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Hissyspit

(45,788 posts)
Wed Jul 23, 2014, 08:32 PM Jul 2014

Jeremy Scahill: Media Has Failed to Cover ‘Massive Massacre’ in Gaza

http://www.mediaite.com/online/jeremy-scahill-media-has-failed-to-cover-massive-massacre-in-gaza

Jeremy Scahill: Media Has Failed to Cover ‘Massive Massacre’ in Gaza

by Matt Wilstein | 6:32 pm, July 23rd, 2014 VIDEO

According to The Intercept’s Jeremy Scahill, “We’ve hit all time lows with media coverage in this country.” The journalist appeared on HuffPost Live Wednesday to discuss media coverage of the conflict between Israel and Hamas and issued some sharp criticism to U.S. press outlets that he says are producing nearly one-sided coverage.

“When you look at what’s happening right now in Gaza, this is a massive massacre and one epic series of war crime after war crime, child after child being killed,” Scahill told host Alyona Minkovski. “And most news organizations are forced to acknowledge that the Palestinians and its children and whole families are being killed. They’re forced to because cameras are there; they’re forced to because there are reporters on the ground reporting on that.”

But, he added, “if you step back and you look at the way that this is always framed over these weeks of Israel’s constant bombardment of Gaza, it’s as though Hamas and Israel are sort of two equal military powers fighting one another.” Considering Israel has its Iron Dome missile-defense system in place to protect its citizens, Scahill said this was a fundamentally incorrect.

- snip -

“Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli propagandists are largely given carte blanche to say what they want on American television with very little push back,” Scahill said.

VIDEO AT LINK
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Jeremy Scahill: Media Has Failed to Cover ‘Massive Massacre’ in Gaza (Original Post) Hissyspit Jul 2014 OP
All major US media is Fox News when it comes to Israel. BillZBubb Jul 2014 #1
You got that right. earthside Jul 2014 #2
They have censorship right here if you do not show "Israel awe" Billy Budd Jul 2014 #4
It was a few days ago very reactionary, until the body count piled up and the media got hold Fred Sanders Jul 2014 #19
There are still a few who wear blinders atreides1 Jul 2014 #23
Gee I Wonder Why billhicks76 Jul 2014 #3
This time Scahill (or) Wilstein is full of it agentS Jul 2014 #5
I agree to an extent. There has been a slight shift in their coverage, probably more sabrina 1 Jul 2014 #6
+ BlancheSplanchnik Jul 2014 #17
''I don't know why but I'm guessing that the neocons are beginning to lose control of this country'' DeSwiss Jul 2014 #24
This post was like music. bravenak Jul 2014 #26
TV is the point RobertEarl Jul 2014 #7
Yes, people form impressions from what they see on TV far more than what is in the sabrina 1 Jul 2014 #8
I agree. nm rhett o rick Jul 2014 #9
And the other press? RobertEarl Jul 2014 #10
Well, you must know by now that I abhor the Corporate Media. If I watch them sabrina 1 Jul 2014 #12
It is the Hamas militia, just calling them "Hamas" is equalization propaganda,but you already knew Fred Sanders Jul 2014 #20
They treat TV viewers and Web readers as separate audiences cprise Jul 2014 #22
Of course they have.. our M$M US Mediawhore$ are our enemies and a crime unto them$elve$. Cha Jul 2014 #11
I consider Al Jazeera and the Guardian my TBF Jul 2014 #13
100% correct - death toll in Gaza passed 700 overnight malaise Jul 2014 #14
+1 NealK Jul 2014 #28
the ruling class who profits from this war must not be made to feel uncomfortable whereisjustice Jul 2014 #15
There are laws in this country that forbid any actions against Israel...no sanctions, no boycotts of kelliekat44 Jul 2014 #16
Kicked and recommended. Uncle Joe Jul 2014 #18
K & R !!! WillyT Jul 2014 #21
K&R DeSwiss Jul 2014 #25
If people on a message board, most of whom are not in anyway effected by Israel/Hamas war randys1 Jul 2014 #27
Middle ground? Hissyspit Jul 2014 #30
K&R NealK Jul 2014 #29

BillZBubb

(10,650 posts)
1. All major US media is Fox News when it comes to Israel.
Wed Jul 23, 2014, 08:37 PM
Jul 2014

They are pro-Israeli propaganda outlets, pure and simple.

earthside

(6,960 posts)
2. You got that right.
Wed Jul 23, 2014, 08:47 PM
Jul 2014

And it is also interesting how many 'liberals' and 'progressives' become born-again neocons when it comes to Israel.

