At one time in our history the left was anti racist and pro Israel. Many Jews were to the left of centre as far as politics was concerned. This was when Israel was a small country surrounded by blood thirsty Arab hell bent on her destruction. The Israel won the six day war and the Yom Kippur War. Suddenly the support from the left vanished as Israel was seen as strong and in no need of the support from the left wing. And after the invasion of Lebanon to remove the PLO and the various intifadas the hatred from the left grew and grew.
The far right Nazis always hated us. They lamented that Hitler hadnt finished the job.
Now we face hatred from all sides. The far left. The liberal left. The far right and of course Muslims. The man on the street in Egypt and Jordan hate the Jews even though their leaders chose a pragmatic route and made peace.
Our own leftie newspaper the Guardian has been anti Israel for more years than I can remember. So it's no surprise that Haaretz has fallen into the anti Israel camp. I remember attending an antisemitism meeting in London at least ten years ago where a Jewish reporter spoke. She was more concerned with the plight of the Palestinians than fellow Jews and Israelis. Her loathing for everything was awful
I think Joshua's vitriol is over the top. Haaretz is a left-wing newspaper. Everyone knows that. They don't support this government and they don't support Bibi, and their editorial stance and headlines will reflect this.
Like any media outlet, you get to know the individual writers and you learn to compensate for their individual biases. There are writers in Haaretz that I avoid completely. But many of the articles I read because they provide value even though they are biased. There are full-length feature articles that most newspapers simply don't write anymore.
Joshua's cherry-picking of various headlines and word choices either reflect the paper's editorial stance (e.g. Dalal Abu Amneh), are simply factual (e.g. Dutch court orders...), or indeed reflect Joshua's own bias and narrative. He seems to have an axe to grind and was looking for tidbits to support that.
Seriously people, either read it or don't, but the whining is pretty unhelpful. Haaretz's penchant for pointing out the flaws in our very non-perfect society may be hard to read but sometimes it's good to get a little out of your comfort zone. We have a lot of work to do to make this country better — let's maybe focus on that, ok?
In my view, part of making the country better means providing people with fair, balanced and relatively unbiased information so they can make the country better. Haaretz does not do that, hence why their readership is so low in Israel. The data speaks for itself.
Your logic is specious. Many factors determine readership and being "fair and balanced" is not one of the main ones. (see: Yisrael HaYom, Fox News) "Fair and balanced" is what you'll get if you read from a spectrum of sources. Haaretz is one end of the spectrum.
Nobody is unbiased. Nobody. That's a myth. In some cases journalists still strive to be as unbiased as they can (the Wall Street Journal's writing is pretty good on this account) but unfortunately it seems that it's more of a rarity nowadays and we must assume that everyone comes to the table with an agenda.
Right, then why does Haaretz bill itself as something it clearly is not? Like, all least own the fact that you're anti-Zionist and even anti-Jewish. Don't try to pretend like you care about what's in the best interests of the *Jewish* state and try to impose your overly leftist, even Marxist ideology on a country that has done relatively well all things considered.
Mmmm... I don't know how Haaretz "bills itself". I do think that "anti-Zionist" is rather harsh and "Marxist" is downright silly. As for "anti-Jewish", well, they're very secular so I guess it's in the eye of the beholder...
And yes, the country has done relatively well; but is that an excuse for journalists to let up? Isn't that one of the main roles of the "fourth estate", to hold power accountable?
No, journalists should not let up. But many Haaretz "journalists" are indeed quasi journalists. Journalists tell both sides, the full picture, not just one side. I studied journalism and have a bachelor's degree in it. Also worked in the space for eight years for NBC News, LA Daily News, and other outlets. That is my critique of them: Don't pretend to be journalists when much of what Haaretz does is, frankly, a mockery of journalism.
I assume you’re familiar with “false equivalency”, right? Should there always be a “both sides” argument?
I’m not saying that Haaretz is perfect — far from it. But your critiques could be leveled at the vast majority of news outlets. The only reason I can think of for singling out Haaretz is that their particular editorial slant offends you more.
