Why is the NY Times so disparaging of Benjamin Netanyahu’s media campaign against Iran and Hassan Rouhani’s charm offensive?
How to explain the snotty criticism from Jerusalem bureau chief Jodi Rudoren, columnist Roger Cohen, and a NY Times staff-ed?
The Gray Lady’s grouchiness is getting harder to miss, as two Israeli columnists point out.
Avi Issacharoff writes:
And still, some American media outlets have evidently been mesmerized by President Hassan Rouhani’s smile. The New York Times seems to be directing a campaign against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has said sanctions on Iran must not be removed and warned about the Islamic Republic’s true intentions. Certain Western journalists are possibly driven by the hope — and, perhaps, some degree of naivety — that the crisis will not require the use of force.
But the anti-Netanyahu campaign misses (or ignores) the fact that the wary Israeli government, not surprisingly, enjoys the support of many Arab countries — including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE — which are not naive about Iran.
And Dror Eydar sees a bigger pattern.
The Times has a long history of supporting even the faintest of hopes when it comes to reconciliation with ruthless dictators.
My two cents? Rudoren, Cohen and the staff-ed attacked the messenger (Netanyahu), rather than the message. That’s a low angle for the op-ed pages, and even more insulting as “news.” Why? When it comes to the Iranian nuclear threat, most Israelis are on the same page as Bibi.
Maybe the issue is more personal to the paper. After all, Bibi’s UN speech specifically singled out the NY Times.
Expect continued cattiness.
(Image via Flickr/Bosc d’Anjou)