 

Billy Budd

(310 posts)
4. They have censorship right here if you do not show "Israel awe"
Wed Jul 23, 2014, 10:53 PM
Jul 2014

If you do not show proper respect on this site to the "Holy and Awesome " State of Israel ...the get a jury out ...its something that I am laughing at folks who do that .... I dared to call Israel "Isra-hell"...this post now will also be censored I feel...its weird because I thought this site was not neocon oriented ...its a reactionary place when it comes to Israel...

Fred Sanders

(23,946 posts)
19. It was a few days ago very reactionary, until the body count piled up and the media got hold
Thu Jul 24, 2014, 03:02 PM
Jul 2014

of the "telegenically dead", now not so much.

atreides1

(16,047 posts)
23. There are still a few who wear blinders
Thu Jul 24, 2014, 05:15 PM
Jul 2014

And will never admit that what the IDF is doing is wrong...and they always fall back on that key talking point "Israel has the right to defend itself"!

It's unfortunate that those people never seem to think that the Palestinians have that same right!

agentS

(1,325 posts)
5. This time Scahill (or) Wilstein is full of it
Wed Jul 23, 2014, 11:22 PM
Jul 2014
“if you step back and you look at the way that this is always framed over these weeks of Israel’s constant bombardment of Gaza, it’s as though Hamas and Israel are sort of two equal military powers fighting one another.” Considering Israel has its Iron Dome missile-defense system in place to protect its citizens, Scahill said this was a fundamentally incorrect.


A quick peek at the headlines on Google News:
Reuters:
Gaza bloodshed deepens as airlines shun Israel Gaza fighting raged on Wednesday, displacing thousands more Palestinians in the battered territory as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said efforts to secure a truce between Israel and Hamas had made some progress.

New York Times:
Foreign Correspondents in Israel Complain of Intimidation As the death toll mounts and passions spike, the Foreign Press Association in Israel condemned on Wednesday what it called “deliberate official and unofficial incitement against journalists” who are reporting on the fighting in Gaza. That includes “forcible attempts to prevent journalists and TV crews from carrying out their news assignments,” the association said.

Time:
Why Obama Wants Israel to 'Do More' About Civilian Deaths And why Israel doesn't like it
As the death toll in Gaza escalates, so does the pressure from Washington on Israel to limit the killing. President Obama has conveyed his “concern” about Palestinian civilian casualties to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Hell of a pinpoint operation,” John Kerry sardonically cracked on Sunday. Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told CNN Tuesday that Israel appears to be “over doing it,” and is hurting its “moral authority.”

CNN:
As global powers push Gaza cease-fire, one mother reaches out As the bloody battles pushed up tragic death tolls on both sides, world powers held a flurry of diplomatic meetings Wednesday aimed at halting the fighting in Gaza.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders as well as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, while several Middle Eastern nations worked to try to win Hamas' agreement for an Egyptian-led cease-fire.


Not to say that the mainstream media is perfect in any way/shape/form, but they have been covering the Palestinian side a lot more and better than they have in (my) recent memory. It doesn't seem like the old days (pre-2008) where the media was just "Raar! Palestine bad Israeli good RAAR!" Is it equal?

I think Scahill needs to check his notes a little better. I haven't seen much of anything in any media that equates Hamas military power as being equal to Israel in any form. Asymmetric, sure. But equal? And he's also wrong about the effectiveness of Iron Dome (maybe he should read DU more often).

sabrina 1

(62,325 posts)
6. I agree to an extent. There has been a slight shift in their coverage, probably more
Wed Jul 23, 2014, 11:38 PM
Jul 2014

obvious in the print press. In every other case over the past few years, airc, they barely mentioned Palestinian deaths, and if they did, they immediately rushed to tell us how it was all the fault of Hamas.

I don't know why but I'm guessing that the neocons are beginning to lose control of this country. As Iraq collapses, Syria and Libya are disasters, the world outrage over our brutal and bloody foreign policies, GOOD people inside our Government, and I believe they do exist, are beginning to gain more ground in opposing these disastrous policies.

Also the Corporate Media is being slammed everywhere, here and all over the world. They may be realizing that they have practically zero credibility when it comes these issues.

All empires come to an end and maybe we are beginning to see a crack in the powers that have been driving our foreign policies.

The slight shift we are seeing is more of a desperate attempt to regain some kind of credibility than anything else. Because no matter where you go, the Western media is not trusted. That is a huge factor in their plans, the warmongers, to start their next war, which appears to be with Russia. I am glad Democrats are in the WH. Not that I am happy with their policies either, but this president is far more reluctant to jump into another war than Romney, their chosen puppet, would have been.

