We’ve been despairing over the BBC’s Middle East reporting for donkey’s years, but it’s still pretty shocking to read what Israel’s outgoing press officer Danny Seaman has to say about the difficulties of dealing with both foreign and home-grown journalists.(Hat tip Elder of Ziyon)
Woe betide an outsider who joins in criticism of a beloved family member, because the same words assume a different cloak when the critic lacks intimacy, understanding or underlying affection for the subject.
However much one may deplore our current society’s mad morals or the leniency of our judiciary, running off to complain about these things to a bunch of hostile individuals who are vigorously pushing for Sharia or the end of democracy would not be the wisest move. Similarly, Israeli journalists should realise that criticisms suitable for internal debate turn toxic when picked up by ill-intentioned outsiders.
Too many left-wing Israelis, particularly recent émigrés from the UK, ferret out weaknesses in their new country and present impassioned articles to UK newspapers like the Guardian, which are on permanent standby, like a pack of vultures, ready willing and able to exploit every last drop. Much as both parties might like to pretend they are working for some greater good, the media’s misplaced moral posturing and the journalists’ betrayal simply amounts to malevolent meddling.
But worst of all is the foreign press. The sad fact is that reporters nowadays are basically ill-informed. They come with preconceived ideas, and are resistant to curiosity or objectivity. They know what story is required, and they are there to provide it. If they did not do so, their editors would find someone else who did.
Danny Seaman:
“Part of my problem with the foreign press – and I’ve been accused of being combative and feisty in fighting them – is that you have journalists coming in here not having the faintest idea of what is going on.”
“The narrative has shifted. They’ll adopt the Palestinian narrative. That has become the bon ton. They’ll talk about “the Palestinian right of return.” There is no such thing. They talk about what the Palestinians call “Israel’s violations of Oslo.” What exactly are they talking about? They have no knowledge about the facts.”
Israel has made many blunders in its dealings with the foreign press, and most of all this has resulted in allowing the Palestinians to triumph in the propaganda war. Anyone who doubts this should read “The Other War.” by Stephanie Gutmann. Reporters themselves and their bosses back home have already made up their minds whose word to believe and whose word to surround with scare quotes.
This could have been aimed specifically at the BBC:
“The media outfits that employ them are giving them automatic backing. And when the media doesn’t exercise its checks and balances, they’re failing in their job.”
…Israel is always active. Other things just “happen.” Missiles “rain down” on Israel. But where Israel is concerned, and I’m quoting from some media reports, they even adopt Nazi terminology: “Israel’s blitzkrieg.”Always using negatives and very aggressive terms.
“By contrast, the suffering Israel endures is always caused by some obscure [force]. It’s never quite clear what’s happening, and who is responsible. The number of ways that Israel is depicted negatively is, astoundingly, much greater than with Hizbullah. Hizbullah is a terrorist organization! It is considered so by every country in the world, including the United Nations. [Yet I found foreign media] to be taking their word, their narrative as fact.”
Lazy, ill-informed journalists regurgitate myths and lies. The BBC was once regarded as the world’s most respected news organ, today’s BBC rests on those laurels.
A recent “report” from Yemen by the Palestinianist Beeboid Jeremy Bowen exemplified this prejudice perfectly. Reporting from Yemen while purporting to examine the growth of Islamist terrorism what does Al Bowen choose for his illustrative quote from a Yemeni student?
“We are attracted to Islamist terror because of the Jews” (I paraphrase).
This is not just lazy journalism and feeble analysis: it is antisemitism, pure and simple.
Israel should declare the BBC a hostile conspiracy and kick all 8763539374545 hacks out. Let them go to Hamastan.
Dr John, if you are referring to this report:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11700080
then your ‘paraphrasing’ is a complete misrepresentation of what was said.
Your link didn’t work, but that comes as no great surprise. Please try again, as I would like to crush your Beeboid response in public.
My paraphrasing was accurate, and can be applied to just about every report that Al Bowen produces.
The man has an inherent bias against Israel and and a compulsive desire to promote Palestinianism in every report. Even reports from Yemen.
I don’t quite understand why the link goes all wonky, but if you copy and paste it into your browser it works ok.
I wouldn’t say its resting on those laurels, it’s using them like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
“They’ll see some phosphorus or they’ll see some smoke, and they’ll immediately adapt [what they’re told about it] without understanding from the military perspective why it’s being done.”
Just a bit of phosphorus; just a bit of smoke. Nothing to see here; move along…
Sue, did the above quote completely pass you by without even the slightest flick of an eyebrow?
Dez,
No, of course it didn’t pass me by, but I understood it and you didn’t.
Your comment suggests that you haven’t grasped what Danny Seaman is saying, that you know very little of Israel’s position, and most of all you are unwilling to consider the BBC’s part in forming your attitude to it.
I doubt whether you have thought much about your own reflexive hostility to myself and whatever I write in support of Israel.
Did you read my post properly? If so, you must have read it with such contempt and bad grace that you have as good as made my point for me.
Sue, forgive me but all I did was ask you a question.
To which your response was; I am of low understanding; been brainwashed by the BBC; have a “reflexive hostility”; and then moan about “contempt” and “bad grace”!
Anything but actually address the issue.
