Thu, 01/08/2009 - 8:43am — Xenophon
Interesting observation by Craig Murray former British Ambassador to the Central
Asian Republic of Uzbekistan. He writes:
I watched BBC World News for a timed hour yesterday. In that time I saw:
Pro-Israeli (including US government) speakers - 17
Pro-Palestinian speakers - 2Mentions of Hamas Rockets as reason for war - 37
Mentions of illegal Israeli settlements - 0
Mentions of Palestinians killed by Israel during "ceasefire" - 2
Mentions of Sderot - 12
Mentions Sderot used to be Palestinian - 0 Link
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What do you think would be the Beeb's reply
If asked about the, for lack of a better word, "imbalance"?
Shhh!
We're not supposed to talk about it.
The charge of anti semitism of course (IMHO).
The Corrente I/P Group, united as always, examines the
groupthink of the BBC. Deflect/project much?
JFK has been shot, we miss him a lot
He always knew what to do
-- Philly Cream
Huh?
How many levels of irony are there, here?
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
More than I intended, I suspect.
But I did not mean to include you or vl in that group.
JFK has been shot, we miss him a lot
He always knew what to do
-- Philly Cream
Actuall, Xeno is (with a rather small sample, to be sure)
Backing up one of my core anecdotal assumptions, which is that mainstream media outlets (though I hadn't considered the scope going as far as the UK), as well as almost all Congresscritters, are biased against Palestine (or at least they play a good game of being so, lest their local groupthinkers treat them as heretics).
It's no wonder
that Atrios has always avoided this discussion. No one's getting anywhere here.
Disappointing that this issue can't be discussed rationally, but not surprising. It's the personal attacks, however, that could be avoided. Come on, guys.
Let's try gun ownership next. :)
Haw
It's actually a lot better than many I/P threads I've seen.
When people start focusing on the complex and the concrete, and tell their own stories, it gets interesting. When people reproduce the official narrative, it goes off the rails. Quelle surprise.
Yeah, I know Atrios's I/P policy. Good reasons for it... But this has been interesting so far, so if people are willing to continue....
Re, personal attacks: It's a tough call. At some point, I admit I flip the bozo bit, but I try to do it based on the style of argumentation rather than the position taken. And after thousands of posts and a debate background I consider myself qualified to do so ;-) But at some point le style, c'est l'homme or la femme as the case may be.
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
I've no doubt it could be
lots worse. The attacks do get in the way, but it has been interesting to read the different comments. This situation can be, if not resolved, then made better. It's a lose/lose situation for both factions if it continues like this. There will be no winners. Maybe the majority want it like this, but I doubt it. Pointing fingers is lazy, diverts attention from the issue, and won't solve anything.
So everyone can keep fighting, or calm down, take a deep breath, and think of the children.
Peace.
nothing I-P on CNN all afternoon --
not even a mention so far these past 3 hours.
as if it's over or not happening still at all.
ah--now finally a little report on CNN--
after long stories on Obama's crackberry and "where's Dean?" and IL nonsense.
& the UN had to stop aid bec Israel's attacking them --
UN suspends Gazan aid operation --
Um, hit by attacks?
How about killed by attacks?
I guess the guy forgot his Red Cross protective device.
Guardian's better -- that was BBC --
Israel criticised after 'shocking' discovery of exhausted children :
• Red Cross finds children next to bodies of their mothers
• UN suspends aid shipments after truck driver is killed
"Israel has not yet achieved all of its goals"
-- Olmert today -- Haaretz --
Olmert: IDF has not yet achieved all its goals in Gaza offensive
Groupthinking
Since we're talking about groupthink may I just offer that while following groupthink to its conclusion and end is never a good thing, that the groupthink of the powerful is almost always more dangerous to humanity than the groupthink by the powerless? It's why I think that trying to equate the two (if even you believe that groupthink exists substantially and in the mainstream of both sides of the particular issue of Israel/Palestine, and I don't), or focusing mostly on the groupthink of the "out" group, is unhelpful to discussion at the very least. To me, it'd be like focusing on the errors of the Harper's Ferry raid or questioning the nobleness of the raid, while ignoring or glossy over the much greater evil of the environment of the failed society of the time in which the raid took place.
But, we've always been at war with Eastasia...
truth
The problem is that we don't know all the truth. Media can be "imbalanced" but balance is not equal to the truth. They say only what they want to say.
Mark
whats my ip address