Too much journalism today begins with an ideological or political point of view already in place. Readers deserve journalism that begins with a blank slate, a mission of open exploration.
“The practice of journalism—that is, knowledgeable analysis of messy events on planet Earth—have been replaced by a kind of aggressive activism that leaves little room for dissent. The new goal is not to describe reality, but to guide readers towards the correct political conclusion.
By selectively emphasizing some facts and not others, by erasing historical and regional context, and by reversing cause and effect, the stories portray Israel as a country whose motivations could only be malevolent, and the one responsible not only for its own actions but also for provoking the actions of its enemies.
They are backed up by an affiliated world of progressive NGOs and academics who are referred to as experts creating a thought loop nearly impervious to external information. All of this has the effect of presenting a mass audience with supposedly factual stories that have a powerful emotional punch and a familiar villain - Israel. We have seen the outcomes this approach generates on our streets and university campuses.”
I agree with the analysis in this article and with JohnWW’s observations on the distortions of contemporary journalism with respect to Israel. Underlying this intentional misinformation is a rhetorical method used by the mainstream media. Cherryl Smith, Professor Emerita of Rhetoric and Composition, exposes it and lays out its system of rhetorical frames in her book "Framing Israel: a personal tour of media and campus rhetoric". Especially enlightening are chapters 5 through 10. Well worth the read for anyone wishing to develop skill at debunking mainstream reporting on Israel.
Too bad you yourself reproduce the unthinking lies of the media when you write "the damaging, racist rants from the far-Right of the current government’s coalition." This is a commonplace unsubstantiated assertion which accepts the lazy and ignorant assumptions of a lazy and ignorant press. Finance Minister Smotrich's and Interior Minister Ben-Gvir's numerous statements have all been spot-on accurate descriptions of what Israel faces and what Israel must undertake to overcome the enemies vowed to its destruction.
so well written. i had never really thought about why you don't see armed Hamas fighters or Gazan civilian bomb shelters. Those little missing details that Hamas refuses to the media to see or publish are so very important.
How did mainstream media come to represent the Left, The Democrats, the Progressives? Why does it foster Identity Politics, DEI, Political Correctness, Colonization, White Oppressor, Racial Polarization and the rest of the triggers that are slowly destroying Western culture? And of course, included in this is the bias against Israel and the indifference to the antisemitism that is rampant. Israel represents the West and all the things that these young people hate.
I attribute it all to what is being taught in the schools. All the things I mentioned that I believe are destroying our culture are exactly what is being taught in the schools. It has been going on for decades. The graduates of these schools are entering the workforce every year and bringing with them the bias they have been taught and spreading it on mainstream media. New and younger Editors in Chief have the same agenda and making sure that they are hired.
There was always a bias but never to the extreme that it is today. For example, the NY Times has not endorsed a Republican candidate for Presidency since 1960. Okay so there was a bias but we respected other points of view, we always were patriotic and lovers of the American dream. Well, folks, we started going to the extreme 10-20 years ago and it has now reached a very dangerous point. There is no love of country, there is hatred for country. Americas history is shameful and Capitalism is shameful and it must be destroyed
The Islamists have lots to do with making this extreme happen. They have quietly united with the Left and financed a great deal of it.
Personally, i have subscriptions and read both from right wing sources and left wing sources. I have always been an independent voter and just float with the times. My evaluation is that there is far more bias on the Left than what you get from the Right.
I have a subscription to WaPo and the NY Times and to be completely honest, when I see the headlines every day and the obvious bias against Israel etc., I cannot for the life of me understand how any Jew or any person that cares for Israel can vote for the Democrat. They are not our allies anymore and neither are their media supported outlets.
The WSJ relies on a couple of journalists to cover the Hamas war. They are all biased against Israel. One of them cant remember the name accuses Israel of apartheid and ethnic cleansing. Having said that, i still agree, they are way better than the filthy NY Times and the scuzzy Washington Post.
