel conquered in 1967.
She also believes that the Times has been lacking in scrutiny of Palestinian governance and society. One of her recommendations:
Strengthen the coverage of Palestinians. They are more than just victims, and their beliefs and governance deserve coverage and scrutiny. Realistic examinations of what’s being taught in schools, and the way Hamas operates should be a part of this. What is the ideology of Hamas; what are its core beliefs and its operating principles
We have been saying this for years and it’s about time for the Times to stop ignoring this crucial aspect of the conflict.
We also agree when she writes:
Stop straining for symmetry. In headlines, in side-by-side photos, in photo galleries, the Times sometimes looks like it is running scared. Maybe this is just an excess of sensitivity, but it doesn’t reflect the core value of news judgment above all.
Could this mean no more moral equivalency between terrorists and their victims? We could only hope so, but we will have to wait and see if her recommendations are put into practice by Times reporters.
But the main issue is that readers like you caused the Times to publish a self-critical column that they didn’t want to write. It shows that contacting the media does work and has an impact. Whether the impact is to stop negative, unfair coverage of Israel or simply to counter the masses of anti-Israel complaints the Times also receives, it works.
