In The Eye Of The Beholder

Israel Resumes Bombardment of Palestinians

Observes truce for only six hours

That's the headline I expect to see on the front page of tomorrow's New York Times. Perhaps somewhere in a lower paragraph, or on an inside page well beyond the view of someone whose main interest is in headlines and lead paragraphs, there will be a brief mention of the fact that Hamas didn't accept the truce at all, and that it continued to aim rockets at Israel during the time that no fire was being returned. (I speak primarily of the Times, by the way, because of its influence, but the situation is far more extensive.)

And the article will be accurate in terms of presenting facts. But it will completely mislead the readership. Actually, it won't mislead the readership, who are used to this kind of misplaced emphasis and who approve of it. For them this is the truth that's fit to print; it's the truth they want to read. The Times sees Israel as the source of the problem in the Middle East, and trumpets the victimhood of the Palestinians who fight on bravely, though, despite the billions contributed to the PA, they lack modern weapons and defenses. It is a land blockaded by Israel which is starving the Palestinians and making the area uninhabitable. There is little notice of the long border of Gaza with Egypt nor the large number of smuggling tunnels from both Egypt and Israel.

And in addition to the frequent front page articles bemoaning the fate of the Palestinians, there are regular editorials and “Op-Ed” columns which describe the steps Israel must take if there is to be peace. There are two problems with those columns, however: they imply, wrongly, that only Israel must act in order for there to be an end to hostilities, and, even more wrongly, they lead the reader to believe that if Israel acts peace will result. The refusal of Hamas to accept the present cease-fire, and the long history of failures by the Palestinians to respond to Israeli offers of peace make it clear that agreement is not what Hamas and the PA seek. And the continued indoctrination of their children to hate Israel and Jews makes it unlikely that a positive result will be brought about by anything Israel does.

But that's not what “spin” is about. “News” articles have become editorials and reporters are now advocacy journalists. All you need to do to “subjectivize” the facts is to make whatever supports your view prominent, and bury what brings it into question. The last place to look for the news is in the “objective” media. Better to look in publications that don't hide their bias. At least you know what you're getting.