Israel and the Media
Gideon Meir, deputy director-general for media and public affairs at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote the following in today’s Jerusalem Post:
The justice of Israel’s case is not rooted in simplistic slogans but in more complex arguments based on history, logic and security interests – but the public abroad is not so ready to invest its time and energy in trying to understand this …
…it is not Israel’s spokespeople who determine the priorities, agenda, and views of the media, but the media itself. It can be clearly shown how in many ways, over the years, the media has increasingly become a third party to the conflict – not just an objective observer and reporter, but an active interpreter and participant with its own biases, stakes and way of doing things.
We agree. The Ministry understands, as does CAMERA, that the media plays an incalculable role in conveying — or suppressing — such “complex arguements.” If the public is “not so ready to invest its time and energy in trying to understand,” it means they rely on what they’re told by newspapers, internet, tv and radio. For that reason, it’s vital that the media get it right. That’s what CAMERA is about.
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