Frau, I invited you to my group but you never replied. I think you would enjoy it immensely. Have a great week and keep up the good fight. papa j
You speak of 'the damaging, racist rants from the far-Right' of Israel's politics. I have news for you: The Racist and Anti-Semitic Far-Right are alive and well and indeed thriving in The West's Media here in London and New York. We have caught Neo-Nazis in MI6 working as Placement officers as 'journalists' at The Guardian Newspaper here in London for the whole of the last 25 years: Swaying 'Liberal' opinion into hatred of Israel and Anti-Semitism in the Liberal intelligentsia: Proven, and Monitored.
It looks like the International law for human rights doesn't apply to Israel.....in a war that started by a horrific attack by Hamas, almost a year ago........as always, Doble standards!!!!.....
Everything that was said in this essay describes very accurately the state of our news media. Without reading an article or watching a newscast, and knowing the source, you can summarize what will be said and how it will be said. It is sad how tarnished the newsmedia has become. If they do present anything that contains factual information, it's pretty certain they will rearrange the context to mean what they want to convey to the public whether it's true or not. if it's a video, it will be edited to keep the narrative they want. You've given a variety of really good ideas on how to identify when they're trying to dupe us. Your last recommendation was something I always taught my students, leave the listener in your writing or your speech with something memorable because it's the last thing they will remember. NPR does this with their reports on the Israeli/Hamas war. They start with Israel and end with Hamas. My favorite though are the "buts." Israel has a right to defend itself, but...... It's not as camouflaged as it used to be, as people are becoming aware of this "technique." Unfortunately, the exaggerations, manipulation, and lies have been out there since October 8th, and are continuing, so once heard over and over is difficult for some to change their way of thinking. When they are called out on it, they never apolgize, it's usually a feeble excuse for their staff. The old adage, when a lie is told over and over again, it becomes truth. That's the sorry state the newsmedia has created for us.
Unfortunately the establishment secular Jewish media also has a long history of engaging in advocacy as opposed to objective news coverage with respect to the Orthodox community with no such coverage of issues facing the heterodox community
“the ascendant force in our part of the world is not democracy or modernity. It is rather an empowered strain of Islam that is willing to employ extreme violence in a quest to unite the region and confront the West. Those who grasp this fact will be able to look around and connect the dots.” - Matti Friedman
I would posit that, in considering current global reality, it can be helpful to think in terms of a tapestry image, made into 50,000 piece jigsaw puzzle, packaged in a box that lacks a cover or any other representation showing the complete image. In that context, Mr. Friedman has indeed accurately assembled a number of pieces; he has connected the dots properly and seeing what is true. But his picture is only comprised of a few hundred pieces, and conclusions or extrapolations drawn from his small portion will change considerably in due course, as additional portions of the puzzle are assembled.
I will be dogmatic, and clear; the prophetic Scriptures within the Tanakh provide a large measure of the completed image, while the Brit Hadasha, rightly understood, provides the remainder, including many nuanced details related to the prophecies of the Tanakh. The subject is a deep one, filled with controversies and conflicting claims caused by differing methods of interpretation and, sadly, often different agendas. I won’t delve on such matters here, but suffice it to say that, when one puts on the ‘right’ corrective prescription lenses, one can see much more clearly, near and far - and connect dots well beyond common apprehension, both forward and backwards in time.
In short, the “…empowered strain of Islam that is willing to employ extreme violence in a quest to unite the region and confront the West” will continue to rise in power until it is finally broken. And I don’t believe we are far from the day when it will happen. As a result of this, as well as other happenings, ‘religious extremists’ will no longer be the threat they are now painted to be. Instead, a syncretic global religious system will come forward, in support of the true ‘ascendant force’, Satan and his principal human instrument, the ‘anti-Christ’.
One may mock and laugh all they want, and carry on trying to piece the puzzle together whilst rejecting the Biblical revelations. But, one day-and not too far off at that-all will see that they have been deceived; the vast majority to their ruin and destruction.
