All too often, mainstream media outlets whitewash the violent acts of Palestinian prisoners. Calling those incarcerated since before 1994 "political prisoners" is an egregious cover up of their brutal crimes, detailed here for the first time. 
Media interest in Palestinian hunger-striker Samer Issawi intensifies, albeit selectively. Ha'aretz publishes an enormous photograph of Issawi, but doesn't include even half a sentence about his indictment for attempted murder and other violence. 
According to a report by Ethan Bronner of the New York Times, Israel imprisoned a Palestinian child merely for "throwing stones and hanging Palestinian flags from telephone poles." In fact the teenager in question was convicted for attempted murder and possession of explosives. 
The Washington Post prides itself on reporting news in depth, not merely transcribing what sources say. But when it followed up Palestinian terrorists exchanged for Sgt. Gilad Shalit, The Post's depth was shallow. Compare The Washington Post's coverage of the Gilad Shalit/Hamas prisoner exchange to that of The Los Angeles Times. The Post stenographically copies Palestinian language -- "resistance," "military wing" and avoids telling details of Palestinian terrorism. The Los Angeles Times does better. 
The New York Times quotes a Hamas spokesperson claiming Gilad Shalit, unlike Palestinian prisoners in Israel, was treated well. Unmentioned is that the conditions of Shalit's detention voilated international law.