Ynet Treats Radical Activist Silverstein as Credible Source
Another mainstream media outlet cites radical anti-Israel activist and blogger Richard Silverstein as a source for secret information about Israel. First it was the New York Times. Today it’s Ynet, which reports:
US blogger Richard Silverstein said Saturday that Israel was the mastermind behind the blast the killed at least 17 people at an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps base near Tehran.
In his blog, Tikun Olam, Silverstein quotes an Israeli expert as saying that the Mossad was responsible for the explosion, in collaboration with the Iranian militant opposition group Mojahedin-e-Khalq.
Of course, there is the possibility that Israel is behind the Iranian explosion. But why would a news outlet quote an extremist blogger, with a troubled record on the facts, who cites an undisclosed source? What is the news value in that? Ynet does not even bother to identify Silverstein for the anti-Israel radical that he is.
Ynet reports that “Silverstein noted that his source ‘has never been wrong so far in the reports he’s offered.'” So if an extremist blogger, who comes to the defense of Hamas and has a credibility problem of his own, vouches for the credibility of his unnamed source, we’re supposed to be impressed?
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