Anti-Israel
Allegations and Libels

Maligning Sharon

In the wake of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's serious medical problems, Op-Ed writers and reporters have published numerous retrospective pieces trying to sum-up the Israeli leader's career. Some are nothing but anti-Sharon screeds, while others, though somewhat more responsible, repeat many of the same discredited allegations that have long been used by polemicists to unfairly malign the Israeli leader.

Makdisi Smears Sharon in LA Times

Saree Makdisi, a professor of English and comparative literature at UCLA, and a nephew of Edward Said, has inherited his uncle's political outlook ‑ an opposition to the existence of the state of Israel. Like Said, Makdisi has channeled his animosity into publishing anti‑Israel screeds full of false rhetoric. He has become, for instance, a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times, despite a November 2004 Op‑Ed which was corrected due to factual errors and distortions.

Munich and the Kushner Connection

Word of playwright Tony Kushner's involvement in Steven Spielberg's Munich set off alarms among those familiar with his extreme anti-Israel positions and indifference to facts about the Arab-Israeli conflict. A glance at his statements and affiliations suggests why.

Robert Fisk: Telling it Like it Isn’t

Robert Fisk, the notoriously anti-Israel journalist, wrote a column charging that Israel's friends have successfully influenced the semantics of Middle East coverage by American journalists, supposedly leading to "journalistic obfuscation" to the detriment of the Palestinians. Underlying Fisk's ire about American coverage is the reality that from his perspective as an extreme pro-Palestinian partisan, reporting by U.S. media is insufficiently tilted in the direction he prefers.

UPDATED: Mazin Qumsiyeh Lacks Credibility

Twice within two weeks, newspapers have had to correct false statements by anti-Israel activist Mazin Qumsiyeh. These two corrections, along with the many other erroneous statements by Qumsiyeh which have passed uncorrected, reveal a disregard for facts that should be a red flag for those considering reading–or publishing–his diatribes. Update: Qumsiyeh responds to CAMERA's critique.

Oprah Winfrey Shows Bias

In the forefront of defending women's rights worldwide, Oprah takes a one-sided approach on the Mideast conflict

UPDATED: Ha’aretz Indifferent to Journalistic Norms

Nov. 28 update follows.  In contrast to international and American media outlets, Ha'aretz apparently considers itself above criticism. Ha'aretz editors seem unaccustomed to responding to readers in a straightforward process and appear to believe readers have no right to fault them for shoddy, inaccurate coverage.

CAMERA Op-Ed: Redford’s Poison

Unlike American journalists who subscribe in principle, if not always practice, to a high-minded code of ethics calling for accuracy, balance and accountability in news coverage, documentary filmmakers of various nationalities often freely blend fact, distortion, ideology and even fiction and defamation without pretense of adherence to any such standards.