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Posted on 08/14/2006 9:24:37 AM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
by Mark Finkelstein
August 14, 2006 - 12:11
Last week, I documented here the way CNN leaned over backwards for balance in a story. In the wake of the Seattle Jewish Center shooting, it equated the fear of Jewish-Americans of similar incidents . . . with the fear of Hezbollah supporters of being unfairly targeted!
Although it wasn't nearly so egregious, Fox News Channel's Anita Vogel [seen her in a file photo] just engaged in some over-reaching in the name of a balance herself. She narrated an otherwise solid segment on 'fauxtography' and other ways in which the media and Hezbollah supporters manipulate the news. The segment included an interview with star blogger Charles Johnson, founder of Little Green Footballs, who played a key role in outing the smoky Beirut-skyline bit of fauxtography.
But then, searching for balance where there really is little or none to be had, Vogel claimed that the Israeli government also manipulates the news:
"But we need to keep in mind, there are other ways foreign governments control the media. The Israeli government exercises control over the media during wartime, like prohibiting them from reporting on real-time rocket strikes and places in northern Israel where officials are visiting due to safety concerns."
It doesn't take a journalism degree to see that there is a world of difference between the intentional misrepresentation of events, and the adoption of prudent security measures. But news outlets, apparently even FNC, feel pressure not to appear one-sided, even when that means comparing apples to oranges.
Fox News/NewsBusters bending-over-backward ping to Today show list.
Always a big mistake expecting CNN to be balanced. They are anti-American, anti-Israeli and anti-decency.
But this article focuses on a similar apples-and-oranges error by Fox News!
As frustrating as it is to watch FNC when they have a nut case on blathering on about how this is Israel's fault, blah, blah, blah - I prefer how FNC does it compared to CNN.
With the Fox News Channel, their attempts to balance their coverage doesn't try to mask itself so as to appear unbiased. They allow blatantly biased contributors to air their unedited, unvarnished views thus allowing the viewers to actually see the whole truth of what is being said.
The MSM, especially CNN and the various network news organs, AP, and Reuters, all use subtle manipulation of the facts to disguise their bias. Fox News strips away the facade of impartiality from its contributors and allows them to voice their opinions on events. Once you hear what the editors in the MSM are really thinking from a liberal contributor on the FNC, it becomes that much easier to start spotting where the bias is occurring in the MSM.
I generally agree with your viewpoint, but what was disturbing is that this was an FNC reporter, not an outside commentator, who made the false analogy.
Disturbing too was when I heard Shep Smith say something like:
"Hezbollah came across the Israeli border, killed 8 soldiers and kidnapped 2, giving Israel an excuse to start this war."
I couldn't believe I heard that. I saw then that some people beleive that nobody in that region can "start" a war except Israel.
My point being that Fox tries for balance and, more often than not, succeeds, while CNN rarely even bothers to try. Sorry I didn't make that clearer.
Shep Smith just runs off at the mouth without engaging his brain. They put these primadonnas hired for their looks in these serious situations and do a world of damage.
Thanks for the clarification. Agreed, even though this was a surprising lapse on Vogel's part.
So then why is Haaretz still publishing articles by Gideon Levy?
I heard that!!! I was so mad I nearly threw something at the TV! Outrageous moral equivalency atttempt!
I hear that, too. It was way off the mark.
The typical bleeding-heart error: rather than judging everyone by the same standards, they look for some kind of equality of result.
I suppose if they were talking about Mother Theresa and Charles Manson, they would try to find a way to "treat both sides equally."
Idiocy.
Sure, Fox. What Israel does is the same as what the news organizations are doing with their fake photographs. Unadulterated baloney.
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