Posted on 09/20/2004 5:13:13 PM PDT by Enduring Freedom
MY MEETING WITH DAN RATHER
My recent encounter with CBS News anchor Dan Rather and his producer made me realize that much of the anti-Israel coverage in the media -- which treats Israel with a double-standard unparalleled anywhere else in the world -- is attributable to factors other than anti-Semitism.
I met his CBS producer (Mary Mapes?) at a building in Jerusalem's Jewish Quarter that overlooks the Temple Mount where she wished to film from. We proceeded up to the roof which afforded a masterful view of the centerpiece of the Old City. Sprawled out in front of us was the Temple Mount, the place where the two ancient Jewish Temples stood, and currently the shared location of the Western Wall and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Behind the Temple Mount is the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives, with the rugged hills of the Judean Desert in the background.
This is the focal point of the entire Arab-Israeli conflict. In fact, Palestinians call the current conflict the "Al-Aqsa Intifada."
As we stood side-by-side taking in the extraordinary view, the producer turned to me and said in a sort of apologetic tone, "You'll have to excuse my ignorance, but what exactly are we looking at?"
My stomach instantly dropped. Maybe she was unsure of a specific building?
"No, what is this entire area we are looking at?"
"The Temple Mount!!" I wanted to scream. "It's the most important spot in the entire region!"
I controlled myself and began my first history lesson to a national news producer.
I controlled myself and began my first history lesson to a national news producer. I explained how the Jewish people built a Temple in this spot 3,000 years ago, and how, after its destruction, a second Temple was built in the exact same location.
I explained how Jesus visited this second Jewish Temple, which stood until the Romans ultimately destroyed it in the first century. I explained how the Muslims came to Jerusalem in the mid-seventh century, soon after the creation of their religion, building the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Golden Dome. I explained to her that the Western Wall is the remaining retaining wall of the second Jewish Temple.
As I went through these historic points, the producer was taking furious notes on her yellow writing pad, trying to record the details of this place so integral to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
A few minutes later, Dan Rather arrived. He climbed the stairs to join us on the roof. As he reached the top stair, he looked out at the view that was spread before him. "Oh, I've been here before," he said. Then, looking at his producer, he quietly asked, "What is this that we're looking at?"
My stomach plummeted again. Not Dan Rather, too?! The expert on world events who is watched by 30 million nightly viewers can't identify the Temple Mount? I knew American viewers were in big trouble.
The producer read the notes on her yellow pad, filling Mr. Rather in on all the details of the place in front of them. During the film shoot, Rather held this same yellow pad of paper in his hand, reading from it on air. So much for in-depth research and media accuracy.
A DEBATE ABOUT TRUTH
After Dan Rather left, I spent some time with his producer, discussing her viewpoints of what was currently happening in Israel. After seeing the tone of her news segment, I was concerned. I began to question her about accuracy in reporting.
Her answer was even more shocking than what I had already observed. "The thing is," she told me, "it is impossible to be objective in this situation. The fact is that there is no objective truth -- neither side is right or wrong."
It's impossible to be objective in this situation. There is no objective truth -- neither side is right or wrong.
"Wait a minute," I asked her. "When a Palestinian straps on a belt of dynamite lined with nails and walks into a pizza shop, blowing up innocent people, that wouldn't be objectively wrong?"
"Of course I would think that is wrong," she answered me. "But the Palestinians believe this is a legitimate form of warfare. And they would say the Israelis are doing the same to them by killing innocent civilians when they retaliate militarily. Who am I to say what is right or wrong? Who am I to say that the Palestinians are wrong in their beliefs?"
"But don't you think there's a difference between a person blowing himself up in a restaurant, and a military that responds by searching for and killing terrorists. Granted that innocent civilians are killed in both circumstances -- but in one situation the innocents are targeted, and in the other situation they are regrettably caught in the line of fire?"
"Well, that's a very Western way of looking at things. You see I'm Christian and American. I see things the way you do as an Israeli -- we have the same moral framework. But the Arabs view things differently, and who's to say that we're right and they're wrong?"
At this point we both realized we weren't going to get any further in the conversation, and we politely thanked each other and parted ways.
CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS
This experience gave me new insight into why so much of the media seems biased against Israel. Not only, as I saw with my own eyes, was even the top echelon some of the media unprepared and lacking knowledge of the basic history and make-up of the conflict, but they also possess an extremely dangerous philosophy -- a belief that there is no objective right and wrong.