Isaiah 1:9-20
9 Had not the LORD of Hosts left us some survivors, we should be like Sodom, another Gomorrah.
10 Hear the word of the LORD, you chieftains of Sodom; give ear to our God’s instruction, you folk of Gomorrah!
11 “What need have I of all your sacrifices?"
Says the LORD. “I am sated with burnt offerings of rams, and suet of fatlings, and blood of bulls; and I have no delight
In lambs and he-goats.
12 That you come to appear before Me—
Who asked that of you? Trample My courts 13 no more; bringing oblations is futile, incense is offensive to Me. New moon and sabbath, proclaiming of solemnities, assemblies with iniquity, I cannot abide.
14 Your new moons and fixed seasons fill Me with loathing; they are become a burden to Me, I cannot endure them.
15 And when you lift up your hands, I will turn My eyes away from you; though you pray at length, I will not listen. Your hands are stained with crime—16 wash yourselves clean; put your evil doings away from My sight. Cease to do evil; 17 learn to do good. Devote yourselves to justice; aid the wronged. Uphold the rights of the orphan; defend the cause of the widow.
18 “Come, let us reach an understanding,
—says the LORD. Be your sins like crimson, they can turn snow-white; be they red as dyed wool, they can become like fleece.”
19 If, then, you agree and give heed, you will eat the good things of the earth; 20 but if you refuse and disobey, you will be devoured [by] the sword.— For it was the LORD who spoke.
Am Israel Chai! May the Lord bless, protect, forgive, heal, and save His People! May He magnify Himself in His power over the affairs of man, bringing to nothing the vain hopes of glory apart from Him. And may He give His People, Israel, victories over her many enemies, purging her of the internal and national weaknesses, faithlessness, and evils that have plagued Israel for many years now.
Matti Friedman wrote some time ago…
“The practice of journalism—that is, knowledgeable analysis of messy events on planet Earth—have been replaced by a kind of aggressive activism that leaves little room for dissent. The new goal is not to describe reality, but to guide readers towards the correct political conclusion.
By selectively emphasizing some facts and not others, by erasing historical and regional context, and by reversing cause and effect, the stories portray Israel as a country whose motivations could only be malevolent, and the one responsible not only for its own actions but also for provoking the actions of its enemies.
They are backed up by an affiliated world of progressive NGOs and academics who are referred to as experts creating a thought loop nearly impervious to external information. All of this has the effect of presenting a mass audience with supposedly factual stories that have a powerful emotional punch and a familiar villain - Israel. We have seen the outcomes this approach generates on our streets and university campuses.”
Thanks for this reply JohnWW.... a perfect pairing for this great essay from Gary Rosenblatt.
My pleasure Hāns. I love substack because the people are so polite, respectful, thoughtful and informative.
I agree with the analysis in this article and with JohnWW’s observations on the distortions of contemporary journalism with respect to Israel. Underlying this intentional misinformation is a rhetorical method used by the mainstream media. Cherryl Smith, Professor Emerita of Rhetoric and Composition, exposes it and lays out its system of rhetorical frames in her book "Framing Israel: a personal tour of media and campus rhetoric". Especially enlightening are chapters 5 through 10. Well worth the read for anyone wishing to develop skill at debunking mainstream reporting on Israel.
Thanks Jerry. I think I will get Cheryl Smith’s book.
Too bad you yourself reproduce the unthinking lies of the media when you write "the damaging, racist rants from the far-Right of the current government’s coalition." This is a commonplace unsubstantiated assertion which accepts the lazy and ignorant assumptions of a lazy and ignorant press. Finance Minister Smotrich's and Interior Minister Ben-Gvir's numerous statements have all been spot-on accurate descriptions of what Israel faces and what Israel must undertake to overcome the enemies vowed to its destruction.
so well written. i had never really thought about why you don't see armed Hamas fighters or Gazan civilian bomb shelters. Those little missing details that Hamas refuses to the media to see or publish are so very important.
