Kiwis for Balanced Reporting on the Middle East
Posts 2008
January 20, 2010
Press inserts misleading headlines over KBRM letters
The Press recently reopened its letters column to what it calls ‘the debate’, following news reports of John Minto's protest against an Israeli tennis player. On Jan 12 a KBRM letter was published with a headline that did not reflect what was in the letter. This led to two letters that attacked the writer for ‘over-simplifying’. On Jan 13 another KBRM letter was published with a headline that charged Minto and his friends with anti-Semitism, a claim that wasn't in the letter. The next day The Press printed a letter that called the claim ‘ridiculous and predictable’.
It almost seemed that the two headlines were meant to invite attacks. The writers submitted the following rebuttals:
____ accused me of being simplistic and overlooking facts in regard to ‘the need for Palestinians to just accept Israel.’ The trouble is, I didn't say that — that was the headline inserted over my letter. What I said was, ‘If Gaza wants to end the Israeli 'oppression', all it has to do is accept the existence of Israel’. This is a true statement. If Gaza gave up its attacks and its aim of destroying Israel, there would be no need for Israel's partial blockade (the only act of supposed ‘oppression’).
As for overlooking facts, Mr _____'s statement that the Palestinians, ‘even Hamas’, have accepted the existence of Israel is not a fact, as the residents of Sderot can well testify. Besides these continuing attacks, there is the Hamas charter and recent statements by Hamas officials reaffirming their goal of destroying Israel. (read more)
SST accuses Israel of massacre, makes correction
In a review of the Israeli movie ‘Waltz with Bashir’ in the Sunday Star-Times, it was stated that the 1972 massacre of Palestinians in Lebanon was committed by ‘Israeli forces’. The truth, as was quite clear in the movie, is that the massacre was committed by Lebanese soldiers. KBRM wrote to the editor to request a correction:
In the review of ‘Waltz with Bashir’ (Escape, p. 21, 14/12/08) we find the statement, ‘He [ the director] was surprised and alarmed he didn't remember the massacre of Palestinian refugees in Sabra and Shatila by Israeli forces’... In the interest of accuracy, I hope you will agree that a correction needs to be issued...
To its credit, the SST made a correction the following week. (read more)
Press Council denies appeal, ignores complaint
On September 4, KBRM filed an appeal with the Press Council about the Otago Daily Times. The heart of the appeal was a detailed description of unbalanced treatment given to six news items (see Sept. 4 post). In denying the appeal, the Press Council gave the following response to this complaint:
Covering overseas conflicts poses big difficulties for New Zealand's relatively small news media. It is understandable that a local newspaper should rely for its cover on respected news agencies such as Thomson Reuters.
Incredibly, the six examples cited were completely ignored, while the Press Council focused on an issue of news agencies that was not even mentioned in the appeal! Nevertheless, KBRM feels that the appeal served its purpose in that no further examples of imbalance have been noted in the ODT (read more)
KBRM appeals to NZ Press Council
The following appeal was filed with the NZ Press Council in regard to the failure of the Otago Daily Times to take corrective actions:
Kiwis for Balanced Reporting on the Mideast (KBRM) is devoted to maintaining fairness, balance, and accuracy in reporting and editorials about Mideast events, particularly in regard to Israel. These are the same values expressed in Principle #1 of the Press Council. Our present complaint is directed at the Otago Daily Times for persistent violations of these principles. (read more)
ODT buries bulldozer attack but criticises houses
The Otago Daily Times reached a new low by burying news of a bulldozer attack that wounded 16 Israelis in two sentences deep within an article about Barack Obama's visit to Israel. In contrast, The Press (ChCh) devoted 120 column-cm to the incident, including a large photo and headline. Then a week later the ODT published a Reuters article that criticised Israel for building houses in Jewish settlements. KBRM complained to the editor as follows:
...When more emphasis is given to Israel's building houses than to Arabs who attack and kill Jews, there is something wrong, and when the imbalance is this extreme, something is badly wrong. Remember, this comes on top of the 12 examples of imbalance that I already pointed out, not to mention the fact that the ODT's 4-to-1 imbalance ratio for the year is one of the worst in NZ... (read more)
Bias in the ODT extends to letters
Following publication of the KBRM article in the Otago Daily Times (see June 30 post), two opposing letters were published. The first contained 334 words and the second 210 words, both well over the ODT guideline of 150 words. Two letters by KBRM members were then published on July 10 after being abridged (eviscerated is a better word) to 110 and 100 words, respectively, well under the ODT guideline! A third KBRM letter, submitted at 145 words and containing different points, was not published. On July 16 a KBRM letter submitted with 150 words was published with 21 important words deleted, including a reference to the KBRM web site, despite a plea to publish it intact. (read more)
ODT publishes KBRM article
In the meeting at the Otago Daily Times on June 13, the editor promised to consider a KBRM article rebutting an editorial in which he called the Mideast conflict a ‘chicken-and-egg impasse’ (see May 22 post). The article was accepted and published under the headline ‘End to Gaza conflict in Palestinian hands’. The article concluded with:
...In short, the conflict is no ‘chicken-or-egg’ impasse. It can be ended if the nations of the world say to the Palestinians, as was said to the IRA, enough is enough. Stop focusing on past perceived injustices (which differ on each side), accept the right of Israel to exist, and let us work together to build a better tomorrow where Palestinians and Jews can live side by side in peace and prosperity.