 

DeSwiss

(27,137 posts)
24. ''I don't know why but I'm guessing that the neocons are beginning to lose control of this country''
Thu Jul 24, 2014, 06:29 PM
Jul 2014
 

RobertEarl

(13,685 posts)
7. TV is the point
Wed Jul 23, 2014, 11:56 PM
Jul 2014

“Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli propagandists are largely given carte blanche to say what they want on American television with very little push back,” Scahill said.

sabrina 1

(62,325 posts)
8. Yes, people form impressions from what they see on TV far more than what is in the
Thu Jul 24, 2014, 12:07 AM
Jul 2014

print press. There should be equal time given to all parties, but that can't happen on the Corporate owned media. Essentially we have no reliable News Media on TV.

 

RobertEarl

(13,685 posts)
10. And the other press?
Thu Jul 24, 2014, 12:16 AM
Jul 2014

Read an article last night online from good sized paper. About Gaza. Long. At bottom was a mention that 180 armed Palestinian soldiers had been killed. Not one mention of any civilian deaths.

Scahill is absolutely correct. There is a huge media bias. I think they feel too embarrassed to tell the truth. They have been lying so long they have to keep lying. But the people see.

But then I wonder: how can so many liars on DU keep lying about Gaza?

Hell, they are even blaming the victims now: "They were told they would be bombed. It's not bombers' fault they didn't flee".

Like those kids on the seashore who were not fleeing fast enough.

sabrina 1

(62,325 posts)
12. Well, you must know by now that I abhor the Corporate Media. If I watch them
Thu Jul 24, 2014, 01:05 AM
Jul 2014

at all, which mostly I don't, it is only to check back to see what propaganda they are peddling on major stories. The fact that they are so bad in general on major news stories like this, is WHY I noticed a very slight shift in that they have mentioned the deaths of civilians and children. How long that will last, I don't know.

Believe it or not Israel's press are complaining about our media. I am sure anyone reporting on the facts there in our media will be hearing about it. We'll know when Palestinian deaths of civilians and children are no longer mentioned.

Why they mentioned the child murders, and that is how I view as I view the death of every child in Iraq, murder, is a mystery. My theory is they are finally realizing how little credibility they have anywhere.

Fred Sanders

(23,946 posts)
20. It is the Hamas militia, just calling them "Hamas" is equalization propaganda,but you already knew
Thu Jul 24, 2014, 03:04 PM
Jul 2014

that.

cprise

(8,445 posts)
22. They treat TV viewers and Web readers as separate audiences
Thu Jul 24, 2014, 04:36 PM
Jul 2014

I think this is mainly about the visual and oral impressions imparted by TV infotainment.

TBF

(31,923 posts)
13. I consider Al Jazeera and the Guardian my
Thu Jul 24, 2014, 07:55 AM
Jul 2014

"mainstream" news sources these days. Even though they are still very geared towards the elite they at least tell more of the story than those media sourced inside the US Bubble.

malaise

(267,847 posts)
14. 100% correct - death toll in Gaza passed 700 overnight
Thu Jul 24, 2014, 08:07 AM
Jul 2014

These are war crimes and so called democratic governments have facilitated this slaughter.

whereisjustice

(2,941 posts)
15. the ruling class who profits from this war must not be made to feel uncomfortable
Thu Jul 24, 2014, 10:07 AM
Jul 2014

by unfavorable press coverage about their direct and indirect participation in the slaughter. The US media (including NPR/PBS) does a very good job of shielding the rich from any consequences of their immoral/criminal behavior.

Meanwhile, NSA is monitoring the books you check out from the library to see if you qualify as a torrorist threat.

 

kelliekat44

(7,759 posts)
16. There are laws in this country that forbid any actions against Israel...no sanctions, no boycotts of
Thu Jul 24, 2014, 11:27 AM
Jul 2014

their goods etc. People pay a huge penalty for standing up to Israeli government atrocities and the Jews among us who really want to speak out fear to do so, my niece is married to one. And yes, it is even prohibited to suggest that repercussions will follow any criticism of Israel. But it isn't in politics, only, that having the temerity to criticize Israel, or point out when its conduct violates international law and justice, can be the kiss of death... in academia and in journalism, the hazards can be most as severe. And even here. But my spirit would fail me if I didn't express how biased and wrong-headed are our US polices concerning the Israeli government actions and the people who support them. We would not support this kind of action on the part of any other government in the world even though we might not be able to do a thing about it. Our government would be very vocal and critical of such behavior anywhere else. It really saddens me.

randys1

(16,286 posts)
27. If people on a message board, most of whom are not in anyway effected by Israel/Hamas war
Thu Jul 24, 2014, 07:05 PM
Jul 2014

cant agree to try and find some middle ground and reasonable way to resolve this, there is no way in hell the actual sides involved ever will.

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