How Biased Media Manipulates the
Facts
12/01/2009
YVONNE RIDLEY on 09 January, 2009
THE media coverage of the war in Gaza by Western
television companies is largely unfair and biased
because of a refusal to show viewers the real images of
the victims. One of the reasons for this is Israel's
decision not to allow the Western media in to Gaza.
In addition to this outrageous censorship by a so-called
democracy, we get the usual arguments that most of the
images shown by the Arab media are too shocking to show
the viewing public in the West.
Admittedly, the horrific clip sent to me of a child's
head lying detached, among debris in Gaza did make me
gasp.
But this is war and this is real and if the Western
media did show these sort of images may be the general
public would wake up to the full horrors of what happens
when bombs are dropped on civilian populations.
There is no such reticence in the Arab media which is
why more people with satellites are switching on to
television from the Middle East to watch the unfolding
genocide in Gaza.
And one rising media star is the fledgling Press TV,
broadcast from Iran, and recently introduced to the Sky
platform 515. It is fast becoming the first station of
choice for the viewing public - especially the
English-speaking across Europe - who simply want the
truth, no matter who shocking or unpalatable it may be.
There are around half a dozen Palestinian journalists on
the ground with Press TV crews revealing the full
horrors of the war as20it unfolds. I am amazed by their
dedication and courage and I salute each and every one
of them ... some are my personal friends.
Yes, I do present a show for20the station, but I have
also worked as a journalist for more than three decades
covering conflicts and their aftermaths from The
Falklands, first and second Gulf wars, the Irish
Troubles, as well as Palestine, Afghanistan and Iraq for
a variety of print and electronic media.
And one thing common in each conflict is the constant
battle by journalists and war correspondents to get to
the truth of the matter, but the battle to tell the
truth is becoming more and more difficult despite the
amazing technology now available.
People in powerful places who do terrible things do not
want the truth to get out, which is why journalists are
finding themselves banned or censored more and more.
You see the truth is a very strong and influential
weapon which can be used against those people.
Sadly when it is twisted and manipulated it can wreak
even more havoc.
The Israeli war machine is master full in its complete
distortion of the truth which is why the state continues
to go unpunished for its failure to adhere to the Geneva
convention concerning the collective punishment of the
citizens of Gaza.
Israeli tactics are cruel, malicious and demonstrate
that its leaders are not interested in the peace process
or a Palestinian State.
They are creating the ideal breeding ground for
extremism, sabotaging peace efforts and squandering the
good will they have been given.
Five years ago, the Bush administration lied about
weapons of mass destruction ... it was a lie eagerly
repeated by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to
fool the media into supporting an illegal, immoral
invasion of Iraq. And it worked.
To their eternal shame, most of the western media fell
in line and swallowed the lie - with the exception of a
few journalists most have kept quiet about this
collective cock up. The New York Times did issue a front
page apology later, but the damage had been done and
public perception was difficult to change.
Sadly, many of the same news organisations and the same
journalists have learned nothing from that shameful
period. At the beginning of this war, Israel trotted out
only the flimsy excuse of the Hamas rockets as
justification for unleashing its brand of Shock and Awe
in Gaza.
Hamas rockets have killed just over 20 Israelis since
2001 whereas Israel's war on Gaza has killed more than
700 including more than 200 children in the last 13
days. The seriously maimed and injured is running in to
thousands as I write.
But the 'Hamas rocket' excuse went unchallenged in the
West, although to its full credit the Israeli media
revealed20days later that Operation Cast Lead was a
long-planned campaign six months in the making aimed at
crushing democratically elected Hamas.
Yes, I admit the rockets do exist but they are nothing
more than metal barrels of junk fuelled by fertiliser.
As one colleague remarked they're mere slingshots
compared to the shells, million dollar missiles and
bunker-busting bombs used by Israel.
Some argue the Qassam rockets are used out of
desperation, I personally think they're more of a
two-fingered gesture from a people who have suffered a
brutal, medieval siege at the hands of Israel for years.