Unfortunately, the message that Arab militarism is behind the conflict was undercut by the accompanying photo that showed an Israeli tank and Israeli soldiers, instead of, perhaps, a Qassam rocket. (read more)
ODT fixates on Israel's house-building
Having blamed Israel for its ‘settlement policies‘ in an editorial (see May 22 post), the Otago Daily Times published two news items (June 16 and 17) that were also devoted to criticism of Israel for building houses in a Jewish section of Jerusalem. A response from KBRM was published on June 23:
...these houses do not harm a single Palestinian nor do they damage any Palestinian's interests... Where are the news reports about the daily rocket attacks on Israel which, unlike house building, actually kill and injure people? Readers could then decide on their own which damages the peace process more, building houses or killing people. (read more)
Are Israelis taught to hate Arabs?
The chairman of KBRM met with Murray Kirkness, editor of the Otago Daily Times, to discuss the editorial of May 22. During the meeting Mr. Kirkness appeared to agree that Israel's battle against Palestinians is defensive, and said he would consider publishing a countering article. He also promised to ‘be more careful in the future.’ However, he mentioned that he had met a former Israeli who left Israel because of the way the Israelis were taught to ‘hate Arabs’. A KBRM member who grew up in Israel replied to Mr. Kirkness in a letter not for publication:
...Hatred in any form is definitely not taught to Israeli school children... On the other hand, Arab textbooks in Palestine are full of hatred.... This IS taught as the central theme and the core value in the curriculum in Palestine and you as a taxpayer help as part of NZ's foreign aid contribution to Palestine... (read more)
ODT gets it wrong
In an ‘even-handed’ editorial the Otago Daily Times urged Israel to ‘desist from its settlement policies, encroaching ever further into disputed territory, and from its policies of cutting off fuel supplies — thus electricity and water — to Gaza.’ It also called the Mideast conflict a ‘chicken-and-egg impasse’. The KBRM chairman then wrote a letter to the editor that was within the 150-word guideline; yet when published, the passage shown in red was deleted:
....According to the United Nations charter, a blockade is one of the first and least harmful actions that should be taken against an aggressor nation. Blockades were imposed, for example, on Cuba in 1961 and Iraq in 1990. Yet when Israel — a nation that is not just threatened, but is under constant and immediate attack — imposes a partial blockade on its enemy while continuing to supply it with fuel (some of which is diverted to rockets aimed at Israel), it is condemned. Why is the only Jewish nation in the world criticized for doing what other nations are allowed to do?... (read more)
Minto strikes again
After his usual lambasting of Israel and errors of fact, John Minto, a columnist for The Press, called on New Zealand to support the replacement of Israel by ‘a secular, unitary state which respects all peoples, races and religions’, knowing full well that Arabs would then become a majority and the Jewish state would be destroyed. KBRM members wrote letters of protest and also submitted an article that was published in The Press on June 11:
....Minto wants us to believe that the Palestinians are blameless, suffering through no fault of their own. He ignores their mistakes, their terrorism, and the continuous animosity of surrounding Arab and Muslim countries against Israel and Jews.... We agree that New Zealand should ‘take up the cause of the Palestinians’, but the way to do it is not to destroy Israel.... We should say to the Palestinians, enough is enough; stop focusing on past perceived injustices (which differ on each side). Let us work together to build a better tomorrow where Palestinians and Jews can live side by side in peace and prosperity. (read more)
Web feedback
The article about the Tom Scott cartoon published in the Dominion Post elicited a number of letters from readers, sent via our web site. One letter was complimentary:
Congratulations for the rebuff to Tom Scott's anti-Semitic agitprop... Your activities seem a bit Quixotic in a situation when there is no media of even slightly different political persuasions in New Zealand... Anyway, those who go for presumably lost causes make this world better. You do. Thanks!
Other letters were critical, a major complaint being that KBRM is not for balanced reporting but is ‘pro-Israel’. Ironically, this complaint comes from people who protest when Israel's side of the story is presented. In fact, KBRM believes that both sides of the story should be presented in a balanced way - truthfully and accurately, and only enters the fray when this is not done. (read more)
Good fences make good neighbours
A Tom Scott cartoon in the Dominion Post and Taranaki Daily News depicted the Holy Land as one of the ‘great prisons of the world’, with the West Bank a ‘prison farm’ and Israel itself a ‘home detention’ (for Arabs). KBRM wrote an open letter to Tom Scott in protest.
Cartoonists are free to express any opinion they want, but as responsible journalists they should check the facts before they draw... The saying ‘good fences make good neighbours’ was devised for a reason. When your neighbour keeps invading your yard and killing your family, a fence is the least offensive (no pun intended) action you can take... (read more)
The article was printed in the Dominion Post with a headline that changed ‘good fences make good neighbours’ to ‘fencing out your good neighbours’, which has the opposite meaning. The article was accompanied by a third printing of the cartoon, and was buried under a huge anti-Israel article and photo.
