In 2020, our work had a definite, quantifiable impact on the way Israel was covered in the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, and more. Below, is a list of some of HR’s most popular pieces of the year. These are the ones that made news organizations around the world stand up, take notice, and think twice about spreading misleading news about Israel. By tracking and calling out the way the Jewish state is sometimes depicted in the media, we helped set the record straight.
Here’s to a happy, healthy 2021 – one where anti-Israel bias will continue to be exposed by HonestReporting.
Join the fight for Israel’s fair coverage in the news
1) Ilhan Omar’s Hypocrisy (VIDEO)
After the US imposed additional economic sanctions on Iran, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar condemned the decision, tweeting that “sanctions are economic warfare.” This is an interesting point, given that Omar is one of the BDS movement’s biggest supporters.
2) BBC Equates Israel, Nazis From Halls of Yad Vashem
As world leaders from 49 countries gathered in Israel to remember the Holocaust and take a stand against rising antisemitism, the BBC found a way to drag Israel’s name through the mud. Reporter Orla Guerin editorializes about Israel’s “occupation” of the Palestinians, something that has nothing to do with the story at hand.
3) Success: Facebook to Update Antisemitism Policy After Campaign Including HR
In August, Facebook replied to an open letter sent to its board of directors by HonestReporting as part of a coalition of over 100 organizations. The letter urged the social media giant’s board of executives to adopt a clear hate speech policy based on the widely accepted working definition of antisemitism by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
4) CNN Slams Israel’s Thwarting Of Car Ramming Attack As ‘Controversial’
By referring to the actions of Israel Border Police officers as ‘controversial,’ CNN crossed a journalistic red line from reporting to advocacy. And by failing to provide proper historical context of the car ramming epidemic in Israel, the network made it all too easy to conclude that the incident in question may have been unjustified.
5) Israelis Under Attack, Media MIA
In early February, Israelis suffered at least three terror attacks in under 24 hours. Yet the foreign press portrayed the assailants as victims. Major news outlets failed to mention that the Palestinians who had been killed by Israeli security forces were carrying out acts of violence when they were shot: at least one was in the act of throwing a Molotov cocktail at Israeli troops.
6) Bari Weiss Leaves NYT: HonestReporting Responds
When New York Times opinion editor Bari Weiss left her post, she became the target of abuse from former colleagues – who called her a “Nazi” and a “racist,” and demeaned her for “writing about the Jews again.” At what point did hard-boiled journalism degenerate into agenda-driven activism?
7) Roger Waters’ Antisemitic Hypocrisy Exposed… by Al Jazeera (VIDEO)
World famous musician and BDS supporter Roger Waters claims that he isn’t antisemitic. But Al Jazeera exposed the truth. This occurred when in an interview with the channel Waters was asked why he supports the Russian occupation of Crimea even as he fights tooth and nail against Israel’s military presence in the West Bank.
8) Israel and ‘Palestine’: It’s All the Same For The Irish Times
As part of a series looking at personal experiences under the coronavirus in different parts of the world, the Irish Times interviewed someone living in Haifa, Israel’s third largest city. Yet this hit piece repeatedly refers to the interview subject as a ballet teacher living in Palestine.
9) Media: Israel Leaves Palestinians Waiting For Vaccines; Truth: Palestinians Never Asked Israel for Help
When Israel launched a major initiative to inoculate the country’s population against the coronavirus, media outlets such as Reuters, Associated Press, The Washington Post and ABC News, among others, started to plaster headlines across their sites incorrectly implying that Jerusalem was responsible for the Palestinians’ purported lack of access to vaccines.
10) Take Action Against YouTube: Farrakhan’s Antisemitism Now Being Spread By Celebrities
On the Fourth of July, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan delivered a three-hour address on YouTube featuring a litany of antisemitic remarks. The fact that the speech was broadcast runs counter to the video-sharing platform’s policy, which explicitly prohibits content that promotes or condones violence or incites hatred against individuals or groups based on core characteristics such as ethnicity, gender and sexual identity, and religion.
Beyond the Headlines: HR’s Top 5 Educational Pieces
Over the last twelve months, our educational pieces provided a deep dive into issues about Israel and the Middle East that people wanted to learn more about. We produced well researched, nuanced, interesting content about how Israelis are living their lives in the midst of this memorable year.
1) How is Israel Dealing With Coronavirus?
2) Hatikvah: The Lyrics, Meaning and History of Israel’s National Anthem
3) What Was the Land of Israel Like Before 1948?
4) Lessons From Palestinian Rule Over Bethlehem
5) Tu B’Shvat: The Festival that Proves the Jewish People’s Connection to the Land of Israel
Liked this article? Follow HonestReporting on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to see even more posts and videos debunking news bias and smears, as well as other content explaining what’s really going on in Israel and the region.
