Each week, HonestReporting reviews countless news articles, setting the record straight when journalists portray Israel unfairly by casting it as an aggressor and responsible for the ongoing conflict with the Palestinians, or disseminate antisemitic tropes.
That’s one of the many reasons why HR is active on social media. By using online platforms, HR can simultaneously expose bias and misinformation, and directly reach a given writer or outlet instantaneously to inform them of any errors. In this way, we are able to have an immediate impact, with the ultimate aim of garnering corrections.
So, for those not familiar with Twitter, below is a roundup of some of our media critiques from the past seven days.
Join the fight for Israel’s fair coverage in the news
1. AP focuses on Israeli self-defense, not a Palestinian attacker
How many times have we seen this? People acting in self-defense, acting in a way proportional to the threat, is not a story. The attack itself is. The Associated Press should be ashamed of itself for running such a headline.
Awful headline, @AP. The focus should be on the Palestinian driver who attacked Israeli officers, not their act of self-defense. pic.twitter.com/LZpbVAo8Jm
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) September 3, 2020
2. NPR incorrectly describes reason for Arab boycott of Israel
When NPR published a piece about recent developments between Israel and the UAE, it correctly noted the formal ending of a law instituting a boycott of Israeli products and services. Unfortunately, however, less accurate was the explanation given for that boycott, and for the BDS movement in general.
And later down the same article, a variation of the mistake is repeated. BDS is not merely about pressuring Israel to change its policies.
Per BDS leader As’ad AbuKhalil: "The real aim of BDS is to bring down the State of Israel…this should be stated as an unambiguous goal." pic.twitter.com/Oo9oqQlCCP
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) August 30, 2020
3. Associated Press and Washington Post mislabel Hezbollah
Given the chance, how would you describe Hezbollah? As a group with a “clean reputation” or as a genocidal terror organization that commits war crimes? Woeful reporting from the AP, and from the Washington Post for uncritically publishing this article.
This @AP story republished in @WashingtonPost neglects to describe Hezbollah as it really is: a genocidal terrorist organization which has shot hundreds of rockets into Israel, bombed Jews in Europe and South America, and glorifies the murder of Israeli children. pic.twitter.com/AXjp8RaTLk
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) August 30, 2020
4. The Daily Mail forgets how Arab states treat Palestinians
While it’s true that Arab states have historically conditioned making peace with Israel on the Jewish state giving up land to the Palestinians and arriving at a two-state solution, that’s not the beginning, middle and end of their relationship with the Palestinians. The discrimination the Palestinians face in these countries must not be entirely disregarded.
We know what you mean, @Katelyn_Caralle, but "wall-to-wall Arab support" doesn't accurately reflect Arab states denying Palestinians equal rights, including the right to employment in a wide array of professions, to own property, to travel freely, and more… pic.twitter.com/n7kpiNZTBG
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) August 31, 2020
5. CNN Reminded by HR: Two mentally ill Israelis are being held captive in Gaza
While trawling the news this week, we noticed that CNN tweaked an old article about Gilad Shalit. Nothing wrong with that. But with two Israeli men with mental health issues trapped in Gaza for years, isn’t it time that CNN and the rest of the media picked up on the story?
.@CNN, we noticed that your article on Gilad Shalit, who was held in captivity by Hamas for 5 years in Gaza, has been updated.
But why is there media silence on the ongoing captivity in Gaza of two Israeli men with mental health issues, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed? pic.twitter.com/fDiyJrEDOu
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) September 2, 2020
6. The LA Times spreads falsehood about the Trump peace plan
When LA Times writer Tracy Wilkinson said that Trump does not support the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, we had to set her straight: The Vision for Peace he presented earlier this year clearly supports the creation of such a Palestinian state.
False, @TracyKWilkinson @LATimes, Trump's peace plan does support the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
His Vision for Peace allocates 70 percent of the West Bank, along with swathes of Israeli land, for an independent Palestinian state. pic.twitter.com/gqyCcjLoBn
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) September 3, 2020
