Matti Friedman’s devastating critique of news coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict has inspired another media veteran to weigh in. “There is much that Matti Friedman writes that resonates,” writes former BBC correspondent Richard Miron, mentioning specifically “the disproportionate coverage that Israel receives, and the way that the foreign media has broadly speaking accepted a narrative of the conflict which prescribes given roles to Israel (as the guilty party) and the Palestinians (as the victims).”

While the entire piece is well worth a read — find it on Miron’s blog here (or at Haaretz here) — one of the more disheartening bits is his conclusion that any improvement in the media’s performance would require a degree of self-criticism that has generally been absent among journalists:

the (Western) media must also account for itself and for its own conduct including apparent omissions and failures in the reporting of the conflict. It must question where reporting may have ended and emoting began, if it held Israel to a standard apart from all others, and why it allowed Hamas a free pass in controlling the flow of information. Its coverage had consequences in fuelling the passions (and hatred) of many on the streets of Paris, London and elsewhere towards Israel, and by extension towards Jews.

The media is instinctively averse from turning the lens of scrutiny upon itself, and will – in all likelihood – veer away from any self-examination. It is better at calling out the wrong-doing of others, than admitting to its own faults. But whatever it chooses to do or not, the picture it painted of Gaza 2014 and its consequences are already etched in the consciousness of many around the world, and will serve as a further chapter in this never ending story.

Miron has clearly seen this “aversion” to self-examination as an insider, just as CAMERA has occasionally (though not universally) seen in our decades of holding the media accountable. But the situation is not hopeless. We’ve also seen that when the internal voice for improvement is missing, the collective voice of a public that insists on accuracy and fairness can and must take its place as a needed impetus for change.

Sept. 2 Update: LA Times Corrects Inflated Figure for Gaza’s Civilian Casualties

Some media outlets have accepted as fact overstated Palestinian casualty figures. But, last month, The Los Angeles Times went a step further, inflating Gaza’s civilian casualties beyond even what Palestinian sources have claimed.

Laura King reported Aug. 21 (“Hamas denies Israel airstrike in Gaza killed elusive leader“):

According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, 2,168 Gazans were killed in the conflict since July 8, of which, says the PCHR, 76.6 percent, or 1,662, were civilians. According to the Palestinian Al Mezan organization, 1,666 out of a total of 2,168 Gaza fatalities were civilian. The U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs claims that out of a total of 2104 casualties, 1,462 were civilians.

Thus, according the U.N., in addition to Palestinian sources, King’s figure is greatly exaggerated.

Moreover, Israel disputes the Palestinian and U.N. figures, saying almost half of those Gazans killed were combatants.

In a subsequent article, King did accurately report on the disputed casualty figures. She commendably wrote August 25:

About 2,100 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in this round of fighting, most of them civilians, according to the United Nations, but Israel says hundreds were fighters for Hamas or other militant groups.

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