Palestinian journalists working for the Agence France-Presse have other interesting pursuits that call into question the objectivity of their coverage. According to the Jerusalem Post, Majida al-Batsh (who left AFP to run for PLO chairman) also worked for an official PA paper. Another, Adel Zanoun, continues to work for PA-funded radio.
The story of candidate Batsh, who wound up withdrawing her candidacy weeks ahead of the vote, highlights many concerns about the identity and political affiliation of several Palestinian journalists employed by international news organizations and TV networks to cover the Palestinian issue. It also underlines concerns about the credibility of much foreign news coverage in general in regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In addition to her work at the French news agency, Batsh was also a reporter for the PA’s official organ, Al-Ayyam. In other words, she was also on the PA’s payroll, since the Ramallah-based newspaper was established and is financed by the PA. Al-Ayyam‘s editor, Akram Haniyeh, has been listed as an adviser to Yasser Arafat.
But Batsh was not the only journalist at AFP who was working simultaneously for the PA. One of the agency’s correspondents in the Gaza Strip is Adel Zanoun, who also happens to be the chief reporter in the area for the PA’s Voice of Palestine radio station.
The Post goes on to name other reporters with possible conflicts of interest, including AP’s Muhammad Daraghmeh (who also works for Al-Ayyam) and CNN producer Sawsan Ghosheh (who is closely associated with Hanan Ashrawi). Nor is the problem limited to Daraghmeh and Ghosheh. An unidentified journalist told the Post:
“I also know of cases where former security prisoners have been hired as journalists and fixers for major news organizations, including American networks. Can you imagine what the reactions would be if they hired an Israeli who had been in jail for one reason or another?”