I presume you work for the stinking BBC?
Dr John,
I presume you presume a lot of things…
Best not to paraphrase. The link is broken (Why Latin America?)
Deegee, this is a sort of transcript:
Student:
“When we watch…. for example,,,,,,,, our bothers in other place being killed…… what do you expect our reaction will be? We watch a person who’s wearing the hat of Jews…or anything related to another religion…. so the picture we get is bad, so some young people they go to the wrong way. They try to get revenge…. all those people killed our brothers…. to get revenge, and this is the wrong way of course.
See if this link’s ok
Thank you Sue. QED.
Your comment Dez?
Actually it’s not; “what do you expect our reaction will be?” but; “what do you expect the reaction will be?”. Just one little word, but one which totally changes the context.
Thank you Sue for demonstrating how easy it is to mislead by accident; let alone if someone had the intent.
British have changed little since Ice Age, gene study says:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/07/0719_050719_britishgene.html
We should all grasp one essential fact — whatever the “press” says, be it horribly biased or reasonably objective, will not make an iota of difference to the momentum of events. We all know al-beeb sucks big time. But their vicious and ignorant rantings will change nothing.
P.S.
To Dez, if he happens to see this.
Like any other human being I abhor the idea of gratuitous use of illegal weapons deliberately aimed to inflict grave injury upon civilians. But I know that Israelis are not inherently evil, so I take into consideration the nature of the enemy’s methods of warfare, when I choose to believe the word of the IDF and the testimony of people like Col. Richard Kemp.
Did you know that the UN inadvertently disclosed that Israel’s record for civilian “collateral” casualties was a lot better than the international average?
Israel has carried out investigations (with updates) into Operation Cast Lead.
Gaza Operation Investigations: second update.
Introduction and Summary No.3.
“The Operation in Gaza Report also described the IDF’s efforts to ensure compliance with the Law of Armed Conflict during the Gaza Operation, despite the significant operational challenges posed by the tactics of Hamas—in particular Hamas’s intentional use of Palestinian civilians and civilian infrastructure as a cover for launching attacks, shielding combatants, and hiding weapons.”
White phosphorous/smoke screening munitions.
Chapter 5. UNWRA Field Office Compound.
Nos 92; 93; 94; 95; 96; 97.
(This is a PDF anyone can read.)
Although their use of white phosphorous was within the law, Israel has changed its policy for the future,
See this explanation of the IDF’s decisions from Arthur Lenk from the Israeli Ministry of Uppie-Downie Eyebrows.
People frequently put forward the much vaunted death-toll comparison as an indication that Palestinians are noble innocent victims and the Israelis are evil warmongers, but the same people recoil in indignation whenever the rockets from Gaza that deliberately target civilians are mentioned. “home-made rockets” they cry, or if the holocaust is mentioned – “Oh! The holocaust Industry!” they go, “Playing the holocaust card!”
The same crowd can’t get enough of Pallywood, because it fuels their misplaced righteous indignation.
People dismiss all pro Israel sentiment as chicanery by the Jewish or Israel Lobby, yet they are oblivious to shedloads of Saudi wealth that funds goodness knows what.
Your negative reaction to whatever I say is tiresome, but not unusual, and for that I hold the BBC largely responsible.
Yes, media like the BBC are largely responsible for the incessant brainwashing of an ignorant public but Dez and company bear at least equal responsibility for falling for it.
I’m wondering how much resistance, if any, the Dezes of this world put up to the portrayal of the Israelis as evil incarnate. I guess they just happily allow their brains to be whirled around in the BBC’s washing machine.
Hello BBBC`ers.I`ve been visiting this site for quite a while and I must say that it is mostly brilliant stuff.
However,I do feel that you have a very noticeable pro-Israeli bias.
Please accept an alternative viewpoint:
Many thanks.
Welcome
I disagree totally with what your link says about the Gaza flotilla. But as you suggest – alternative viewpoints should be presented.
And that is the core problem with the BBC. On so many issues, they stick to their “party line” – and suppress alternative viewpoints.
But – welcome anyway! Please keep contributing.
“An alternative viewpoint?”
That video is propagandist crap – of the total and utter variety. And it has attracted extreme Jew-haters – as can be seen from the comments.
“Internet killed Israeli PR?” Wishful thinking on the part of Israel’s enemies. In fact, they have no answer to the video that went around the world of the “peace activists” beating the Israel commandos to the deck with metal bars and throwing one to the lower deck. It is clear who started the violence.
When the commandos tried to board again, this time by boat, they were prevented from doing so. They had no choice but to shoot their way onto that ship to get to their comrades, who were being held captive below, and, for all they knew, were being beaten to death.
Here’s a funny video that tells the real story of the motivation of Israel’s enemies:
I liked the original better.
Your video is stupid. Internet killed Israeli PR? As True Too points out, it was the video ‘on the internet’ that made Israeli PR redundant by showing what really happened, you fool.
Anyway, as you’re a guest I’ll be kind, but it doesn’t take a genius to work out that some of us are pro Israel. So what? You should get enough of the alternatve viewpoint you want in the form of anti Israel propaganda on the BBC, and if you’re not satsfied with that, allow me to recommend the Guardian.