Feel free to argue that the NYTimes, CNN, LATimes, WaPo, Ynet etc., let alone the Jerusalem Post (!), do a “better” job of journalism. I just don’t see it.
I have noticed this. It’s a sad situation but many old and valued newspaper houses are falling prey to this. The only way to fight it, is never to buy the newspaper!
Rarely read Haaretz because of its content, but the first mistake was selling a 25% share to a German whose father was in the Nazi Party, then turning it over to the family for 75%, and then putting the nail in the coffin by bringing on a Russian Oligarch. I stopped reading the NYT years ago, which always had a reputation for being antisemitic, now it's just totally Woke. Journalism as we know it is dead. Research and facts don't count. It's massaging the info to create a narrative that they think people will digest. Excellent article but sickening knowing how Haaretz is koshering the Jew hating tropes and masquerading it as journalism.
This situation is analogous to the phenomenon we have in the USA and elsewhere in the West, which is the de-evolution from journalism to political activism at mainstream media outlets.
This is predominantly manifested in a Leftist/Neo-Marxist vein. These outlets are run by and for Commies. It is what it is. They hate social norms and buy into critical theory and inter - sectionalism and other half baked pseudo-intellectual doctrines that espouse radically deconstructing Western ( or Israeli) society. These are bad ideas promulgated by highly educated, incredibly stupid people with malice aforethought. It’s just propaganda for self -hating Jews and fodder for antisemitic cretins.
"It is incumbent, therefore, that the world sees Haaretz not as a trusted news source, but as a grossly biased, politically obsessed entity that plays a leading role in the unwarranted, self-defeating demonization of Israel."
I could have told you all this before you signed up for your free subscription. Cancel it. 'NOW!' Forgive my sounding rude, but It is a rag I wouldn't use to 'you know what' my 'you know what' with. It is too vile, virulent and malicious. I fail to understand how people who live here ( Jews or any one else, anywhere else) who consider themselves educated, highly intelligent and of course, self proclaimed 'enlightened', can possibly be swayed by it. Delusional.
Many people call Haaretz a "leftist" newspaper, but it is not leftist.
There are no ideas of the left movement in it. And the left movement itself is not an ideology, but a set of principles for approaching state building.
The newspaper Haaretz is anti-Israel. She publishes materials aimed at destroying the foundations of the state. She publishes manipulations and fakes of pseudo-scientists, “Israelis” who have lived almost their entire lives abroad and prove the incompetence of Israel. They publish pro-Palestinian articles in which they show the rights of Arabs and reduce (and more often do not talk about) the rights of Jews. They obsessively hate Netanyahu (this is not prohibited) so much so that in their hatred they are ready to destroy Israeli society, government and judicial structures (and this is already a betrayal).
I stopped reading Haaretz a long time ago because they write the same thing, even if they write about different events. But when I come across one of their articles, I easily find propaganda, manipulation and lies in it. Tell me why? Because they don’t know this country and don’t see it. They see something in their head and think it's true.
I'm sorry, but this topic really bothers me. Israel is a country that fights, builds, confronts enemies and deserves peace and prosperity no less, and maybe much more than others.
And it’s hard for me when someone does everything to throw mud at Israel.
Don't say that this is "freedom of speech" and a "real view". This is deliberate demonization.
“News” has become indistinguishable from Opinion, further diluted by social media in the past fifteen years. Haaretz is uniquely damaging in its influence in the diaspora.
Ha’aretz barely has a readership in Israel. It is written for a foreign audience of Israel hating leftists, like +972 Magazine. Both are grifting outfits funded by an international readership, and they tailor themselves to that audience.
Haaretz is a terrible source for any news on any subject relating to Israel and has been so for decades.
Truth.
At one time in our history the left was anti racist and pro Israel. Many Jews were to the left of centre as far as politics was concerned. This was when Israel was a small country surrounded by blood thirsty Arab hell bent on her destruction. The Israel won the six day war and the Yom Kippur War. Suddenly the support from the left vanished as Israel was seen as strong and in no need of the support from the left wing. And after the invasion of Lebanon to remove the PLO and the various intifadas the hatred from the left grew and grew.
The far right Nazis always hated us. They lamented that Hitler hadnt finished the job.