How did mainstream media come to represent the Left, The Democrats, the Progressives? Why does it foster Identity Politics, DEI, Political Correctness, Colonization, White Oppressor, Racial Polarization and the rest of the triggers that are slowly destroying Western culture? And of course, included in this is the bias against Israel and the indifference to the antisemitism that is rampant. Israel represents the West and all the things that these young people hate.
I attribute it all to what is being taught in the schools. All the things I mentioned that I believe are destroying our culture are exactly what is being taught in the schools. It has been going on for decades. The graduates of these schools are entering the workforce every year and bringing with them the bias they have been taught and spreading it on mainstream media. New and younger Editors in Chief have the same agenda and making sure that they are hired.
There was always a bias but never to the extreme that it is today. For example, the NY Times has not endorsed a Republican candidate for Presidency since 1960. Okay so there was a bias but we respected other points of view, we always were patriotic and lovers of the American dream. Well, folks, we started going to the extreme 10-20 years ago and it has now reached a very dangerous point. There is no love of country, there is hatred for country. Americas history is shameful and Capitalism is shameful and it must be destroyed
The Islamists have lots to do with making this extreme happen. They have quietly united with the Left and financed a great deal of it.
Personally, i have subscriptions and read both from right wing sources and left wing sources. I have always been an independent voter and just float with the times. My evaluation is that there is far more bias on the Left than what you get from the Right.
I have a subscription to WaPo and the NY Times and to be completely honest, when I see the headlines every day and the obvious bias against Israel etc., I cannot for the life of me understand how any Jew or any person that cares for Israel can vote for the Democrat. They are not our allies anymore and neither are their media supported outlets.
papa j
The WSJ opinion section is pro-Israel. Agree about WaPo and NYT.
The WSJ relies on a couple of journalists to cover the Hamas war. They are all biased against Israel. One of them cant remember the name accuses Israel of apartheid and ethnic cleansing. Having said that, i still agree, they are way better than the filthy NY Times and the scuzzy Washington Post.
Frau, I invited you to my group but you never replied. I think you would enjoy it immensely. Have a great week and keep up the good fight. papa j
You speak of 'the damaging, racist rants from the far-Right' of Israel's politics. I have news for you: The Racist and Anti-Semitic Far-Right are alive and well and indeed thriving in The West's Media here in London and New York. We have caught Neo-Nazis in MI6 working as Placement officers as 'journalists' at The Guardian Newspaper here in London for the whole of the last 25 years: Swaying 'Liberal' opinion into hatred of Israel and Anti-Semitism in the Liberal intelligentsia: Proven, and Monitored.
It looks like the International law for human rights doesn't apply to Israel.....in a war that started by a horrific attack by Hamas, almost a year ago........as always, Doble standards!!!!.....
Everything that was said in this essay describes very accurately the state of our news media. Without reading an article or watching a newscast, and knowing the source, you can summarize what will be said and how it will be said. It is sad how tarnished the newsmedia has become. If they do present anything that contains factual information, it's pretty certain they will rearrange the context to mean what they want to convey to the public whether it's true or not. if it's a video, it will be edited to keep the narrative they want. You've given a variety of really good ideas on how to identify when they're trying to dupe us. Your last recommendation was something I always taught my students, leave the listener in your writing or your speech with something memorable because it's the last thing they will remember. NPR does this with their reports on the Israeli/Hamas war. They start with Israel and end with Hamas. My favorite though are the "buts." Israel has a right to defend itself, but...... It's not as camouflaged as it used to be, as people are becoming aware of this "technique." Unfortunately, the exaggerations, manipulation, and lies have been out there since October 8th, and are continuing, so once heard over and over is difficult for some to change their way of thinking. When they are called out on it, they never apolgize, it's usually a feeble excuse for their staff. The old adage, when a lie is told over and over again, it becomes truth. That's the sorry state the newsmedia has created for us.
