Democratic Underground - Media Bias in the Tsunami Relief

I don't know if this is the right place to post this - or if there is a right place. The following article is a bit inflammatory in its rhetoric, but I think it has a valid point: media bias. No country or politician is above reproach, but surely humanitarian efforts should be recognized. Israel has long been in the forefront of such efforts. (By the way, as far as I know, the International Red Cross allows the Red Crescent to participate in its relief efforts, but not the Red Magen David.)

If this is inappropriate, I apologize in advance.

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Click on Mike Levine for info on him.
Sent: Monday, January 10, 2005 1:16 PM

J'accuse!

by <http://www.israelnn.com/author.php?id=292> Mike Levine

Jan 09, '05 / 28 Tevet 5765

I, Mike Levine, citizen of Israel and the United States, accuse you, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, the Denver Post, the Atlanta Constitution, CNN, the Times of London, and thousands of other newspapers and TV networks worldwide. I accuse you of gross bias against, and naked hatred towards, the Jewish state of Israel.

For years, most of you have shown a clear bias in favor of the Arab Muslims and Palestinians, taking every opportunity to demonize Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, and the only Jewish state in the world. But in the past two weeks, you have raised your hatred to a new high, while your journalistic standards have fallen to new lows.

While coverage of the earthquake and tsunami in Asia has been extensive, and your reporting of international fundraising and rescue efforts has been massive, you wrote hardly a word about the fact that Israel was one of the very first to offer substantial aid and send medical rescue missions to the stricken areas. Within hours, planeloads of well-trained rescue people and experienced trauma doctors were on their way.

Israel is one of the tiniest nations on earth, with a total population far less than many cities of the world, yet, in the first hours following the earthquake and flooding, Israel assembled hundreds of doctors and other medical personnel, many planeloads of medical supplies, tents, food, blankets, even baby diapers. While other, much larger, much richer nations, were still rubbing their eyes in disbelief, Israel was already setting up many aid stations in the worst hit areas.

Nor did you report the unbelievably hateful refusal of Sri Lanka, and Muslim states, to accept the entry of Jewish medical and rescue personnel, although they did cynically accept the supplies and equipment sent by Israel.

I accuse world media of gross incompetence. I accuse world media of abrogation of journalistic integrity. I accuse world media of sheer and transparent prejudice against Israel and the Jews. I accuse world media of pandering to the Islamic nations' hatred of anything Jewish.

Only a few publications outside Israel mentioned the major contribution being made by Israel. Only a very few pointed out that Israel's per capita contribution of manpower, equipment, supplies and money was the highest in the world.

Only a few bothered to mention that only a tiny trickle of aid was offered by all of the world's Muslim nations, nations sitting on half of the world's oil reserves, nations raking in billions of dollars daily, nations whose elite live lives of such opulence as can hardly be imagined by most of the world's masses.

Saudi Arabia sat unmoved for a week while the world scrambled to raise funds and send massive aid, then magnanimously pledged a measly ten million dollars, a pledge which has yet to be paid. Imagine, this from a brother Muslim state, a state that provided families of Palestinian suicide bombers with $150,000,000 (one hundred fifty million dollars) during the past year alone.

Kuwait, the second richest Muslim nation, pledged an equally paltry ten million.

You people in Chicago - did you read any of this in your newspapers? How about you good people in Dallas? Paris? Berlin? Melbourne? Did any of you read or hear of Israel's incredible generosity of spirit, manpower and money? Did you read one editorial praising the fact that the Jewish state unselfishly came to the immediate aid of Muslim nations that have long called for the destruction of Israel?

No, chances are you did not. Maybe you ought to let your editors know how you feel about their treatment of Israel and the Jewish people. Because if you don't speak out, they will continue to believe no one gives a damn about Israel, they will continue speaking of Israel only in negative terms, writing only about how the Jewish state mistreats the Palestinians and their terrorists.

Join me when I say to world media loud and clear: J'accuse!

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