[antimedia] antimedia: After reading through this editorial....

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Posted by antimedia:
After reading through this editorial....
http://www.antimedia.us/posts/1154898405.shtml


   ....I'm convinced there is [1]no hope for our media. None whatsoever.
   They have managed to put themselves in the position of a moral
   superior for whom actual results of actions taken are much less
   relevant than the supposedly greater moral issuse of right and wrong.
   This will be long, but it's necessary.

     The American press has been reluctant to criticize Israelâs role in
     the economic collapse and civilian humanitarian disaster in Lebanon
     resulting from the latest border conflict between Hezbollah and
     Israel. A possible explanation for this: Israel is viewed as an
     ally of the United States, regardless of one's political
     orientation. But this conflict, as with most in the Middle East,
     also comes with some confusing variables.

   Imagine a world where a writer would actually write this, "The press
   has been reluctant to criticize Iran's role......" Imagine is all you
   will ever do, because it will never happen.
   That's sad, to put it mildly.

     Secondly, perhaps in this country's subconscious is the guilty
     knowledge that having ignored the Arab-Israeli crisis, by taking
     our eye off the ball during the last six years, the United States
     has indirectly helped to spur on this latest military situation.

   Try to imagine -- if we just hadn't invaded Afghanistan and Iraq,
   Hezbollah might not have attacked Israel. Come on. I know you can
   imagine it. All we have to do is accept our losses on 9/11 and keep
   "our eye on the ball". What that ball is, is left as an exercise for
   the reader.

     Still another problem exists in light of the fact that Hamas and
     Hezbollah, not to mention Al Qaeda and other "terror" groups, often
     utilize civilian abodes to both hide and fire their extremely
     mobile rocket weaponry. These are moral and ethical questions,
     which will continue to plague all disputes, which are fought
     between legitimate governments and non-state actors.

   You know those "terrorists" (we have to use the quotes, because one
   man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter, don't you know?)
   really force some difficult moral decisions. Should we fight them when
   we know civilians will be killed? Or should we simply let them kill
   the civilians? At least in the latter case our hands would be clean,
   and we could claim moral superiority.
   Of course, the women and children would still be dead, but hey!, it
   wouldn't be our fault! Later on, when they kill us, we can at least
   die with a clean conscience.

     Although the American and the Jewish press in the U.S. have, for
     the most part, failed to be critical of Israel during the most
     recent actions, it is important to point out that in the Israeli
     press and in Israeli society this is not the case at all. In Israel
     there has been vigorous discussion and debate in the press and on
     the streets regarding the government's actions since the conflict
     began. Unfortunately, that too has not been pointed out in the
     American press, left or right.

   You see, as a journalist, it's a failure not to criticize your
   government, no matter the circumstances. Feel good stories, and
   pointing out where your government is doing well? You have to be
   kidding!
   Criticizing Hezbollah, on the other hand, well, anybody can do that.
   Besides, that's the job of the Lebanese press, not us.

     The war and its impact on hundreds of thousands, the call up of the
     civilian army, the fact that more than one million people from the
     north of the country have been evacuated from their homes and are
     refugees in the south, and the standstill to which the economy has
     arrived, are all byproducts of the war at home for Israel. In
     addition, Israeli civilians are being killed by the untargeted
     rocket attacks, and of course military casualties are being taken
     as well. In spite or perhaps because of all of the above, the
     latest polls find the Israeli public still overwhelmingly
     supporting the government. This is a result of plain old-fashioned
     citizen fear which is overwhelming concerns about longterm
     âblowbackâ or other political or tactical considerations.

   Those rockets raining down on your head have a way of focusing your
   thoughts on the wrong things. It's so easy to become zenophobic and
   blame Hezbollah for that and forget that, if Israel didn't exist, none
   of this would be happening.
   See how much clarity you can have when you're not directly involved?
   That's our job, you know, to help bring clarity to people under
   duress, so they don't lose sight of what's important!

     But regardless of oneâs opinion about Israelâs actions, the
     American press can learn from the puzzling fact that Israel's
     press, which is in the middle of the muddle, appears to be
     exercising its rights of self-criticism regarding its own country's
     actions. This is not surprising when one notes that an openly
     skeptical press is critical to keeping a public dialogue, and
     therefore a functioning democracy, going -- something which the
     U.S. wasn't treated to very often during the period prior to, or in
     the early years, of our own ongoing military adventures in Iraq,
     and now in regards to the Israel/Hezbollah conflict.

   You have to understand. As journalists, it isn't our job to make you
   feel good about your country or to report the news, we have an
   absolute right to criticize your government (and by extension, you,
   because, after all, this is a democracy and you did elect these
   leaders!) and no one should criticize us for criticizing you.
   Criticizing Hezbollah? That's the job of the Lebanese press, not us!
   Keep your priorities straight!

References

   1. http://editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/shoptalk_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002950479&imw=Y