A sampling of the latest emails . . .
1. Regarding the video of the Egyptian kid I noted in yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream.
From: …@verizon.com
Subj: Re: IDNS: Car Bomb Rocks Hezbollah
How can we get that 12 year old kid, who was interviewed, to be nominated as the next interim president of Egypt? It seems too good to be true so perhaps some cynicism as to the accuracy of the translation is warranted.
I’d like to believe that the video is what it appears to be. But if it turns out the video was either a hoax or satire, my credibility goes down the drain.
When I started off in journalism, the best advice I ever got was from an editor who simply said, “Only write what you know.” That wisdom applies to what we share online too. Remember the Iranian news agency that ripped off an article from The Onion and got egg on its face?
2. Some followup on our issue with Paramount Pictures and World War Z, which galvanized our Facebook community.
From: …@optonline.net
Subj: RE: IDNS: BREAKING: Egypt Military Coup Underway
I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO EXPRESS MY DISPLEASURE WITH PARAMOUNT, BUT AM NOT ON FACEBOOK, NOR DO I EVER WANT TO BE ON IT.
WAS THAT THE ONLY WAY YOU COULD HAVE GVEN US TO REPLY ?
We felt that lots of people posting comments on Paramount’s Facebook page would get their attention more than emails to some corporate office. We have a Facebook community of more than 12,000 people and growing. If everyone’s outraged enough to post comments and share with their friends, the numbers add up to something the studio can’t ignore.
Signing up for social media is a personal choice. Besides HonestReporting Facebook, we also have active and growing communities on Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest. If any of them interest you, we welcome your involvement.
3. Anti-semitism in the media, like last week’s nasty German cartoon, always touches a nerve in readers.
From: …@gmail.com
Subj: Re: Anti-Semitism in German Daily: Israel as a Ravenous Monster
Instead of showing more horrors against us, Jews and Israelis, you need to attack back the rascals by inventing all kind of stories as they do for us, just get them back horrors invented or true. They need to get back instead of we, playing poor persecuted Jews, to do it just back! To be harsh , rude, as they all know to be. Attack back moslems christians etc…. as they do to us!!!!
I could have a lot of fun making up rumors and innuendo. But that’s no better than the the lies we’re always debunking. Many Arabs are willing to lend legitimacy to the most insane conspiracy theories (like Morsi’s in cahoots with Israel) because they’ve stretched and distorted the truth for so long.
There’s a proper place for satire, but I don’t want to go down the road of dishonesty and propaganda.
