Sometimes, you have to wonder what the editor was thinking.
Last week, The Charleston (West Virginia) Gazette published an op-ed piece, “Israel’s Treatment of Palestinians is Dehumanizing,” in which author Dr. Annette Zavareei accuses Israel of ethnic cleansing, saying that it reminds her of how the Nazis decimated the Warsaw Ghetto.
Zavareei also presents a unique theory of the Law of Return, the mechanism which permits descendants of Jews to gain citizenship in Israel. No, the purpose is not to help Jews escape anti-Semitism in the diaspora. No, it is not to enjoy the spiritual riches of the Holy Land. No, it is not to unite in brotherhood with Jewish immigrants from around the world.
No. According to Zavareei, the Law of Return “was intended for one purpose alone, to outnumber the Palestinian people. Ethnic cleansing.”
You might think that an op-ed such as this should be exempt from criticism, because it appeared on the editorial page and represents only the artist’s opinion. But even so-called “opinion pieces” must bear a modicum of objectivity. James Hill, the managing editor of the Washington Post Writers Group, writes:
“You have to hold columnists to the same standard as anyone at the newspaper. If a column writer is making egregious errors in the process of stating his or her opinion, eventually it’s not the columnist who’s doing that, it’s the paper that’s doing that.”
Seven times in the article, Zavareei describes herself with the term “rage.” The American Heritage Dictionary defines rage as “violent anger.” In the 3 minutes it takes to read this article, Zavareei spews violent anger seven times. Surprising behavior for someone who claims to have “won a humanitarian award from the American Counseling Association.”
If you feel the article is biased, write to:
[email protected]
You can also write to Dan Radmacher, the editorial page editor:
[email protected]
===== SELECTIVE OMISSION OF THE MONTH =====
Last week, the IDF arrested Reuters photographer Suhaib Jadallah Salem in the Gaza Strip, after a hand grenade was found in his car. Last month, a Reuters’ cameraman was arrested in the West Bank, as Israel said he was “directly connected to enemy terrorist activities.”
Theses incidents raise serious questions about the journalistic integrity of Reuters’ reports.
Conveniently, Reuters’ own report on the incident omits mention of the grenade found in their photographer’s car.
http://www.tomgrossmedia.com/mideastdispatches/archives/000579.html
