Kiwis for Balanced Reporting on the Middle East

Kiwis for Balanced Reporting On The Mideast New Zealand Media bias

Recent Letters

No letters correcting misinformation are allowedThe Press editor shows his colours once again. Read letters not printed below:

Submitted to The Press on March 16, 2012

Katherine Gillard (March 16.) could have done a little research and learned that the Palestinian boy killed in Gaza recently was actually shot by one of his own firing a gun in the air at a militant's funeral. Neither are the Palestinians fighting for their ‘freedom’, since Israel pulled out of Gaza seven years ago. What they are doing is trying to murder and maim Israeli civilians with their rocket barrages. She is right on one point though. The Palestinian militants do embed themselves in civilian areas, knowing full well that Israel will retaliate to protect her citizens, her inviolable right, and that a hostile media will bray about Palestinian casualties and ignore the deplorable ongoing aggression towards Israel.


Submitted to The Press on March 16, 2012

Your paper has printed a letter by Katherine Gillard (March 16.) in which she claimed ‘Israel has killed a schoolboy while potshotting Palestinian terrorists’. The truth was in the Washington Post - March 14, 2012. ‘Gaza boy dies after being struck by errant bullet during funeral for militant, relatives say’…. ‘The boy’s relatives and witnesses later said’.

KBRM Letters

From Other Angles

More than one perspective — for an opportunity to read balanced articles which the media does not normally provide.

HERE - UPDATED May 2nd

Recent Posts

March 13, 2012, updated April 6, 2012.

Anti-Semitism in NZ Catholic — but the editor printed four letters and a short article in response

NZ Catholic (Feb 26th-March 10th) printed two articles by Peter Murphy, a priest in Auckland who has been studying in Israel. Remarkably, given that it's 50 years since Vatican II, the articles were anti-Israel and anti-Semitic in both political and theological terms.
Although NZ Catholic isn’t exactly a mass-market publication, this couldn’t go unchallenged. One of our members wrote an article to NZ Catholic but this was rejected. However, they allowed us to write a shorter article which was published on April 8th-April 21st and displayed prominently.

The following issue of March 25th-April 7th, contained four letters, two of which were our own and all with factual information discrediting Murphy's articles. (Click here) to read the full report.


Fair And Balanced — The Christchurch Press Version

March 23, 2012

Fair and balanced reporting about Israel is a rarity as far as many New Zealand newspapers are concerned. Refusal by editors to publish balancing articles or opinion pieces combined with tendentious cartoons and biased letters promote negative images of the Jewish State on a regular basis. The censuring of letters to the editor is a scandalous example of how readers are denied access to real facts and in this respect The Christchurch Press leads the pack. Click here to find out more about the latest example of how this newspaper suppresses any dissenting opinion when it comes to slandering Israel. If you feel outraged at this blatant bias, make your feelings known direct to the Editor.


Could Do Better — Anti-Israel Bias in the NZ Herald

March 13, 2012

We have been surveying anti-Israel bias in the NZ Herald since 2009. Our 2011 results are now available. We found less bias Herald than in 2010, although Israel is still treated unfairly in the Herald, and it has some way to go before it provides a balanced view. Click here to download the full report.


New Media — Law Commission Study

March 5, 2012

The Law Commission has issued a discussion paper and call for submissions entitled The news media meets ‘new media’: Rights, Responsibilities and Regulation in the digital age. The questions raised by the Commission are in two parts:

• Who are the news media and how should they be regulated?
• Speech harms on the internet: The adequacy of the current legal sanctions and remedies.

Our experiences with the Press Council have convinced us that there are serious flaws in the current regulation of the media. Some of the Law Commission’s proposed changes seem likely to help; others seem likely to have no effect, or to make the media even less accountable than they are now.
The Commission’s questions, and our responses, can be seen by (clicking here).


Moral Cowardice — Lessons Ignored

February 27, 2012

Millions of innocent lives would have been saved, the Holocaust averted and world peace preserved if, between 1933 and 1939, the democracies had acted against the gathering tsunami of hate, delegitimisation, incitement and genocide. The massive moral failure to confront evil while there was still time to save lives should serve as a salutary lesson at a time when today's democracies face an identical tsunami originating in Iran. Have the lessons of history been learnt? You will not find the answers by reading your local newspaper. In order to understand the real reason for the gathering storm, you need to know the unpublished facts. (click here) to find out more.


How To Make An Ass of a Story

January 20, 2012

Just when you thought the media had already surpassed itself in its unbalanced reporting about Israel, the NZ Herald surprised us all by offering up a pre Christmas ‘special’ about donkey abuse in the Holy Land. Sourced from the UK Independent and also appearing in the Daily Telegraph, the local NZ Herald version managed to acquire a few unique features of its own. (click here) to read more on how headlines, photos and captions can distort and misinform.


Seasonal Illwill

January 9, 2012

The Christmas period is traditionally one of love and goodwill to all people. However, there are exceptions and reporting about Israel in the newspapers seems to be one of them. This Festive Season was no exception and true to form the public were able to read an article depicting alleged problems encountered by Christian pilgrims wanting to visit Bethlehem. This surfaces every year with the media continuing its negative, unbalanced and ill informed stories. However this year they surpassed themselves. In the interests of bringing you the facts you wouldn't normally see, please (click here) to read what is really going on and continues to be unreported in your local newspaper.

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