Excellent
Unfortunately the establishment secular Jewish media also has a long history of engaging in advocacy as opposed to objective news coverage with respect to the Orthodox community with no such coverage of issues facing the heterodox community
I found this article very valuable for smelling a rat hidden within the prose! Well done.
“the ascendant force in our part of the world is not democracy or modernity. It is rather an empowered strain of Islam that is willing to employ extreme violence in a quest to unite the region and confront the West. Those who grasp this fact will be able to look around and connect the dots.” - Matti Friedman
I would posit that, in considering current global reality, it can be helpful to think in terms of a tapestry image, made into 50,000 piece jigsaw puzzle, packaged in a box that lacks a cover or any other representation showing the complete image. In that context, Mr. Friedman has indeed accurately assembled a number of pieces; he has connected the dots properly and seeing what is true. But his picture is only comprised of a few hundred pieces, and conclusions or extrapolations drawn from his small portion will change considerably in due course, as additional portions of the puzzle are assembled.
I will be dogmatic, and clear; the prophetic Scriptures within the Tanakh provide a large measure of the completed image, while the Brit Hadasha, rightly understood, provides the remainder, including many nuanced details related to the prophecies of the Tanakh. The subject is a deep one, filled with controversies and conflicting claims caused by differing methods of interpretation and, sadly, often different agendas. I won’t delve on such matters here, but suffice it to say that, when one puts on the ‘right’ corrective prescription lenses, one can see much more clearly, near and far - and connect dots well beyond common apprehension, both forward and backwards in time.
In short, the “…empowered strain of Islam that is willing to employ extreme violence in a quest to unite the region and confront the West” will continue to rise in power until it is finally broken. And I don’t believe we are far from the day when it will happen. As a result of this, as well as other happenings, ‘religious extremists’ will no longer be the threat they are now painted to be. Instead, a syncretic global religious system will come forward, in support of the true ‘ascendant force’, Satan and his principal human instrument, the ‘anti-Christ’.
One may mock and laugh all they want, and carry on trying to piece the puzzle together whilst rejecting the Biblical revelations. But, one day-and not too far off at that-all will see that they have been deceived; the vast majority to their ruin and destruction.
Isaiah 1:9-20
9 Had not the LORD of Hosts left us some survivors, we should be like Sodom, another Gomorrah.
10 Hear the word of the LORD, you chieftains of Sodom; give ear to our God’s instruction, you folk of Gomorrah!
11 “What need have I of all your sacrifices?"
Says the LORD. “I am sated with burnt offerings of rams, and suet of fatlings, and blood of bulls; and I have no delight
In lambs and he-goats.
12 That you come to appear before Me—
Who asked that of you? Trample My courts 13 no more; bringing oblations is futile, incense is offensive to Me. New moon and sabbath, proclaiming of solemnities, assemblies with iniquity, I cannot abide.
14 Your new moons and fixed seasons fill Me with loathing; they are become a burden to Me, I cannot endure them.
15 And when you lift up your hands, I will turn My eyes away from you; though you pray at length, I will not listen. Your hands are stained with crime—16 wash yourselves clean; put your evil doings away from My sight. Cease to do evil; 17 learn to do good. Devote yourselves to justice; aid the wronged. Uphold the rights of the orphan; defend the cause of the widow.
18 “Come, let us reach an understanding,
—says the LORD. Be your sins like crimson, they can turn snow-white; be they red as dyed wool, they can become like fleece.”
19 If, then, you agree and give heed, you will eat the good things of the earth; 20 but if you refuse and disobey, you will be devoured [by] the sword.— For it was the LORD who spoke.
Am Israel Chai! May the Lord bless, protect, forgive, heal, and save His People! May He magnify Himself in His power over the affairs of man, bringing to nothing the vain hopes of glory apart from Him. And may He give His People, Israel, victories over her many enemies, purging her of the internal and national weaknesses, faithlessness, and evils that have plagued Israel for many years now.