When rounding up the biggest stories of the year, it’s revealing to look at which posts drew the most viewers. Statistics, of course, don’t tell the whole story. Important stories often fall below the radar of public interest. But there is still no better way to capture the pulse of the HonestReporting community than to see which stories attracted the most readers as the stories were breaking.
1. Synagogue Terror Attack: Top Headline Fails
Even the Gaza war was no match for the passions stirred up by the atrocious reporting that followed the Har Nof massacre. No less than three of the top ten posts of 2014 were related to the Har Nof terror attack. Our first post about the attack looked at the initial wave of headlines – many of which was subsequently changed – and our readers appeared to be as shocked as we were by what we found.
2. Slideshow: Top Five Media Fails, Gaza Conflict Edition
The most popular slideshow produced this year was also the second most popular piece of content of year. It focused on the five elements that led to biased coverage of the Gaza war, including the misuse of casualty figures throughout the war, the failure to report on Hamas’s true goals, and the staggering absence of images showing Hamas terrorists firing rockets at Israel.
3. CBS Anchorwoman: Synagogue Attack Took Place at “Contested Religious Site”
And the CBS reference to Har Not as a “contested religious site” was simply too much for some people. There is, of course, nothing contested about Har Nof. But the media needs a narrative, true or not, to build its coverage around. The offending section was eventually removed from the broadcast.
4. CNN Gaffe: “Deadly Attack on Jerusalem Mosque”
It might have been the media equivalent of a Freudian slip that was quickly corrected, but few cases of misreporting revealed as much about the minds of the people who shape public opinion through news coverage. In the end, it may become the most iconic.
5. Slideshow: Fighting BDS – Tips and Strategies
While war in Gaza and terror in Har Nof dominated the headlines in the second half of the year, the threat posed by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement loomed large during the first half of the year. Our slideshow explaining the challenge and how to meet it effectively gained a substantial audience. The presentation is just are relevant now as it was when it was published.
6. Entire Family of Dead Palestinians Found to be Alive
The issue or reliable sources and casualty figures was an ongoing concern throughout the Gaza war. As HR asked at the time, between the fog of war and Hamas’s deliberate distortion of casualty figures, can any of these reports on the alleged deaths of Palestinian civilians be trusted?
7. Time Magazine Accuses IDF of Stealing Palestinian Organs
In perhaps the most stunning revival of a blood libel against Israel, Time referred to a discredited Swedish speculation about IDS soldiers harvesting Palestinian organs. Even the author of the original piece admitted he had no clue if it’s true. But Time treated the issue as a fact in its video. The section was removed within hours of HR’s exposure.
8. Foreign Journalists Acknowledge Hamas’ Human Shields Tactics
The issue of Hamas’s use of human shields was a key part of the discussion during the Gaza war and even long after the war ended. This roundup points to numerous reports by journalists that refer to the cynical use of Palestinians as human shields.
9. Video: Palestinian Christian Reveals the Reality Over the Propaganda
A courageous public stand by a Palestinian Christian seeking to draw attention to the true plight of Christians in the region touched a nerve with many readers. The video included a view of life under the Palestinian Authority, including the lack of freedom and internal violence within Palestinian society, that is often ignored by the media.
10. Mick Jagger’s False Quote Spreads Through Social Media
After the Rolling Stones set a date for a show in Israel, a mysterious quote began to circulate on the Internet about plans for a second show. Turns out, the quote was from a Purim spoof written long before the Stones had agreed to perform in Israel. Perhaps not everything you read on the Internet is entirely reliable.
While many important stories were not included in the top ten, especially as the second half of the year dominated the countdown, the stories that did make the list show what our readers were most concerned about in 2014. Not surprisingly, it was war, terror, BDS, blood libels, the plight of Christians, and the Rolling Stones.
And that may be the most perfect summary of 2014.
Image: CC BY flickr/Patrick Hoesly, flickr/Milos Milosevic, HonestReporting.com