Now we face hatred from all sides. The far left. The liberal left. The far right and of course Muslims. The man on the street in Egypt and Jordan hate the Jews even though their leaders chose a pragmatic route and made peace.
Our own leftie newspaper the Guardian has been anti Israel for more years than I can remember. So it's no surprise that Haaretz has fallen into the anti Israel camp. I remember attending an antisemitism meeting in London at least ten years ago where a Jewish reporter spoke. She was more concerned with the plight of the Palestinians than fellow Jews and Israelis. Her loathing for everything was awful
Beautifully written Marc! And unfortunate of course.
Yes. Haaretz is Israel’s BBC and CNN. 🤮
I think Joshua's vitriol is over the top. Haaretz is a left-wing newspaper. Everyone knows that. They don't support this government and they don't support Bibi, and their editorial stance and headlines will reflect this.
Like any media outlet, you get to know the individual writers and you learn to compensate for their individual biases. There are writers in Haaretz that I avoid completely. But many of the articles I read because they provide value even though they are biased. There are full-length feature articles that most newspapers simply don't write anymore.
Joshua's cherry-picking of various headlines and word choices either reflect the paper's editorial stance (e.g. Dalal Abu Amneh), are simply factual (e.g. Dutch court orders...), or indeed reflect Joshua's own bias and narrative. He seems to have an axe to grind and was looking for tidbits to support that.
Seriously people, either read it or don't, but the whining is pretty unhelpful. Haaretz's penchant for pointing out the flaws in our very non-perfect society may be hard to read but sometimes it's good to get a little out of your comfort zone. We have a lot of work to do to make this country better — let's maybe focus on that, ok?
In my view, part of making the country better means providing people with fair, balanced and relatively unbiased information so they can make the country better. Haaretz does not do that, hence why their readership is so low in Israel. The data speaks for itself.
Your logic is specious. Many factors determine readership and being "fair and balanced" is not one of the main ones. (see: Yisrael HaYom, Fox News) "Fair and balanced" is what you'll get if you read from a spectrum of sources. Haaretz is one end of the spectrum.
Nobody is unbiased. Nobody. That's a myth. In some cases journalists still strive to be as unbiased as they can (the Wall Street Journal's writing is pretty good on this account) but unfortunately it seems that it's more of a rarity nowadays and we must assume that everyone comes to the table with an agenda.
Right, then why does Haaretz bill itself as something it clearly is not? Like, all least own the fact that you're anti-Zionist and even anti-Jewish. Don't try to pretend like you care about what's in the best interests of the *Jewish* state and try to impose your overly leftist, even Marxist ideology on a country that has done relatively well all things considered.
Mmmm... I don't know how Haaretz "bills itself". I do think that "anti-Zionist" is rather harsh and "Marxist" is downright silly. As for "anti-Jewish", well, they're very secular so I guess it's in the eye of the beholder...
And yes, the country has done relatively well; but is that an excuse for journalists to let up? Isn't that one of the main roles of the "fourth estate", to hold power accountable?
No, journalists should not let up. But many Haaretz "journalists" are indeed quasi journalists. Journalists tell both sides, the full picture, not just one side. I studied journalism and have a bachelor's degree in it. Also worked in the space for eight years for NBC News, LA Daily News, and other outlets. That is my critique of them: Don't pretend to be journalists when much of what Haaretz does is, frankly, a mockery of journalism.
I assume you’re familiar with “false equivalency”, right? Should there always be a “both sides” argument?
I’m not saying that Haaretz is perfect — far from it. But your critiques could be leveled at the vast majority of news outlets. The only reason I can think of for singling out Haaretz is that their particular editorial slant offends you more.
Feel free to argue that the NYTimes, CNN, LATimes, WaPo, Ynet etc., let alone the Jerusalem Post (!), do a “better” job of journalism. I just don’t see it.
I have noticed this. It’s a sad situation but many old and valued newspaper houses are falling prey to this. The only way to fight it, is never to buy the newspaper!
