Yet Another Israeli Spy Scandal?
September 8, 2011 10:53 by Simon Plosker
Many of you will have been drawn to open this article by virtue of the headline. After all, spying affairs with a dash of Israeli involvement makes big news. But what about an Israeli spy scandal that actually involves no Israelis?
A former US government scientist has confessed to attempted espionage after he sought to sell American secrets for personal profit. Stewart Nozette was caught after an FBI sting operation where an undercover agent posed as an Israeli intelligence officer.
According to the BBC, however:
The Department of Justice said none of the charges alleged that any US laws were broken by the government of Israel or anyone working on its behalf.
So why then is the same BBC report headlined:
But the BBC wasn’t the only media outlet that used the Israel link in the headline to pique reader interest. Some did not even bother to distinguish that Nozette was guilty of attempted espionage, instead portraying Israel itself as guilty by association (despite there being no association).
Who at Australia’s Herald Sun came up with this misleading headline?
Herald Sun
The New York Times and Daily Telegraph were slightly less explicit but still made sure that Israel was portrayed as a guilty party:
New York Times
Daily Telegraph
Only slightly less egregious, remembering to mention the “attempted” part of the crime, were ABC News and Reuters:
ABC News
Reuters
At least many other media outlets decided to use correct and more neutral headlines to present the story, choosing to focus upon the attempted espionage charge rather than Israel. For example:
- Washington Post: Chevy Chase scientist Stewart Nozette pleads guilty to attempted espionage
- Boston Globe: Scientist pleads guilty to trying to sell US secrets
- LA Times: Former government scientist pleads guilty to attempted espionage
- CNN: Accused NASA spy pleads guilty to attempted espionage
The Guardian also ran with a neutral headline:
- US scientist Stewart Nozette pleads guilty to attempted espionage
However, it omitted the key information from the text of the article that the Department of Justice had stated that Israel itself was not accused of any crime, a detail also absent from AFP’s report.
Particularly for Guardian readers, many of whom are already comfortable with the paper’s regular attacks on Israel, this sin of omission and vital context is misleading and leaves Israel at the receiving end of a negative story that it actually has no direct involvement in.
Spy stories with an Israel element tend to appeal to some of the media’s basest instincts, drawing upon the almost mythological image of the Mossad as well as the timeless charge of “dual loyalty” leveled at Jews wherever they live.
While anti-Semitic conspiracy theorists need little more than the Stewart Nozette story to peddle their wares, it is incumbent upon the mainstream media to present such a story accurately and without the sensationalist aspect that seems to send so many into a frenzy whenever Israel happens to be mentioned.
You can send your considered comments to the following media outlets:
- BBC Complaints – http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints ( For detailed instructions on how to navigate the BBC Complaints website, click here.)
- Herald Sun – http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/letter
- New York Times – letters@nytimes.com
- Daily Telegraph – dtletters@telegraph.co.uk
- ABC News – http://abcnews.go.com/Site/page?id=3271346&cat=ABCNews.com%20comments
- Reuters – http://reuters.zendesk.com/anonymous_requests/new
- The Guardian – letters@guardian.co.uk
- AFP – http://www.afp.com/afpcom/en/contact
Alan
3:44 pm
Sep 08, 2011
The countries who like to attack Israel everytime the word ‘Israel’ comes should be reminded that most countries have been spying on other countries since the cold war. The difference is nobody says anything about them when they get caught. They should leave Israael alone and put there own countries in order.
Well-loved. Agree or Disagree:
70 
2
Adam
4:11 pm
Sep 08, 2011
Regarding the Post, Globe and others: this isn’t about “neutrality,” a term which only applies to matters of opinion. This is simply about accuracy and honesty.
Well-loved. Agree or Disagree:
53 
0
Paul Kellner
5:00 pm
Sep 08, 2011
I suggested to ABC that they do a better job of reporting. After all, they didn’t mention what country he traveled to with the missing thumb drives. The picture of Nozette overseas places him in India, not Israel. What he actually might have done would make a much better story.
Well-loved. Agree or Disagree:
39 
1
Steven B. Grossman
5:04 pm
Sep 08, 2011
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Agree or Disagree:
6 
16
HEJ
5:17 pm
Sep 08, 2011
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Agree or Disagree:
0 
11
Yitzhak
6:24 pm
Sep 08, 2011
http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/material/pub/AS/AS-WorkingDefinition-draft.pdf
Agree or Disagree:
0 
0
Harvey rosenwasser
5:28 pm
Sep 08, 2011
This episode is a perfect example of two rreoccurring themes: The constant quest for sensationalism in the news, and pervasive anti Semitism…often masquerading as anti-Zionism.
Well-loved. Agree or Disagree:
52 
0
Jiri Adler
11:40 pm
Sep 08, 2011
We seem to be accepting that being a Zionist is a bad thing – although I am not, at least officially, a Zionist, I still do not see anything bad about Zionism – after-all, the movement itself was primarily about the right of Jewish people for self-determination in their national homeland. In other words, if we start accepting that Zionism is something bad (one does not have to agree with everything Zionism entails, but the basic premise is good), we are giving in to anti-Semites’ propaganda.
Well-loved. Agree or Disagree:
23 
0
Nathan Zafran
5:52 pm
Sep 08, 2011
Really now! Someone should really help Hej with his English. On the other hand please note that according to this twit all the anti-Israeli media is owned by the Israelis (back to the old conspiracies, (The Protocols of the Wise Elders of Zion). He forgot to mention that the Jews control the banks as well, and Hollywood, as well as governments worldwide. Are these the kind of people that Israel have to make peace with? Do tell Hej that Israel indeed does care for Israel, because others that do are few and in between.
