Beginning on July 18, CNN has been airing each Sunday a new, six-part series entitled “Jerusalem: City of Faith and Fury.” As of this writing, Parts 1-5 have been broadcast and have been seriously marred by factual inaccuracies and one-sided narratives omitting vital information. Many of the “experts” featured in the series have clear histories of anti-Israel activism and partisanship. A preliminary sample of how disconnected the CNN series is from reality and objectivity follows.
Correspondent Layla Odeh falsely charges that "settlers" entered the Al-Aqsa mosque, miscasts a peaceful Jewish visit to the Temple Mount as violent, and ignores the violent stone-throwing on the part of Muslims.
In July so far, NPR aired at least three problematic reports, that shared a common thread – omitting context and hearing from anti-Israel activists to blame Israel for dispossessing and discriminating against Palestinians and stirring conflict. It was a throwback to the NPR of the past.
For years, readers have turned to the Jerusalem Post for context that’s often missing from one-sided, anti-Israel reports in the international media. But recent coverage of a demolition in Silwan consisted of a partisan report from Reuters.
Associated Press delivers a highly selective account of overnight violence in Sheikh Jarrah, omitting the Palestinian firebomb attacks against Jewish homes which apparently started the clash.
Associated Press fails to make clear the fact that Israeli airstrikes against Hamas buildings in the Gaza Strip were in response to Palestinian arson balloon attacks which sparked some 20 fires southern Israel.
Patrick Kingsley, the British-born Jerusalem Bureau Chief for the New York Times, formerly reported for the Guardian, a paper not known for fidelity to the truth, especially when it comes to Israel. The recent disturbances and fighting in Israel and Gaza have been the perfect opportunity for Kingsley to peddle Guardian-style agitprop to a new set of readers. Kingsley repeats one Palestinian myth after another, and even interviews bigots and Holocaust deniers, giving them space to slander Israel.
Twice in recent days, NPR's Daniel Estrin's erroneously referred to Israel's 1967 capture of "Palestinian areas" of Jerusalem. No part of Jerusalem was ever Palestinian territory.
In NPR's skewed coverage, only Israelis are "ultranationalists." Palestinian ultranationalists clamoring for terror attacks? They're just breaking the Ramadan fast.
