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February 13, 2012
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Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Feb. 12, 2004
/ 20 Shevat, 5764
Don't Bow to the Beeb
By
Jonathan Tobin
Collapse of BBC's credibility isn't just a British issue
http://www.jewishworldreview.com |
There's something about a British accent that tends to make Americans weak at
the knees.
Call it the "Masterpiece Theatre Syndrome," an affliction that runs deep
into our intellectual and cultural life. It causes many of us to swoon before
anyone with a "Sir" in front of their name and to consider anything originating
from Shakespeare's "scepter'd isle" as patently superior to anything
created here.
This dim-witted Anglophilia is a problem in the arts and it has its impact on
journalism as well. In particular, the reputation of the British Broadcasting
Corporation rests more on this pseudo-snobbery than the actual credentials of
the powerful international television and radio network.
Like all myths, the inflated reputation of the 'Beeb,' as the BBC is
sometimes called in Britain, is based on some truth. In Britain, the government-owned
station was once considered an impartial source that contrasted with the
highly partisan English press. And the respect and affection with which the network
is regarded around the world is also based on its historic role during World
War II as the free world's outlet to occupied Europe.
BROADCASTING A LIE
But that was a long time ago. The BBC is no longer the only source for news
around the world. And the once impartial tone of its radio and TV news is as
dead as Winston Churchill.
Any doubts about this reversal were erased earlier this month when a
commission charged with investigating a controversial BBC story ruled that the network
had put out information it knew to be false.
The findings of the Hutton Commission which revealed that BBC reporter Andrew
Gilligan knowingly broadcast a lie about the British government falsifying
information has been rehashed at length elsewhere. The main point about the
story is that Gilligan's lies were inspired by his own strong opposition to
British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the war. in Iraq. Even more important was the
fact that the leadership of the BBC was unwilling to examine the network's
shortcomings until forced to do so by public pressure.
But this is far from the only example of bias at the Beeb. In its coverage of
Israel, the network has proved that slanted reporting like that of Gilligan's
is the rule rather than the exception. Just as there was no editorial
oversight or apologies forthcoming from the BBC over their slander of Blair, so too
there was none when a BBC documentary falsely accused Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon of war crimes. Nor did it backtrack when another BBC production
falsely said Israel used poison gas against Palestinians.
Those accustomed to complaining about the American media's treatment of
Israel need to understand that, compared to the BBC, even the most egregious local
offenders are small potatoes.
This bias has been documented in detail by sources such as the British Daily
Telegraph newspaper's "Beeb Watch" (www.dailytelegraph.co.uk) and by media
monitoring organizations such as CAMERA (www.Camera.org) and
HonestReporting.com. Their findings show that in both tone and substance, BBC news programs
routinely minimize stories that depict terror attacks against Israelis and instead
focus on inflated reporting about the suffering of Palestinians. On the BBC,
Israel's legitimacy and right to exist are always up for debate (though its
defenders rarely get to participate in that debate) while the right of the
Palestinians to carry on their terrorist war is rarely questioned.
But the collapse of the BBC's facade of integrity is isn't just a British
story. The BBC is now widely available in the United States via satellite
television networks and the use of the BBC's World Service on National Public Radio
affiliate stations.
For example, here in Philadelphia, NPR is heard on publicly supported WHYY-91
FM, an all news and talk station that is like all NPR affiliates
subsidized by government aid and individual contributions from listeners.. Indeed,
WHYY has recently expanded the BBC's exposure to include not only post-midnight
hours and the early bird 5 a.m. slot but also now the 9 a.m. drive-time niche.
NPR has itself come under fire for its slanted Middle East coverage, but the
addition of BBC programs and the contempt for Israel that often borders on
anti-Semitism, which is found in its content, raise concern about NPR stations to
a new level.
BAD ADVICE
How should we react to this problem? As it turns out our English cousins have
given us a good example of what doesn't work. England's Chief Rabbi Jonathan
Sacks recently came under fire for defending the BBC against charges of
anti-Israel bias, even though he had himself previously led a delegation of rabbis
to complain to the network about its coverage. Sacks explained in an op-ed in
The Jerusalem Post that what is needed is not loud protest but calm voices
that can diplomatically educate the media.
Sacks is right about pro-Israel responders going off half-cocked. But when he
warns us that angry Jews who are fed up with bias don't know how to speak the
Queen's English to the Lords of the BBC, then it becomes apparent that what
he is doing is stifling protest, not channeling it in the right direction.
Instead of a forceful response, his article reeked of an older, discredited Jewish
pattern. The time is long past when we should rely on Jewish notables like
Rabbi Sacks making personal requests for fairness when we are faced with
prejudice.
American listeners and contributors to public radio should let these
stations know exactly how we feel about their increased use of the BBC. We need
to free ourselves of our "Masterpiece Theatre Syndrome," which has helped
these supposedly high-minded broadcasters sneak the BBC's bias into our
communities.
Tugging our forelocks in the direction of their snooty accents won't work. We
need to tell the BBC and their American middlemen that we won't subsidize
their anti-Israel bias via tax dollars or individual contributions again.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and in the media consider "must reading." Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Jonathan S. Tobin is executive editor of the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent.
Let him know what you think by clicking here. In June, Mr. Tobin won first places honors in the American
Jewish Press Association's Louis Rapaport Award for Excellence in Commentary as
well as the Philadelphia Press Association's Media Award for top weekly
columnist. Both competitions were for articles written in the year 2002.
Jonathan Tobin Archives
© 2004, Jonathan Tobin
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