From: adam@endor.uucp (Adam Shostack)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.arabic,talk.politics.mideast
Subject: Re: ADC Condemns Bigotry and Bias Displayed at Israeli Benefit
Date: 18 Aug 92 17:26:36 GMT
Followup-To: talk.politics.mideast
Organization: Aiken Computation Lab, Harvard University

In article <1992Aug17.200018.16347@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> wmuhanna@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Waleed A Muhanna) writes:


 [ Accounts of what Henry Kissinger, Fouad Ajami, Dan Rather, said deleted]

>     A press release issued yesterday by Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting
>(FAIR) exposed the disparaging anti-Arab opinions made by top CBS
>personnel at this Jerusalem Foundation benefit.  Their attendance raises
>questions about the impartiality and balance of that network in news
>coverage of Israel and the Arab world.

Does the FAIR group have instances of biased reporting on CBS?  That
would be far more interesting when questioning the fairness of CBS's
middle east reporting.

What the anchors do on their time is irrelevant.  Similarly, all
experts have biases, and if FAIR is really interested in showing a
bias on the part of CBS, they should demonstrate that CBS has a
tendency to put on more pro-Israelis than Arabists.  (Although in
light of the Atlantic article on Arabists, that might not be a sign of
bias.)

There was a media watch group (might have even been FAIR), which
showed that Nightline, and ABC in general, showed about a gazzilion
times as many white male comentators on the news as compared to
females, non-whites, etc.  This is an indication of bias.  That an
anchor has an opinion is not.

>     Mokhiber said, "We sent letter to CBS demanding a public apology
>from each of these individuals and an investigation as to whether their
>respective positions should be terminated.

Why? The comments were not made on the air.  The comments were not
made at a publicized forum.  They were made at an exclusive
fund-raiser.  Perhaps these people should apologize to those at the
fund-rasier.

The suggestion of termination for attending, and speaking at a
pro-Israel event stinks of blacklisting.  "Are you now, or have you
ever been, a member of the Zionist Party^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H
pro-Israel camp?

>   We urge CBS to publicly
>clarify its understanding of the status of East Jerusalem, which is an
>occupied territory under international law, as affirmed by U.N.  resolutions 
>and U.S. policy for the last 40 years.

Why?  Has ***CBS*** said anything to make you think it has no
knowledge of the legal situation?  These peope were acting as
individuals, not representatives of CBS.

>Kissinger, Ajami, and Rather's
>celebration of 25 years of the "unification" of Jerusalem amounts to
>commending the illegal Israeli occupation, legitimizes annexation of
>East Jerusalem, and compromises CBS's standing as a reliable news
>organization."

Again, what has CBS done?

>     ADC is also requesting that CBS expands its pool of Middle East
>consultants in order to counter their well-documented reporting bias
>towards Israel.

If this bias is so well documented, why not show us some of the
documentation?  Why go on about the private actions of three
individuals?

I would like to see all of the networks expand their pool of middle
east experts, to counter the biases that both sides see in reporting.

Adam
Adam Shostack 					adam@das.harvard.edu

What a terrible thing to have lost one's .sig.  Or not to have a .sig
at all.  How true that is.      
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