During the Israeli-Hezballah conflict in Lebanon in 2006, much of the western world’s print and broadcast media honed a set of rules for reporting any military action undertaken by Israel. Driven by left-leaning reporters, editors, and TV producers, all of who have a delusional view of the realities in the Middle East, the media works hard to shape public opinion with a tableau of subtly anti-Israel reporting. Sometimes, it’s as simple as a choice of words. Sometimes, it's a misrepresentation or omission of facts, and sometimes it blatant, unadulterated bias.
Here are just a few “rules” that much of the MSM follow when reporting the Israeli-Hamas conflict:
When discussing the Israeli “occupation” of Gaza, conveniently forget to mention that the "occupation" ended in 2005. Never tell your readers or viewers that Israel withdrew from Gaza unilaterally, while physically expelling Israeli residents who lived there, all in hope of encouraging the Gazans to develop a viable proto-state.
When lamenting the Israeli “blockade” of Gaza, never indicate that a continuous stream of humanitarian supplies flows across the border, even though Hamas is at war with Israel. Never indicate that the borders are closed in order to reduce the number of Hamas-sponsored suicide bombings inside Israel.
When mentioning the current military action, always call it an “incursion” rather than a defensive response to Hamas-precipitated acts of war.
When recounting the deaths that have occurred, always refer to all casualties as “Palestinians,” hoping that your audience will infer that all are innocent civilians. Don’t bother mentioning the the vast majority of those killed are Hamas thugs who have sworn to eradicate the “Zionist entity.”
When specifically noting deaths of Gazan civilians, forget to mention that Hamas purposely houses it facilities, bomb factories, and weaponry (rockets) in civilian neighborhoods with the cynical expectation that any attack will have collateral damage. Under no circumstances indicate that Israel warns Gazan residents (via cell phone calls and leaflets) in advance of air attacks in order to reduce collateral damage.
When using pictures or video, be certain to show wailing Gazan mothers. Avoid any image of rocket damage in Israel and be certain never to show grieving Israelis.
When using pictures or video supplied by Palestinian stringers, never vet the image until it has been broadcast worldwide. If the image is staged or false, allow significant time to pass before there is a small correction on page 34.
Never, ever, mention that Hamas is currently conducting a terror campaign (as the Israeli military actions continue) against Palestinians who disagree with it, summarily executing members of Fatah and any other critics.
Consciously omit the fact that Hamas rules Gaza because it conducted a bloody coup that unseated the Palestinian authority—the one group sanctioned bu the UN to lead the Palestinian people.
Avoid context at all cost. If you must mention the fact that Hamas launches rockets, always use the adjectives “primitive” or “home made” and never, ever provide an accurate count of the number of rockets launched over the border (well over 3,000 since 2005).
When referring to pro-Palestinian rallies in Europe (anti-Israel) or Arab countries (virulently anti-Israel), be certain to extrapolate these and refer to them as “worldwide” protests.
When recounting UN actions, fail to mention the organization’s inherent anti-Israel bias, its inability to be a impartial arbiter, and it’s complete incompetence when asked to provide border security (think: Lebanon).The media follows these rules assiduously and their affect cannot be ignored. They have, either purposely or inadvertently, become a propaganda arm for one of the most violent and dangerous of all Jihadist groups. But no matter. After all, the media is simply following the rules.
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