US Presidential candidate visits Israel
John McCain, Republican candidate for the US presidency, visited Israel and was interviewed by the Jerusalem Post. KBRM sent the article to NZ newspaper editors as a newsworthy item:
“...If Hamas/Hizbullah succeeds here, they are going to succeed everywhere, not only in the Middle East, but everywhere. Israel isn't the only enemy,” Arizona Sen. McCain said, in the only interview he is giving to the Israeli media during his visit here. “They are dedicated to the extinction of everything that the US, Israel and the West believe and stand for. So America does have an interest in what happens here, far above and beyond our alliance with the State of Israel. ...” (read more)
The article was not published in any newspaper.
Australia celebrates Israel's 60th; New Zealand doesn't
On March 12, the Australian Parliament passed a bipartisan resolution celebrating Israel's 60th Anniversary and commending Israel for its achievements. KBRM asked PM Helen Clark and Opposition Leader John Key if the New Zealand Parliament planned anything similar. We also sent the acknowledgment speech by Israel's Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand to NZ editors. It was not published by any newspaper.
“I would like to thank the Prime Minister for introducing the motion in the Australian parliament. My country is not often spoiled with events like this one which extend a hand of partnership to the people of Israel. We enormously appreciate this act of friendship. I also want to thank Dr. Nelson and his party for agreeing to second the motion, and for their longstanding support. On many days you represent different sides of the aisle. I am glad that on the issue of Israel you have found common ground. It doesn't happen too often for us. It is refreshing to see Israel as a unifier ...” (read more)
No responses have been received as yet from either Ms Clark or Mr Key. The Ambassador's speech was not printed by any newspaper.
Who targets civilians?
Following Israel's incursion into Gaza, many headlines decried the number of civilians killed, but without mentioning the targeting of Israeli civilians by Palestinian rockets. KBRM obtained copyright permission from the Jerusalem Post for an editorial that was sent to NZ newspapers:
‘...Hamas tacticians cynically exploit Israel's humanitarian predisposition, trusting it to be too decent to discard its concern for the lives of Gazans —a concern that is the direct reverse of the willful intent of Gazan terrorists to cause as much death and destruction to as many Israeli civilians as they can ...’ (read more)
The editorial was not published in any newspaper.
A twisted headline
The Sunday Star-Times ran a Guardian article under the headline Israel warns of ‘holocaust’, implying a comparison of Israel's defensive actions against rocket attacks with the Jewish holocaust. KBRM sent the following letter to the editor:
‘Your headline gave a completely wrong impression. The Israeli defence official quoted used the word ‘shoah’ which, as the article itself makes clear, means ‘disaster’, as distinct from hashoah which refers to the holocaust... Your headline had it backwards. It is Hamas that has threatened and is trying to perpetrate a holocaust.’ (read more)
The letter was published with the second half omitted, making it seem like just a semantic complaint. The SST refused later appeals to print the rest of the letter.
Israel: the most integrated nation in the Mideast
In recent months there have been a number of charges of ‘apartheid’ levelled at Israel. (See, for example, the Dec. 24 posting about the John Minto column in The Press.) Rodney Brooks and Shimon Joffe of KBRM wrote an article that was sent to NZ newspapers:
‘In the entire Middle East there is but one country where all citizens have full and equal rights, regardless of religion or race. Ironically, this country is Israel, the one country accused of ‘apartheid’. Let us examine the supposed ‘facts’ on which this accusation is based ...’ (read more)
The only paper that published the article was The Press (Christchurch) on March 14.
Herald columnist calls Israel ‘a terrorist state’
Matt McCarten, a regular columnist for the Herald on Sunday, devoted his column to an attack on Israel, calling it ‘a terrorist state (that) is able to wage crimes on an innocent people’. The following week, to its credit, the newspaper published three letters in protest plus a response by the Israeli Ambassador, Yuval Rotem:
‘Would New Zealanders ask their Government to sit idly by while a terrorist organisation fires missiles on the towns of Tauranga or Hamilton?... It is asked only that New Zealanders put themselves in the shoes of Israelis for just one day, without a vast ocean to protect them ...’ (read more)
Analysis shows that NZ newspapers favour Palestinians
In its first full year of evaluating articles in NZ newspapers, KBRM managed to rate 450 items. These were the basis for the following analysis, which was disseminated to 25 NZ newspapers.
‘During 2007, coverage of the Israel/Palestinian conflict in New Zealand newspapers favoured the Palestinian side by a ratio of 2.4 to 1, according to Kiwis for Balanced Reporting on the Mideast (KBRM). This conclusion was reached after analysing 450 items in seven newspapers, including the New Zealand Herald, the Dominion Post, The Press, the Otago Daily Times, the Southland Times, the Northern Advocate and the Timaru Herald ...’ (read more)
The only newspaper that printed the article was the NZ Jewish Chronicle.