Despite its amazing war machine, and its
state-of-the-art-technology these little rockets rarely
show up on any military radars. The Israelis don't know
about them until they've landed and that's what hacks
them off.
Yet Israeli leaders and their supporters continue to
present absurd propaganda about Hamas rockets which are
far less sophisticated than anything the IRA ever used
in mainland Britain during the height of The Troubles.
Mind you, the IRA was funded and backed by US dollars
whereas the Hamas military wing has no such generous
donors.
I don't recall the British Government ordering cruise
missiles to be launched on Belfast in retaliation for
the misery and suffering of IRA bombing campaigns in
London, Manchester, Birmingham and other places. I can't
ever recall Apache Attack Helicopters hovering outside
the Sinn Fein offices in the Falls Road or targetted
assassinations of IRA leaders.
Most journalists with an ounce of investigation skills
would realise that the Hamas Rocket excuse is a sham.
But it continues to be used as an excuse for unleashing
what has been described by various people, including
Jewish peace activists, as a holocaust and genocide.
Millions across the world have demonstrated - anger and
anarchy on the streets has been witness across all
continents but the only ones who look away are the
Western leaders and the servile media.
The gaggle of belly-dancing Middle Eastern leaders are
largely a disgrace and are about as much use as the
increasingly toothless United Nations, but there is a
backlash coming and it's coming from ordinary citizens
across the world.
People power, the sort of power which inspired the
Iranian and Cuban revolutions, the toppling of brutal
dictators like Romania's Nicolae Ceausescu and the
tearing down of the Berlin Wall, is emerging.
The Western media can either catch up with the agenda
instead of trying to follow the Zionist agenda by
continuing to peddle big lies. The viewing public have
largely lost trust in the mainstream media, especially
in the wake of Iraq.
Quite simply, the public has become cynical and jaded
and can not be lied to any more. if the mainstream media
is to regain any credibility journalists need to
challenge israeli and Western leaders.
The truth is a powerful we apon and it is true that...
ISRAEL targets civilians - more than two thirds of the
dead are women and children. So why allow Tzipi Livni to
say: "Gaza Strip being controlled by Hamas, and the
price is being paid by Israeli children and Palestinian
children, but the blame is and the address is Hamas."
This is a clear lie. What Israeli children have been
killed? The only dead children are in Gaza.
Hamas is a political organisation which has a military
wing and not the other way around. It was democratically
elected by the people who were sick of the previous
corrupt politicians who let them down.
Israel broke the ceasefire on November 4 2008 - a fact
finally acknowledged on CNN nearly two months later in a
discussion show although the BBC, Fox and other western
media have yet to mention this.
Hamas does not use civilians as human shields - again,
where is the evidence? Israel needs to put up or shut
up, but the media never demands to see the evidence.
Israel says it cares about civilians and warns them in
advance of the bombing raids in their area - well so did
the IRA but I don't remember anyone congratulating them
on their humanitarian actions.
And beware of the latest lie about to hit the media
about Hamas commander Mahmoud Zahar who, according to
the Zionist propaganda said jewish children across the
world are targets. A guest columnist in The Guardian
quoted Zahar as saying: "The Zionists have legitimised
the killing of their children by killing our children.
They have legitimised the killing of their people all
over the world by killing our people."
This is not what he said. Unfortunately the Arabic
translation was incorrect and those who should know
better have failed to check the original speech against
the transcript.
The damage has now been done and it remains to see if an
apology or correction will follow.
As Sir Winston Churchill said: "A lie is halfway round
the world before the truth has a chance to get its boots
on."
*Yvonne Ridley presents The Agenda show on Press TV
every Thursday. She and film-maker Haq Nawaz recently
returned from Gaza for a documentary which will be shown
on Press TV later this spring. To watch Press TV live
without satellite download www.presstv.comShe regularly
contributes to DailyMuslims.com