The world today is being shaped into two conflicting civilizations. This has been happening minimally for decades, but more probably for centuries, and has now become most evident since September 11. One civilization, led by Judeo-Christian ethics, values life with the utmost sanctity. Individual rights and freedoms, equality of the sexes, and peace amongst nations are pillars upon which this half of the world stands.
One civilization sees the other as a direct threat and is willing to sacrifice its own children to destroy the other.
The other civilization holds very different ideals: the glorification of death and war, totalitarian control of the masses, and oppression of women. The latter civilization sees the former as a direct threat to its way of life and is willing to sacrifice its own children to destroy the other.
This clash of civilizations is being fought on many fronts, including the battlefield. But for most of us non-soldier-types, the war is being fought in the recesses of our own conscience.
Many world leaders, like President Bush and Prime Minister Sharon, have identified this clearly as a fight against evil. But there are others, many of whom are influential in the media, who don't believe that the values of the Western world are "objectively good." Reuters news service refused to call the September 11 attacks "terrorism," finding that even too much of a moral stretch.
This clash calls upon us all to must make a clear choice. Are we confident in our own values and morals? Do we know that they are objectively good and thus worth defending and fighting for?
Unless we can answer these questions with full determination and conviction, we will remain deeply threatened by those who seek to destroy us. Because one thing is certain: The other side has the determination and conviction to carry on their crusade.
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Joshua Schainbaum, 4/22/2002 It's called "Professional" journalism Dear Elliot,
Thanks for sharing this important story. I am absolutely stunned.
As a former public relations professional who has worked extensively with journalists and editors as well as newsmakers, I can honestly say that I'm shocked to my core. Never in my wildest moments of cynicism would I have dreamed that such a highly regarded "investigative journalist" and his producer would be so completely unprofessional as to have not completed the MOST BASIC TASKS of newsgathering. Those are BACKGROUND FACT GATHERING and FACT CHECKING.
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Rather & Mapes are the Abbott & Costello of Journalism.
'Never in my wildest moments of cynicism would I have dreamed that such a highly regarded "investigative journalist" (Dan Rather) and his producer (Mary Mapes) would be so completely unprofessional as to have not completed the MOST BASIC TASKS of newsgathering. Those are BACKGROUND FACT GATHERING and FACT CHECKING.'
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Talk about nailing it...
Actually and I will say again, Dan Rather is the journalistic equivalent of a pedophillic priest. Mapes is, well, Mapes is ... a daughter even a father is troubled to love.
Bump
And there it is in a nutshell.
As I posted on a thread not three days ago, there IS such a thing as Objective reality but Liberals just do not believe that. America's very exixtence is threatened by the evil of Moral Relevatism.
The leaders of the MSM don't know good from evil, fact from fiction, reality from fantasy. What an opportunity for some competition!
Look for Free Republic to inherit the Earth.
Yes, we are witnessing a clash of civilizations. The MSM have already become moral relativists. There is no objective right or wrong for them. Pretty scary stuff.
Molly Ivins article today affirms this. She assails David Brooks for condemning the Chechen terrorists who slaughtered innocent children as pure evil. Many in the media today are unwittingly "fifth columnists" for the terrorists.
She and Dan didn't have any problem saying that Republicans or Bush supporters were wrong in their beliefs. In fact, they have said that they didn't interview people on their "Burkett story", because they were too "pro-Bush".
Mapes has no right to claim she is a christian, for WE christians know the right of Israel to retain the Temple Mount. How ridiculous to lay claim to a faith you know nothing about. All christians are bound to Israel, for we are the adopted of the Father, and Jesus our elder brother. Sheesh, what type of journalism is that? Corrupt, no doubt.
I bet Rather and Mapes have no idea who Ishmael and Isaac were, and why this struggle between Israel and the Palestinians exists.
ping
A pathetic display.
This is the dumbing down, or RATHER, the deliberate liberalizing of America at it's most disgusting.
Rather is the Kingfish at CBS, one shouldn't expect the head newsreader to do his own research afterall.
Social Relativism like Social Darwinism are both cases of the completely ignorant misapplication of a base principal from unrelated science fields to Social principal and in both cases has leaded to ruin
Information flowing among life/freedom loving individuals will see to it.
With one exception of course, George Bush is evil along with all things conservative.
No editorializing in the body of the article, please! It's bad enough we're having to excerpt so many articles, and this gives them more reason to come down on the Freep.
I wonder what her response would be when asked about the murder of abortionists in the US. Can she say that Erik Rudolph, and the New York abortionist killer are "neither right or wrong"?
(for the record, I think abortion killers should get the death penalty)
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