Well-loved. Agree or Disagree:
25 
0
Nathan Zafran
6:19 pm
Sep 08, 2011
It is high time that someone compile an index of Israeli/Jewish/Mossad spying capers. There are so many nice juicy ones. The Israelis who died in the Christchurch NZ earthquakes were Mossad agents – why?- The Israeli ambassador organized the quick return of the bodies to Israel along with others who wanted to fly home. His prompt action was suspectable. Get it? How about the sharks trained by Mossad to scare away tourists from the Egyptian Sinai resort, Sharm e Sheikh? Don’t forget the Mossad-trained hawks, equipped with GPS, flying over Egypt. Any prominent Arab/Iranian/Muslim personality assassinated, must be a victim of Mossad agents, as if to say that these enlightened entities do not commit assassinations. Now last but not least, with the 9/11th.’s tenth anniversary coming up, the old conspiracies are back. On 8/11 four thousand Jews were warned not to show up for work, at the WTC Towers because on the 9th. the Mossad planned to destroy the towers to get the USA to go to war against Islam worldwide. I bet that such a publication would become an instant bestseller across the globe.
Well-loved. Agree or Disagree:
26 
0
Ami
6:55 pm
Sep 08, 2011
Oh well, someone even made a movie… I think it was called Zotan or Zoltan or something of the like.
The very same people who object to coupling the word “Islamists” or “Arab” with the word “terrorist” do all they can to associate the word “Israel” or “Israeli” with the words “spy” and “aggression”. So much for morals and ethics in the commercial media who will discard truth and honesty for profit generating sensationalism.
Well-loved. Agree or Disagree:
23 
0
DLF
7:08 pm
Sep 08, 2011
Is Nozette jewish?
Agree or Disagree:
0 
5
Larry M
9:56 pm
Sep 08, 2011
I wonder what the convicted attempted spy’s sentence was? I doubt that he will be treated like Jonathan Pollard, a Jew who received a life sentence for spying in the US received. In fact, I don’t believe ANYONE ever convicted of spying in the US has ever received the kind of sentence Pollard got. Pollard now has served 25 years of his life sentence and is in seriously ill health, but the US refuses to commute his sentence on the grounds of compassion.
For more on the duplicity of the Pollard case, I would suggest this well written article by Alan M. Dershowitz. (He is the highly respected Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School.) The link can be found here:
http://www.jonathanpollard.org/2011/082111b.htm
Agree or Disagree:
2 
0
R. Cross
9:59 pm
Sep 08, 2011
So, is Israel denied the use of spies? Whatever happened to Agent 13? The English had MI6. The Yanks have the CIA and why should Israel not have something just as useful? I think the spying game is distasteful – yes. But who am I to juste as long as the job gets done – overtly or covertly.
Yours aye,
007
AKA jors troolyi (Afrikaans slang)
Well-loved. Agree or Disagree:
12 
0
Armand Kidouchim
10:47 pm
Sep 08, 2011
The leftist Cabal with its legions of Mainstream Media ”Minions” and its Priest in Chief OBAMA, cannot and will not change REALITY.
Our TV screens are day on and day on showing the Cruelties perpetrated by Muslims (mostly against Muslims).
Islam preaches ”takkiyah” (morally O.K. to lie and DECEIVE the infidel). Islam, its History, archeological and chronoligal accuracy is not subject to debate nor is subject to reform,…the way Judaism and Christianity are…
It is obvious and easy for the silent majorities of the civilized world to see ”GOOD from EVIL”.
ISRAEL will be vindicated either by INTELLECT or by TECHNOLOGY POWER and soon to be by FINANCIAL POWER.
Israel has discovered Enormous GAS reserves and is sitting on 260 BILLION Barrels of Shale oil.
Israel has MASTERED the thermal technology of extracting shale Oil by occupying a small foot print while getting in the process ”OIL-GAS-WATER”.
The combination of Jewish ”uber intelligence”, Superior Technology and Financial Power will make the media whores and their MINIONS regret their insanity.
We will NOT FORGET!
Well-loved. Agree or Disagree:
11 
1
Mac
11:15 pm
Sep 08, 2011
I always am amused by how inaccurate media is. The media believes governments when they lie about harbouring terrorists, and seem shocked when said terrorists are scooped up in raids. So people who believe everything the media prints are not the smartest people, and education doesn’t make you smart
.
Well-loved. Agree or Disagree:
11 
0
Bryan
10:52 am
Sep 09, 2011
This really had me seething. I sent the following complaint to theBBC, taking care to rein in my language:
Headlines are meant to accurately reflect the content of the article. This one implied that there was intent on the part of the Israeli government in this case. There wasn’t, and Israel in fact had nothing to do with it. But one has to get to paragraph 6 of the article to see that clarification. How many people read that far? How many people even read past the headline in this short-attention-span world?
This is the BBC up to your old tricks again of using whatever means possible to show Israel in the worst possible light. I would appreciate it if you could bring this complaint to the attention of whoever wrote and edited that article. I would also appreciate a response from them.
However, it’s only fair to add that there is no longer a link to the article on the main US & Canada page. In a way that’s a positive move and a reversal of the usual practice, which is to make every negative story on Israel as prominent as possible by leaving links up to those stories for several days and even weeks. Could be that someone at the BBC is aware of the propagandist nature of the article and has chosen to quietly sweep it under the carpet. But while fewer people will now be exposed to it, the damage, of course, has been done.
I urge you to nip this kind of reporting and editing in the bud by educating your staff in responsible and professional journalism.
Well-loved. Agree or Disagree:
12 
0