Rarely read Haaretz because of its content, but the first mistake was selling a 25% share to a German whose father was in the Nazi Party, then turning it over to the family for 75%, and then putting the nail in the coffin by bringing on a Russian Oligarch. I stopped reading the NYT years ago, which always had a reputation for being antisemitic, now it's just totally Woke. Journalism as we know it is dead. Research and facts don't count. It's massaging the info to create a narrative that they think people will digest. Excellent article but sickening knowing how Haaretz is koshering the Jew hating tropes and masquerading it as journalism.
There are many who write for The Jerusalem Post, who are not far behind Ha’aretz.
Unforgivable.
Straight out of the Al Jazeera playbook where Arabic vs English news have very different narratives. Destructive and arrogant content.
Al Jazeera is Qatar/Iran/Hamas.
This situation is analogous to the phenomenon we have in the USA and elsewhere in the West, which is the de-evolution from journalism to political activism at mainstream media outlets.
This is predominantly manifested in a Leftist/Neo-Marxist vein. These outlets are run by and for Commies. It is what it is. They hate social norms and buy into critical theory and inter - sectionalism and other half baked pseudo-intellectual doctrines that espouse radically deconstructing Western ( or Israeli) society. These are bad ideas promulgated by highly educated, incredibly stupid people with malice aforethought. It’s just propaganda for self -hating Jews and fodder for antisemitic cretins.
Incredibly well said!
Joshua, your last paragraph sums it up.
"It is incumbent, therefore, that the world sees Haaretz not as a trusted news source, but as a grossly biased, politically obsessed entity that plays a leading role in the unwarranted, self-defeating demonization of Israel."
I could have told you all this before you signed up for your free subscription. Cancel it. 'NOW!' Forgive my sounding rude, but It is a rag I wouldn't use to 'you know what' my 'you know what' with. It is too vile, virulent and malicious. I fail to understand how people who live here ( Jews or any one else, anywhere else) who consider themselves educated, highly intelligent and of course, self proclaimed 'enlightened', can possibly be swayed by it. Delusional.
It’s clear that Haaretz hates Bibi more than it hates Hamas.
Hahaha 🤣
Many people call Haaretz a "leftist" newspaper, but it is not leftist.
There are no ideas of the left movement in it. And the left movement itself is not an ideology, but a set of principles for approaching state building.
The newspaper Haaretz is anti-Israel. She publishes materials aimed at destroying the foundations of the state. She publishes manipulations and fakes of pseudo-scientists, “Israelis” who have lived almost their entire lives abroad and prove the incompetence of Israel. They publish pro-Palestinian articles in which they show the rights of Arabs and reduce (and more often do not talk about) the rights of Jews. They obsessively hate Netanyahu (this is not prohibited) so much so that in their hatred they are ready to destroy Israeli society, government and judicial structures (and this is already a betrayal).
I stopped reading Haaretz a long time ago because they write the same thing, even if they write about different events. But when I come across one of their articles, I easily find propaganda, manipulation and lies in it. Tell me why? Because they don’t know this country and don’t see it. They see something in their head and think it's true.
I'm sorry, but this topic really bothers me. Israel is a country that fights, builds, confronts enemies and deserves peace and prosperity no less, and maybe much more than others.
And it’s hard for me when someone does everything to throw mud at Israel.
Don't say that this is "freedom of speech" and a "real view". This is deliberate demonization.
Very well said!!
Anshel Pfeffer is pretty good though.
Haaretz is an unfortunate example of the essential problem with modern news media after abolition of the Fairness Doctrine that required both sides of an issue to be represented, in 1985 (https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/topic-guide/fairness-doctrine#:~:text=The%20Fairness%20Doctrine%2C%20enforced%20by,set%20a%20biased%20public%20agenda).
“News” has become indistinguishable from Opinion, further diluted by social media in the past fifteen years. Haaretz is uniquely damaging in its influence in the diaspora.
Ha’aretz barely has a readership in Israel. It is written for a foreign audience of Israel hating leftists, like +972 Magazine. Both are grifting outfits funded by an international readership, and they tailor themselves to that audience.
I find the Times of Israel not much better.
Drew I agree with you wholeheartedly. These publications turn my stomach. Sickening, Best to avoid their toxins.