A sampling of the latest from my inbox.
1. Are some newspapers beyond the pale?
From: …@sympatico.ca
Date: Wed, Mar 19, 2014
Subject: Re: IDNS: What Does Unearthed Arafat Video Mean for Peace Talks?
Why are you quoting articles from the cult of the Christian science monitor? thank you for attention to this matter.
I cite articles in the Israel Daily News Stream which make points that I feel warrant the attention of our readers. And I link to those articles so readers can read them in full for themselves, form their own judgments, and perhaps share the article or take action if so moved. The IDNS links to a wide variety of news services — Israeli, US, British, Arab, Australian, Canadian, left, right, center, etc.
It’s okay for readers to have “favorite” papers or papers they’ll absolutely never read as a matter of principle. That’s everyone’s individual choice. HonestReporting doesn’t endorse news services.
As for your feelings abou the Christian Science Monitor, HonestReporting monitors the Monitor because:
- It has a correspondent in Israel (currently Christa Case Bryant).
- It publishes original commentary.
- Its readership is sizable.
- It’s viewed as a respectable, mainstream paper.
It’s a terrible disservice to HonestReporting readers to only criticize the media. When the Monitor — or any other news service — has content that contributes to a better understanding of Israel and the Mideast, it earns an appropriate mention in the IDNS.
Last but not least: IDNS links and references do not constitute endorsements of news services.
2. Acronyms, shmakronyms.
From: …@pacbell.com
Date: Thu, Mar 13, 2014
Subject: To HonestReporting Editors
You quoted a story today that was identified as originating with AFP – nowhere do you say who AFP is – Is that Americans for Prosperity? (they are generally a respected conservative group)
AFP refers to Agence France-Presse, a French-based wire service that competes with the Associated Press and Reuters.
For the sake of brevity, I don’t spell out the full names of news sites like — for example — British Broadcasting Corp. News, when BBC suffices. I take the acronyms for granted, but as you point out, this doesn’t mean everyone else does.
