Reporting on Israel's missile attack on a PLO militia commander, CNN deceived viewers by characterizing the man merely as a member of a "political party," despite the fact that he was thought responsible for killing three Israeli soldiers, and for nightly sniper fire at an Israeli neighborhood in Jerusalem.
Following violent clashes pitting the Israeli Army against a combination of Palestinian civilians, uniformed Palestinian security forces, and Yasir Arafat's plainclothed Tanzim militias - Amnesty International denounced Israel's actions and the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1322, condemning Israel for "excessive use of force" in attempting to protect the lives of its soldiers and civilians. Does Israel really use "excessive force?"
Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and spokeswoman for the Palestinians, frequently appears on American television and radio. She makes an emotional case in a rapid-fire, filibuster style of expression that flouts historical fact and present reality. All too often, her interviewers are unequipped or unwilling to challenge the barrage of inaccurate and distorted statements.
In yet another case of its promoting extreme anti-Israel views, America's most influential public radio network gave a platform to Allegra Pacheco on Weekend Edition Sunday (October 29) - where in an uninterrupted monologue, Pacheco denounced Israel as an apartheid, Jim Crow nation and excoriated Israel for policies that are routine in virtually every country in the world.
Orlando Sentinel columnist Charley Reese, whose voluminous anti-Israel portfolio includes frequent severe distortions of fact, is at it again. In his column entitled "Racism, Bigotry Bad for All" he grossly misrepresents the current dangerous situation facing Christian Arabs in the Palestinian areas...
BBC World Service reporter Paul Adams was assaulted by a Palestinian mob as he was covering an apparently accidental explosion in the Bethlehem headquarters of a Palestinian militia. The attack on Adams is part of a troubling pattern of Palestinian attacks on Western journalists, which apparently seeks to ensure pro-Palestinian coverage of the current disturbances. Just as troubling as the campaign of intimidation is the media's abject refusal to cover it.
In a revealing episode, Italy's state television network RAI has had to recall its correspondent from Jerusalem after he sent a letter to the Palestinian Authority stressing his support for the Palestinian cause. The journalist, Riccardo Cristiano, explained that, contrary to rumors, his station was not responsible for video of the brutal October 12th murder of two Israeli men by a Palestinian lynch mob at the Ramallah police station...
