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January 05, 2009
BBC Journalist: 'Grill' the Israelis
Jordan Times reports today:
BBC Radio Amman correspondent Saad Hattar said a professional journalist, however, should not ignore any side of a conflict, adding that reporters should “grill�? Israeli officials who hold "destructive" ideas.
"Talk to them, grill them and try to convince them that what they are doing is wrong," he told The Jordan Times, adding that reporters should confront Israelis with facts, such as the percentage of civilians among victims of the weeklong attack, which UNRWA officials in Jerusalem place at around 25 per cent.
Got that? "Grill" the Israelis, but not the Palestinians. With them, pass over the Palestinian decision to launch attacks on Israel from Gaza instead of engaging in nation-building in the territory that the Israelis left behind and pass over Hamas' use of homes, mosques and hospitals to store weapons.
The BBC's Hattar is not the only journalist in Jordan who advocates "serving the Palestinian cause":
"In such a situation, professionalism should be placed aside and the national mood should take priority," former president of the Jordan Press Association Tareq Momani told The Jordan Times, noting that Israeli officials’ remarks and statements “portray the victims as criminals".
But Hatter perhaps me be the only journalist working for a Western media outlet who openly admits his partisanship.
Posted by TS at January 5, 2009 03:17 AM
Comments
The Palestinians obviously have no interest in nation building. How is it they have money for countless rockets and missles to fire at Israel, but they live in so called "refugee camps" and claim to have no food? If they spent a fraction of the time that they spend trying to destroy Israel on nation building instead, they might actually have decent lives and be able to participate with the rest of the world community and make something of themselves.
Posted by: david at January 5, 2009 09:24 PM
The Palestinians obviously have no intention of nation building, at least as a neighbour to Israel. How is it they have money to fire countless missles and rockets at Israel, but they claim to have food shortages and terrible living conditions? If they spend the money on infrastructure instead of missles and rockets, wouldn't they be much better off? They would also be able to make good lives for themselves if they spent even a fraction of the time they spend on trying to destroy Israel instead of nation building on the land that they DO have.
Posted by: KingDavid ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://blog.camera.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at January 5, 2009 09:29 PM
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